In the middle of chasing a creature with as superb of a knack for freerunning and agility itself, Lyle pushed through his exhaustion, the creature has caused one injury in Generil already, his great determination to deter the next victim is reaching the peak.
The creature was almost supernaturally gifted leaping feet from where it lept, Lyle was no slouch himself though. Lyle's Athleticism was on par with his marksmanship, swordmanship, his scientific mind and everything else he's great at, there was no way he was going to fail.
This 152 CM and muscular humanoid bunny-like creature kept underestimating Lyle as the two was leaping over cars and over roof tops during the chase, in alley ways and ran through sewers, the chase continued on and on with the creature fearing for it's life but held on to its peoples' notion that humans were weak and lacked in every physical area compared to the wider species that existed, he didn't want to admit that humans weren't incompetent.
It's 4'11 with an acrobat's physique, razor sharp teeth and very large eyes. It resembles a bunny with its face and ears but it's colored Grey-ish blue. It has to be Lyle's number one pick for the most frustrating creature he stumbled upon and one of his most hated now.
Lyle tried tagging it a few times with one of his sidearms but it's like he's either mastered the art of superhuman anticipation or is the luckiest creature Lyle have come across. So far, no creature has dodged as many shots of his as this creature has been able to, but he's not willing to give up when there's options he'd rather try, anyway.
Lyle pushes through, he pushes himself further as the two incredibly and gracefully swing and parkour through the city like experienced dancers through a performance. Springing over cars and climbing through the trees, through stores as Lyle stays on the creature, messing stores up as he hastened and disrupting some of the peace of the city.
The chase lasted for an hour and went all over the city but came to a halt when the creature ran out of stamina first, successfully allowing Lyle to pin it down and finally get a shot off, he pulled out one of his pistols and took aim but didn't shoot for some reason.
"Ya got Staying power, kid, but does ya got it when it comes to hands or you really wanna remain a coward, Seun?" The Rabbit humanoid creature blurted out with a terrified look on his face before he squared up.
Lyle stared deeply at his gun for a moment, "Alright... I don't have to fight you hand to hand but since you can talk and that displays some form of intelligence then this would've been an execution. Luckily for you, I promised my brother I'd try things slightly different and it's been a while since I fought something the way it's meant to be done." Lyle said as he also squared up, and gave what felt like an unnecessary speech to the creature.
Lyle removed some of his armor, to lighten him up and give the creature an honorable fighting chance, dropped his weapons and extra gear but kept his helmet on. "Ready for this, ya gat?" The creature asked as his look of fear, like he was prey for a wolf, turned into a fierce one instead. Lyle got into his signature right handed southpaw stance and a glare.
After a silent moment of face-off eye contact, the creature sprinted in and threw the first punch, it was a simple left jab that Lyle dodged without a moment of irresolution, prediction, it was almost perfect thanks to his reflex speed. The monster was put in awe.
Lyle threw the next and it was a leg sweep attempt, the creature dodged it by leaping high into the air, Lyle rolled to his right and out of the way, the creature slammed down with both of his legs extended out and heavily cracked some of the concrete below them.
when the heat of the battle was beginning to sizzle and the sun was setting, suddenly, the creature just stopped. He got on the ground and began weeping, yelling out "Adhiamboooo!!!!" and the tears wouldn't stop running down his cheeks, he wouldn't stop repeating that name in such a mournful tone.
It left Lyle extremely confused and deciding about what to do next until he looked over and saw a guy in Grey and violet purple armor with a mask that had an impassive facial expression on it with red eyes standing nearby with his arms crossed and one foot up on the wall he was leaning against. Lyle saw his fellow Gen-Oath member carrying a stranger version of a tanto that was sheathed on his side and a sawed-off shotgun on his person as well.
"What's this all about anyway?" Anastasius asked Lyle as he nodded down at the crying man bunny on the floor, Lyle looked down at the creature then back up at Anastasius without a word, "These creatures, so many different kinds are appearing out of nowhere but this guy wasn't afraid, the underground fighting arena I just squashed wasn't afraid of him either." Lyle replied, "He attacked a little girl while I followed him thinking he'd lead me to a more secretive spot in the city or where some of the others might be lurking but I couldn't let it slide so I decided to squeeze the answers out of him." Lyle finished as he picked back up his armor.
Lyle handcuffed the small but hefty creature with incredible tech he was given by Jikolsen which he hasn't got to try yet, tailored handcuffs, they can change size and adapt density to whatever they're meant to restrain. Their full extent is limited but this creature didn't reach it. As the stoic officer handcuffed the teeny otherworldly creature, he felt something was off with Anastasius.
Lyle grabbed the little guy up and carried him as he was put into a tranquil state by Anastasius, he weighed about a 6-10 month old heifer calve. The Duo found the bustling building, showed the staff their police badges and asked for a completely empty room to ask the monster some questions.
The staff were scared like they expected but the Gen-oath had their trust so they allowed it. They had asked him some questions, questions that could be useful and in this reposeful state, he answered each one straightforward.
Lyle called for a team to rush to the location he spilled out in his calming and pliable state. The creature broke free from Lyle's grip a few moments later, he kicked the Gen-oath member down and began running away.
Before Lyle could give chase, Anastasius asked him to stop, Lyle did after hearing what he began talking about but was still confused. "He'll be confused for a few, he's not going to hurt anyone but I desperately need your help rescuing my team." Anastasius yelled out with a grievous tone of voice.
This made Lyle totally wonder what his powers were and what his name was but he didn't care to ask it if they weren't going to work together, seems now, thinking back on Nathaniel's advice, they might be. The stoical military man was sincere in working only with his siblings and bidding farewell but he decided to fully hear him out. He wanted to walk away but with others in trouble, he thought about what Artus would think, what Dain would've thought, what Josue would say to him and what he think about himself later. He decided to get over himself.
"brief me, what's happening?" Lyle responded to Anastasius with his own stern tone, "There was a... Report from a citizen, he told us he heard roaring from an abandoned building, the only abandoned building in the city. My teammates and I, Codagan Dugan, Kiyo Chilleday and myself decided to kill it since we were told it sounded bloodthirsty and crazed. There's missing posters in the city too, I can't bring their loved ones back but I can be sure others won't fall prey if this thing is behind them all--" Anastasius was about to say more but Lyle stopped him before he could, "Artus and I visited Kiyo, he said one have the ability to place barriers around things and the other can manipulate gravity. How am I supposed to help if all of you couldn't?" Lyle asked with genuine confusion in the question, "Because all we have to do is rescue the other two then the four of us together can kill it, are you in?" Anastasius answered with the same grievous tone at the end. Lyle nodded his head since he was never out but acknowledging this mission will be tough.
Lyle and Anastasius travel to Seyort, the cities have a short enough distance between them, short enough for Anastasius to flee to the next city over from the creature earlier. It was a threat he couldn't handle alone.
"To be honest, I'm thankful I ran into you out of anyone, so, how are we going to rescue my team?" Anastasius asked Lyle as they stood outside the building to first scope out the scene, "Uhm... Wha?" Lyle asked in return.
"Artus called me a while ago and told me a few things about you guys and told me that neither of you would have introduced yourselves on your own." Anastasius revealed, "He knows us too well... And I know him, he overstated my ability to strategize a win and lead others. I wish he'd stop doing that. I've only ever worked together well with them. Everyone else I couldn't lead, my knees would get wobbly, stomach queezy, I'd get sweaty like there was a bonfire in me..." Lyle replied in a calm manner.
"Sounds tough man, he said you were the best candidate to be a leader if only you got over your insecurities and applied yourself." Anastasius replied trying his best to do an Artus voice.
Lyle looked at Anastasius, "If he said that, it'd go towards more evidence that he doesn't apply himself like he should, you know." He said while kept that in mind.
"I'm paraphrasing all of that but that was the gist of it--" Anastasius said but he stopped when he thought Lyle wasn't listening, "Wha- What are you doing...?" He asked while Lyle was trying to focus.
Lyle exhaled and let out a deep sigh as he couldn't form the concentration, he's found out about his latest ability that comes with his mysterious smoke but has been practicing since he was sixteen and still couldn't get it. He's been practicing on and off. He noticed smoke coming off of him like he was on fire.
"Something for reconnaisance but I can't quite get it, damn it, ugh. I don't care for smoke anyway, let's just go sneak up on it and blast it to smithereens." Lyle proposed, the Prince didn't oppose and got pretty cozy with the concept of stealthiness and guns.
Lyle takes the lead and the less experienced Anastasius followed him, the two snuck into the building from the top.
Lyle had his twin pistols at the ready, Anastasius had his double barrel shotgun loaded, all in all, they were quiet, vigilant and deadly army of two as they snuck their way in from the top to the bottom where the creature were.
The interior of the complex was worse than the exterior and that part wasn't pretty even for an abandoned building, Lyle wasn't surprised a monster would make it it's home.
He saw a random platform he thought could hold his weight, it was the perfect distance to teleport to for a different view and different spot for a surprise attack, while his temporary teammate took the other side. He teleported and popped a squat above it's nest.
Lyle looked for the other guys but couldn't see or hear them, he kept on wondering where they were as he continued to survey the creature. Anastasius struggled much like Lyle so he thought he'd pull out one last trick, his people can see the organs connected to various organs but he's never been the best at using this. He's still practicing, he sees nothing.
Lyle saw the monster but still couldn't hear it as it moved, his athleticism and hearing is what he relies on more than anything he's capable of... The monster was shaped like an overgrown tiger but had the skin and head shape of a hippopotamus.
Lyle placed his intrigue aside and did flip down then began blasting the creature as he dropped only for it to absorb everything bullet that made it to it.
He leapt off it's massive head and almost slipped on something he didn't see, he caught himself just in time and flipped back to his feet. Lyle was confused and lost on what he slipped on when he realized he did though.
The creature wasted no time, it's massive paw smashed Lyle to the ground while he was off guard, Anastasius was shooting for it's attention as he approached closer but his bullets made no dents or bruises against it's thick skin either.
Before he could react, it smashed him to the ground and began crushing the prince, only he wasn't nearly as tough as the former cadet, so the pain showed itself in his cries.
Lyle got the gist, he understood the difference, he was less of a book fellow and more of an action man, he was taught a lesson.
Lyle stood up on his feet and surrounded the room with his smoke, with his hands he felt the heat in his palms and used the first ability he ever used, when he was eight.
The creature was confused and dazzled but he had better knowledge of the setting then he ever did before, the smoke made him faster and stronger, so when the creature threw itself at him trying to squash him he sensed it and flipped over it to reach Anastasius and make his way out of a nearby window to escape.
Once outside, Lyle wanted to ask some questions while Anastasius was hurt, he wasn't enough to not provide answers. "What in the world was that in there?" Lyle asked his teammate who he realizes should've questioned further.
"How in the world would I know?" Anastasius replied as he was holding his rib, "It's a creature with staggering speed for its size, enormous strength and a ludicrous sense of smell. It ate our bullets too?" Lyle noted in his head as he squat down and took off his helmet to think clearly.
"Our teammates are in there, but they're in a crazy deep sleep and somehow invisible but they're with no doubt in there, I just need to get in close enough to excite some sort of emotion strong enough to wake them then we can all devise a way to kill this… thing together!" Anastasius informed Lyle, the part about exciting emotions struck a nerve in him.
The words he remembers from Nathaniel Detayvern echoed in the Sangfroid Paragon's mind after he heard Anastasius' tack. He took everything about their situation into account as well.
"We've been fighting it, but we haven't been fighting this together." Lyle stated in response, "Huh?" Anastasius noised with confusion.
"Team work isn't just about ganging up on a monster, teamwork is about combinating our abilities, filling in the other's weakness with our own strengths, we all have a tool that we can use to beat this, we need to be smarter about facing it... Or riskier. They have to be by where it rests, check there first. I'll keep it occupied on me." Lyle replied back to Anastasius before he gave him a nod.
Lyle realized how good of a sense of smell the creature has, so, as a safety precaution, he told Anastasius to wait a few minutes since he had the stronger scent. He and Artus tried on cologne.
When Anastasius went in, Lyle was in its mouth, struggling to keep from being eaten by it but holding up, "Thankfully, the jaw isn't as strong as its body's muscles." Lyle thought to himself, he made sure to stay in that position.
Anastasius snuck in from the top and jumped down, he made a break for his teammates while Lyle and the Hippo-tiger were locked in their struggle deeply.
Anastasius used his vision and saw the heart of Kiyo beating and felt around and assumed he felt Codagan next to him. He tried to excite an emotion in them but they were into their sleep far too deep to be brought out at his level of tugging.
"I hate that woman for depriving me of these for twenty-five years, a prince has to be at his strongest she says. That woman have problems." Anastasius thought to himself as he grabbed a syringe from his bag and injected himself with something that gave him more power and control over his abilities but came with a strange drawback. Anastasius excited certain emotions into his teammates that came out as what was on their minds before they were captured, they were feeling the strongest.
For Kiyo, it was fear that resulted in panic, and for Coda, it was disgust that resulted in self-reproach. Their screams as they woke up showed it. It lasted for about a minute before they went to becoming confused until they saw Lyle struggling to keep from being eaten still, hearing his grunts as he became slightly tired.
Lyle teleported out of it's mouth when he saw them, the monster began running around in circles afterwards.
"Is it trying to intimidate us? Cuz it's kinda working on me guys." Said Kiyo as the four went back to back, "Hey, what's up with him?" Lyle asked generally but he looked at Codagan who gave him a shrug in return.
The monster ran around, with stupendous speed and stealth like no other, Lyle was upset he couldn't hear it but deep down, Lyle found it too cute and too interesting to be bothered by it.
"What exactly is the plan here?" Codagan asked as he held tightly onto his sickle, "What's that scimitar made from?" Lyle asked after he saw it on his back and got curious.
"The rarest and strongest metal on earth." Coda answered as he put his family's sickle away and grabbed out his family's Scimitar then got into a loose stance. He looked at Lyle, who was looking over at him after what he answered.
"Guys, guys, Why has Ana been so quiet and look so... bored and emotionless? He'd be having fun by now. This is freaking me out!" Kiyo blurted out, breaking up his friends staring contest.
"No idea and no time to worry about that, Coda, Kiyo, do you guys know your limits?" Lyle asked as the three kept up their own defensive stances while the beast continued to speedily circle around them wild and ferociously. Kiyo's nerves haven't adjusted to fighting powerful monsters truly but the presence of Coda and Lyle had him feel more at ease.
"I can form an unbreakable shape that confines things but I can't use it on myself as a shield and I can only do a single one at a time. Means I can't miss. We'll have to slow this ugly goofy thing down, too dang fast and unpredictable right now." Codagan answered him. "I've been trying to force this thing down this entire time, I don't think it even realizes it." Kiyo replied as he stopped to keep his energy. "Maybe it's what's angering it?" Lyle kept to himself.
"Just turn on comms, and Coda, form a cylinder but leave the top open when I say Cylindre, throw your Scimitar afterwards and when I yell Baisse, Kiyo, don't hold any bit of your power back." Lyle directed his team as the two gave him a nod back. "Gotcha!" Kiyo replied as he prepared himself. "Guys. Don't be even a second off, Kiyo, don't have doubts about doing it, just bring it down the strongest you're able to, just do..." Lyle commanded but the two got the idea and understood.
Lyle flipped up to great height then teleported onto the beast's back making it rush until it hit a wall like an angry bull.
"If the world's strongest metal can't penetrate this monstrosity. Our graves are gonna be an abandoned building. I'm not having that." Codagan Dugan thought to himself as he watched Lyle struggle and saw Anastasius sitting like he's waiting for his ex-wife to fall back in love with him.
Before Lyle could catch himself, the monster sprung towards Coda but he dodged out of the way, quickly Lyle got back on his feet and teleported to the center where the beast was getting back on his but Lyle encased a small area around the two with his smoke, allowing him to hold the monster down by it's face still just long enough.
"Cylindre!" Lyle called out, Coda made a cylinder the size of how much smoke came around the two before he threw his scimitar above it, Lyle took a hefty blow against the Cylinder.
Kiyo let out the heaviest grunt he ever has before now as he threw one hand up then the other hand down allowing however strong he could make the Scimitar's gravity become bring it down onto the beast.
Codagan waited until he stopped hearing the monster and Lyle struggling to remove the cylinder. Lyle fell on his back then the smoke cleared. The sword was stuck in the concrete, the blade halfway below. Kiyo went to feel it and pretend like he was king arthur as he tried to pull it out of the ground but couldn't with his plain arm strength.
Codagan went to help his new pal off the floor, "I would've never forgave myself if this scimitar hurt you, man." Codagan told him, "You weren't the guy in charge of making sure it don't, that was me." Lyle replied.
"It's still my scimitar and I still went along with a plan that put you at risk for my own, this would've haunted me." Said Codagan with a disapproving nod before he spoke. Kiyo walked up calmly and gave Lyle a hug, he felt weird at first but then accepted it and pat Kiyo on the back.
Kiyo looked over at Anastasius as he leaned against Codagan's still stuck scimitar, with the other two eventually echoing his worry as they walk over to him.
Later in the afternoon, as Lyle watched over the busy city hustle and bustle, citizens smiling and some unhappy, he felt grateful for his job. He was thinking about how he wouldn't go back and redo anything in his past. As he sat and waited for Artus on their rooftop fresh from a call. Anastasius unexpectedly called him, presumably from his home in Seyort, Lyle would usually ignore the calls but he decided to pick up.
"All of the help yesterday is appreciated. I didn't get the chance to say it, we'd have all been dead if it wasn't for you, I needed a lie down after that fight." Said Anastasius after he picked up.
"Never say that, but what was that about yesterday though? You completely shut down on us, you were obedient too, it's like you were a mindless drone? There's something going on with you?" Lyle asked in return after thinking what Artus would reply.
"I-- umm. It's killing me keeping this a secret from everyone. Can you keep a secret?" Anastasius asked with an ominous tone.
"I can." Lyle answered with a calm and humorless tone, "Truth is that I'm not from here, I'm from a different world. A different home. My people have the power to manipulate emotions... Like you saw. We can find the strongest emotion in something living and make it weaker or the weakest emotion in something living and bring it out to the surface." Anastasius informed him, "I injected myself with what could be considered as a performance drug but a will-killer concocted by my mother to keep me in line and, at my best when I went out to decimate kingdoms or villages that she didn't care for and care is rare for her. I think of this job as redemption. I only used it since I trusted you guys to guide me and I wasn't strong enough to break that monster's grip on them. Every time I remember what she's capable of I feel guilty and terrified for even being here. Her and her greatest researchers are working on a way to travel to this world. The stories told about Josue seem to be pretty true. He could deal with her and our army no problem. That's why I can feel relieved to not go back. Living as a puppet and a weapon wasn't fun." Anastasius finished with a soft tone. Lyle realized how far he had come since his childhood. He's too far deep and he was thankful to the heavens for letting him meet someone like him. He felt what he told him.
"I'm about to ask something selfish, but can you keep a secret and a promise to me?" Lyle asked with an expressionless tone. "I can, yes." Anastasius answered mimicking Lyle's tone when he answered to feel what he was feeling better.
"My eyes are gray. I see dark clouds of smoke occasionally that nobody else sees. I'm terrified of the possibility of losing control of myself. I feel like I endanger anyone for even being around them. Sometimes I wish that I was paralyzed from the neck down… so If I did fall into the dark cloud of smoke I see when I'm above and fall into it, I could never hurt anyone again like I hurt him but I'm now part of a team that stands between life and the loss of it. You are too. Neither of us could ever truly live a normal life with these secrets and that's how it is, we just have to keep hold of the great folks in our lives now and keep moving forward. All that is to say, promise me that if you ever see my eyes become glossy, any tears pouring out or my tone change into pure aggression, sadness or hopelessness, that you'd use your powers to remind me of them to prevent what comes next. If you ever realize I've lost all hope, give me some or if you have the ability put me down if I can't gain back control from a burst. I... Don't know how destructive I'll be now that I'm a lot older and stronger than when I was seven or even sixteen. I've done people I loved dirty way back, the last thing I ever want to see is me doing the same mistake now." Lyle responded with a single, tiny tear going down his cheek but his tone remaining expressionless. A string of silence for the two to get over themselves began.
"That's... Really heavy." Anastasius said in a low tone, "We'll have each other's backs." He finished. "Do you have any tier of clue on what she's been planning now?" Lyle asked as he looked from looking down at the bustling city.
"It's something huge, maybe something from an organization that terrified even me called The Lucratsis, maybe a spy… probably something that could shake the city?" Anastasius answered his friend's question as he looked at him after pondering. Lyle then moved his mind on it. "Don't worry though, before I was forced here out of nowhere, research and development informed us it would take three years until it was out of even the prototype phase. Ajitapmen days and years happen to be the exact same as this world's meaning…" Anastasius divulged to Lyle with a humorless tone before he paused. "Two years to make a decision." Lyle finished for him.
"She'll make it over here, but we've been trained for this. We're gonna continue to train for it." Lyle replied with a slightly excited tone. "I can see the importance of an Optimist now...besides that, we share a lot in common." Anastasius replied with a more upbeat tone.
"He didn't change his mind and he's not changing his ways about it, my decision isn't going to change either, doofus." Kiyo heard Codagan screaming when he entered his room. Codagan was frustrated in front of his decorative blunderbuss collection on his wall with a phone. "Quit calling me Hogan. Dirty Gorilla." Codagan demanded before he hung up and threw the insult afterwards.
"Bro?" Kiyo asked with a voice crack, gaining Codagan's attention in the process. "Yeevsh! How much of that did you hear, dude?!" Codagan screamed before asking with a nervous voice as he turned around in a very suspicious fashion and Kiyo found it to be very suspicious as well. "We haven't known each other that long but you can let me know what's going on?" Kiyo assured Codagan as he noticed his friend was frustrated after the phone call.
"I don't care who you tell about this, this isn't a world shattering secret or anything… but that was one of my brothers trying to get me to come back to the family and our business. I left to join this." Codagan informed his buddy. "What business?" Kiyo asked due to his buddy's tone whetting his interest. "Let's go with Antiquarian?" Codagan answered with an unsure and nervous tone that flew past Kiyo as he laughed at Seyort's inescapable ideal with the image of him in a nerdy professor's suit and a monocle while keeping his phtalo blue hair in his mind. "They think that I've never found a treasure, I laugh everyday at them because of that like they do at me." Codagan admits before he tells Kiyo about the treasure he found when he was a child.