Overcome by parasitic anger, the young soldier, intoxicated as usual, needed to let go of this boiling feeling spurring inside him. Alone in the Coliseum, faint lights showering his mutilated figure, only sparring dummies to keep him company. Unelegantly but powerfully, one by one, Jab was obliterating the puppets, laying a synthetic grave at his feet.
Underwhelmed and unsatisfied by his prestation during his first assignment, his anger was targeted toward himself. Incompetent, he thought, reminiscing his inability to fight the monster. Failure that almost cost him his life, his well-being resting solely on Rouge's shoulders. Not only that, he also borrowed strength from her. Strength that isn't his, defeated those demons. That's how he interpreted it.
Jab was well aware of his disadvantage, his handicap. The daily struggle alone caused by his severed limb stands as proof. Issues that newly tainted his routine, changing his life. He knew the loss of his arm was going to put him in a severe deficit when it came to combat capacities. However, he underestimated how much it would. And how much he would be affected by it.
It was unfair. Never did he ask for this. Any of this. Yet, he felt he was unable to complain. He is alive after all. This statement does not stand true for many of his fallen comrades, Therefore, he cannot complain. He must find the strength to stand proud; his very own strength. Even with this power dwelling within him, Jab feels utterly useless. Outmatched.
The commotion he was causing would have been completely ignored and unnoticed if it wasn't for her. The Illusionist has been actively searching for him, surprisingly. She noticed him storm out of the bar earlier and her inner leader kicked in. Or maybe it was because it was him specifically that she was drawn in to look out for him. She didn't know, nor did she think about it.
Arriving at the entrance of the Coliseum, she finally set eyes on the erratic beast. She leaned on the frame, taking the time to observe him. Observing his technique, his form. But unconsciously, she was mostly studying him, his character. While not knowing his motives, she understood his anger. Jab's helplessness and self-frustration called to her, very much acquainted with these feelings herself. When his tantrum settled to let him catch his breath, she made her entrance.
"Thats where you were."
"Huh?"
"I saw you storm off the bar earlier, you probably didn't even notice me."
"What do you want?"
"Nothing really, I just wanted to check on you. That's my job as your captain after all."
"Sure. Well, I'm all good, so. You can just move on with your night. No need to force yourself to waste your time here"
"Thanks for worrying about my time, but I want to be here."
Still panting, his hands grabbing his quads, the young man straightened up to look at her, intrigued. The gentle smile she gave him made him scoff and shake his head.
"Sure, man. You do you."
"I sure will. Or maybe I'm bothering you?"
"I'm smart enough not to answer yes to this question, despite how I may feel."
"Haha, you're more clever than you look."
"Yeah, right. So what do you want?"
"I told you. I don't want anything, really. I just thought you might need help."
"Help with what?"
"Not sucking."
"Ha ha."
Jab laughed ironically. Ace's frank response affected him more than he wanted.
"That's a bold approach if you wanted me to rely on you and trust you."
"Well, you just struck me as the kind of man who is pretty direct."
"Fair."
"So, you want my help?"
"Your help? I don't even know what you could possibly do to help me. I'm afraid I'm beyond saving."
"Nah, that's not true. Come on. Follow me."
The Illusionist smoothly turned around, spinning on her heels. As she was walking back towards the entrance, she raised her hand and called him over with her finger, smoothly crooking her index. The mutilated soldier chuckled, baffled at her assertive nature. Even if she was just bossing him around, he listened to her and decided to follow her.
Now standing outside the Coliseum ground, The Commander approached a monitor displayed on the wall next to the door. Jab was standing behind her, looking at her. He watched her hand reach for the back pocket of her pants that elegantly outlined her silhouette. The young man flustered a bit before looking away, catching himself gazing at her.
Ace pulled out her badge from her pocket and brought it up to the screen, which promptly lit up. Recognizing its rank, the system unlocked all the features hiding behind a firewall blocking access to most. The young woman spoke up to the device.
"Access arsenal."
Responding to her mellow voice, the AI chimed. Shortly after, the floor trembled under them. Under a loud roar, the center of the stadium and its many features began to budge. Soon enough, the entirety of the Coliseum morphed and a handful of new modules rose from the depths. The digital machine beeped to let them know it was now safe to enter the Coliseum.
"Time to explore."
Ace initiated their approach to this new environment. Now showing multiple booths and stands, the room was filled with a panoply of weapons. Jab was surprised. Not only by the sheer amount of weapons but also by their extensive variety ranging from shurikens to wooden stakes.
"I think your biggest flaw is your defence."
"Yeah, I know that."
"I know you do. That's why I think you could really use a weapon."
"From what you said, I thought you were gonna say I needed a shield or some shield."
"Well, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad choice. But I don't think that's your style is it?"
"Nope."
"Haha yeah, that's what I thought. But even then, I just don't think a shield is the best option."
"What do you mean"
"Well, you're clearly strong. I don't think moving away from that strength would be wise. You're potential for firepower and lethal capabilities shouldn't be ignored."
"So what are you suggesting then?"
"About that…"
The Illusionist slowly swayed between the many weapon stands, unconsciously and loosely brushing her palm across the many swords and staff. She was inattentively skipping the tips of her fingers on the points of the many sharp pieces of equipment. Strangely, Jab found himself absorbed by her, by her character. Her light and playful air captivated him, ever since that night they spent together. He did not know how he perceived her or this feeling, but she somewhat totally engrossed his mind.
"Ah! There it is."
Ace grabbed the handle of a metal weapon and swiftly turned around to point it directly at Jab. her manoeuver immediately put a halt to his walk, the metal weapon almost poking his face. Too close to his eye, it was blurry, he couldn't tell what it was. He then firmly grabbed it and pulled it out of her hand.
"Give me that."
She giggled lightly after she successfully teased him a little. The soldier switched his hand back to hold the handle of the weapon and looked at it.
"Huh."
For him, it was a simple blunt metallic rod, unaware it was a baseball bat. He looked at it with an uncertain eye, unimpressed.
"How is that gonna help me?"
"Like I said, you're pretty vulnerable in combat. So I think that even just something as simple as some extra range will give you a huge advantage. You'll be able to keep your distance a little better."
"That's it?"
"Well, I think that's already pretty good. Plus, it will help you block. As it is now, you've been blocking with your body, which hasn't done you great. You're not as resistant as Akuma or Spike. I'd compare your resistance to Mute's, but even he has weapons to protect himself. That's why I think this metal bat will help you."
"Hm, right. But why not just go for a sword or something?"
"I agree that it would be a good option, but just not for you. When fighting with a sword you need to be precise and skilled enough to control the edge of the blade. If your blade is even off just by a little bit, it doesn't matter how buff or strong you are, you won't be able to cut your prey. So other than if you tell me you're secretly a master swordsman I don't thin-"
"Yeah, no. I get it. At least with this thing, I don't need to worry about that kind of stuff. I can just swing it around, hun?'
"That's pretty much it, yeah."
"I guess I can give it a try."
"Good. But there's also something else I want you to try."
"Hm?"
"Come with me."
Once again, The Commander used her rank's benefits to access another hidden facet of this massive Coliseum. This time, the words Shooting Range were used. Now standing in the middle of the stadium, the two soldiers were surrounded by a large amount of targets.
Ace pulled out a couple of her trusted golden coins from the pocket of her pristine white shirt. With pure reflex, she tossed one of them before looking at her temporary apprentice.
"You've been curious about this, haven't you?"
"About what?"
"My power."
The sudden surprise in his face made her laugh.
"Haha, I didn't know you were that curious. But yeah. I figured I'd tell you about it. So, when it comes to fighting or running around, I'm pretty bad. The shot weakened me and affected my coordination. But, I'm pretty adept with my hands. You'd be surprised how strong my fingers are."
"Not really. You knocked me out pretty bad just by flinging a fucking coin at me."
"Haha, I did do that. When I learned about my new affinities, I thought it would be better for me to fight with some knives or daggers. I did get pretty good with them, but it wasn't sufficient. I wasn't strong enough to do anything. I would get overpowered easily and beaten up pretty badly. For the longest time, I was pretty useless. Just like you in a way."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Come on. It's not like that. I'm just saying that I used to feel pretty helpless too. But, look at me now! A full-ass Commander, nothing less! And it's all thanks to this."
With minute agility, Ace spun and dropped her center of gravity. She loaded both her hands with coins and used her fingers to fire with deadly momentum the two golden tokens. In a flash, the projectiles pierced right through a pair of targets resting at the far back of the Coliseum. With exceptional aim, she successfully hit two bullseyes. The Illusionist turned back around and jokingly bowed to her restricted audience, tipping her hat in the process.
"Did you really expect me to clap for you?"
"Would you if you could?"
"Nope."
"Hahaha, at least you're honest."
"But, it is pretty impressive."
"It's even more impressive when you realize it wasn't gifted to me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, as for you, I'm assuming your eye is quite perceptive. You had quite the aim when you killed that Hollow with your dagger throw. But me, I have nothing that helps me aim. In the beginning, I could only shoot stuff extremely fast, but it was going everywhere. I had to keep training and keep training to get that much precision with my shot. But you, you already have the perfect aim. Lucky bastard."
"I'm just built different."
"Haha, oh, yeah. You sure are built different."
"I don't like the tone of that."
"But, go on then. Show me."
Ace tossed him a coin; Jab dropped the bat before catching it. He looked at her, and all she did was nod her head at one of the targets at the other extremity of the room. The soldier looked at it for an instant before placing the coin flat between his index and middle finger.
In one sharp movement, the soldier spun around. His pupil sharpened. His fingers, covered in a green aura, almost scraped the floor as he gained momentum, before throwing the coin when he reached the pinnacle of his movement. The metal projectile obliterated the bullseye of the target before the sound of the throw was heard.
The speed, force and accuracy of his shot were phenomenal; Ace was even more impressed than she had previously anticipated. She slowly applauded, a smile on her face.
"Wow. Would you look at that."
"It wasn't that hard to do."
"Flexing much?"
"That's not it. I didn't have to do much, so you can't really praise my effort."
"It is still quite impressive, though. I think you should rely on this more. And whenever the distance between you and your enemy is shortened, you just need to use that bat."
"I think I can manage that."
"Great! I'm glad I could help. You should get some sleep, we will train more tomorrow."
"Sure. Hm. Well… T-thank you."
"Haha, it really took you all this effort just to say thank you? You looked so flustered. "
"I- Well, sorry for being grateful!"
"I'm only teasing you. You're welcome."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As she slowly woke up, she felt a soft pressure on her arm. Still a bit confused by her recent sleeping state, Blue wiped her eyes thoroughly as she took a deep breath. Her vision and her mind now clearer, she looked over at the root of the weight that was faintly turning her arm numb. Her eyes set on a deeply asleep Spike. She seemed peaceful. At rest.
Memories of her night rushed back in her hazy mind, making her smile fondly. With minute and soft movement, she removed her arm from under her friend's resting body, while leaving a soft kiss on her forehead in the process. While her escape only drew a muffled moan from Spike, she could successfully sneak away without waking her up. Mission complete.
Blue took the time to pick up the leftover clothes and dress in a fresh new fit before leaving the suite. She wasn't going far. She leaned on the ramp resting along the other side of the hall, the windows opening over the bright city. She stared at the buildings and the brewing morning life taking over the streets. Her whole life, she hated them. The Insiders. And their city.
She was forced into scarcity by birth. And here she is, spending her whole life fighting monsters to protect this very city, these very people. The same people who never did anything for her, other than being the source of all her endeavours. Living in luxury. A luxury fabricated by the death of her friends. A luxury protected by her constant struggle of putting her life on the line.
Her whole life, she hated the Lab and the Inside City. She loathed all of it. She still does and will continue to. But for a brief instant, at this moment, she had a flimsy thought. How much she would give to escape there. Just spike and her. Disappearing from everything. No responsibilities. Just living life together. Right at she was going to seriously consider it, a voice snapped her out of it.
"What are you doing out here?"
As the Commander turned around, she saw her friend hanging from the opened door, wiping her drowsy eyes. Only a long shirt, one of her shirts, covering her skin. Blue blushed nervously, caught off guard.
"Wha- What are you doing here? Don't come outside like this. Geez. Just head back inside, I'm coming. I need to take a shower anyway."
"Oh? Me too? I'll ready the shower now so we can shower together!"
"I- Isn't that like, a little too much a little too soon right now…"
"Huh? What do you mean? We did way more than that last nigh-"
"Alright, alright! Just. Go. Inside."
As their quick exchange ended, she sighed at Spike's honest and carefree self. Too flustered by the sight of her friend wearing one of her favorite shirts, and only that shirt, along with the nature of her remarks, Blue was panicking a little. Enough for her to not notice one of the suite's inhabitants leaving their room: James. When she finally noticed him right before coming back into her room, another type of panic took over.
A panic that left a bad feeling in her mouth, and pain in her throat. She felt an eerie feeling rotting in her stomach. Blue felt like she got caught committing a terrible crime. Sadly, it could be considered as one, as far as the Lab's mentality goes. However, she was rapidly reassured.
"Sounds like you had more fun than me last night."
"I- It's not what it looks like, I-"
"Hey. It's ok. I know you don't especially like me, but I'm not like that. I'm happy for you. Really. So don't worry, nobody will know about this. At least not from me."
" … Ok. … Huh. I never thought I'd ever be thankful to you."
"I'll take that as a win."
An echoing shout coming from afar abruptly cut their conversation.
"BLUUUUUE! SHOWER'S READY! I'M WAITING FOR YOU, WHERE ARE YOU!"
They both looked at each other, surprised, before laughing lightly.
"Go. I'm sure she's better company than me. And I have places to be, so."
"I wasn't gonna stay here talking to you anyway."
"Right. See you around then."
"Sure."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We just finished training, but we're already leaving for our next mission. Last time, it took everything for us to finish off these things. We went over it earlier, but we really were out of sync. That's why Savvy had to come up with things we need to make sure to follow.
We made a mistake last time when we got separated. Our whole defence power was split up from everybody else. So I need to stick behind with Rouge and Savvy, while Spike goes up front. We all agreed she was more capable than me anyway.
Though, I was surprised by my own ability. And they were all surprised too. I didn't really suffer any injuries. Compared to Jab who got completely mauled in a slash, my resistance is quite impressive. Oh, but Rouge did work wonders on that.
I don't know what she did. She was also very secretive and vague with her explanations. It looked like she wasn't ready to let us know about her abilities. It's fine. She saved him. It's just strange how secret she is about that. Oh well.
Today it's an Extermination mission. We shouldn't get caught off guard like last time. Actually, that's not entirely true. I feel like there isn't going to be a mission that will go exactly as expected. We are heading in a totally different direction than before. Though, the scenery is the same.
Dark narrow tunnels filled with thick humid air. I'm still not used to this stuffy stench, while they all look used to it. Not even bothered. I guess they did grow up out here. But, didn't I? Or have my body forgotten all about these rancid sensations? That's strange.
Wai. Mute just suddenly stopped walking. And now he's drawing his blades.
"What is it, Mute?"
Savvy also noticed something was up. He must be hearing something. He's now pointing the tip of his knife towards one of the tunnels. Our target must be that way.
"Hahaha! Finally! Onward, Team!"
"W-Wait Slash! Don't just charge in!"
It's too late. He's not going to listen. We just have to follow him. I'm already so tense. I can't help it. I just feel like these monsters are just unpredictable. Everything could go right, and be under control. But then suddenly, everybody dies. It really could happen that fast.
We're all walking slowly. We seem to all be on edge. Except for Slash. He never seems bothered by anything. Ever. I guess that's because he's confident in his strength. I would too if I was as strong as him. We're all blindly following him.
This place is quite big. Who knew there was such a big open space at the end of this underpass. It would make sense for a Hollow to make it its lair. Thankfully, this place is already under the Lab's jurisdiction; the place is somewhat quite well-lit. This Hollow probably only recently came to reside here. That's why we're here to get rid of it.
Still, it doesn't seem to be around. Or maybe it's very well hidden. I hope it's not that.
We're all standing in a circle, looking around. We're not making any noise, barely breathin-
"Hahaha! Come on out, demon! Come out to play!'
"What the fuck are you doing!"
If we were trying to be sneaky, all hopes are gone now. He just took off on his own to the middle of the area, scraping and crashing his swords together.
"Stop it-"
"No. Let him."
"What?"
I wonder why Ace is fine with it.
"I know he's dense, but he's not an idiot. It's better we draw it out before it tries to sneak up on us. A Hollow is at its scariest and most dangerous when you don't see it."
Put like that, it does make sense. I guess Slash is among the strongest Commanders for a reason. If anything is to come out, we're ready. As ready as we can be, at least. Mute is still on guard with his daggers to his side. Jab's got this bat he's been training with apparentl-
It worked. I'm hearing something. Growls. And crawling.
"Something's coming."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within the depths of the earth, a gathering of hell was crawling their way to the noise that had awakened them. Hidden away, they were resting. But now, parasites invaded their newfound palace. And they were on their way to defend it.
In the center of their lair, eight soldiers were standing still, calling upon them to come on out. However, they did not expect the threat to be this immense. A few seconds after The Shogun's call of war, beasts began to emanate from the darkness.
At first, only a few Hollows revealed themselves, crawling on the ceiling and the walls. However, there seemed to be no end to them. The large cave was now crawling with them.
"Are you fucking kidding me? This is real' bad!"
The first one to break the silence was Jab. He knew how bad the situation just become.
"Hahaha! Fret not, kid! These puny little guys are nothing but weakli-"
A deafening commotion buried the Commander's voice. Further away, in the back of the cave, the ground imploded. A tide of rocks and debris spurred into the air. From underground, a massive silhouette broke out the earthy layer. Both its extraction and its landing shook the footing supporting the soldiers.
While still engulfed in a cloud of dust, the monster let out a shiver-inducing screech. The group felt the pressure crushing them. In addition to the flood of beasts slowly surrounding them, this was becoming terribly dangerous. All the confidence and planning they were holding on to, vanished. Decayed immediately. One sentiment remained: despair. They had to run away.
As the soles of the young soldiers' boots slid on the dirt, a voice reverberated in the air.
"Do not run away!"
The Shogun's assertions froze them in place. He swiftly drew his long wooden staff and pointed it at the large monster now charging at him.
"I'm taking this guy down. I'm leaving the rest of the to you, Ace."
"R-Right."
The ground cracked under the Commander's body as he crouched. In the blink of an eye, he leaped forward and sunk his weapon into the beast's abdomen before it could even react to his speed. With brute force, Slash catapulted the large monster into the back of the cave. The Hollow crashed right through the rocky wall, revealing a huge opening that opened up downward. Its figure rapidly fell into the hole and disappeared into the deep darkness. Slash promptly followed suit, his maniacal laugh slowly fading away as he dove into the shadows.
Left above ground, completely surrounded, the team had to stand their ground in the face of the incoming wave of enemies. As adrenaline boiled inside her, Savvy had to keep her mind clear.
"Quick! We need to pair up. Spike stay with Rouge, Akuma and I will stick together. Mute and Jab, sorry but I need you guys to go on your own."
"Don't worry about us, we got this."
"I'll help too. This isn't the time for training."
Ace's resolve was adamant. Slash entrusted her with them after all.
I won't let anything happen to them. I can't let that happen. I've got this.