Sink or Swim: Drawn To The Venom

Chapter 20

Recap: The Hermit's Death Match has begun, Matsumi and his squad have already been greeted with some extremely ugly scenery that would scar anyone for life. Dan & Naomi have been lured and captured by former NEX thugs - Juro & Nagito, while Matsumi and Koshiro have been ambushed by the Saint - Panacea.

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In the graveyard, at 11pm - 2 formerly helpless petty thugs are bloodlusted and hell bent on taking revenge. However they could only capture Dan and Naomi, with Chisaki nowhere to be found.
Juro: "I can't wait to get started!"
Nagito: "Say! Are you still not gonna tell us where that third guy is? You know, the one who drowned Rika?"
Dan: *thinks* "Chisaki! Wherever you are, just don't show up."
Nagito summons and splashes more hot wax on Naomi's left leg.
Nagito: "Hey! I thought I told you to be thankful that we're not splasing that hot wax in your face. C'mon! Say thank you!"
Dan: "We don't have to thank you for anything."
Juro suddenly snaps his fingers, and the snap of his finger results in Dan cracking his arm bone, letting out a scream.
Juro: "Watch it, Dan! We can do much worse, and there's nothing you'll be able to achieve here."
Nagito: "Also where's the little kid who was hanging out with you guys? Our Guardian Angel would definitely value him, wouldn't she?"
Juro: "Yeah! He escaped once, but trust me this time we ain't gonna let him scoot."
Dan is shocked and sweating, thinking of the absolute worst case scenario.
Nagito: "Say! We didn't tell you about our abilities, did we?"
Juro: "Look at this then!"
Juro snaps his finger once again at Dan, cracking a rib and causing him to spout blood.
Juro: "When you're like this in front of a guy who can literally control your bones any way possible, maybe you should start looking for a wheelchair."
Nagito: "Hey hey! They're of that species aren't they? The rare ones which can regenerate and fix themselves? Ain't that right?"
Juro: "HAHAHAHA! That's so nice - we can just play around with them the whole night and then conveniently bring them to our majesty for her thing."
As Juro speaks, he delivers a backhand fist in mid-air - this time Dan's ribcage breaks in the middle, causing him to choke and affecting his breathing. Naomi, feeling excruciating burning pain from the wax attacks on her arms and legs is agonized seeing her partner being toyed with because of a horrifying, crippling ability.
Dan: *thinks while wheezing and gasping* "Whatever happens, but Chisaki.....I don't want you to come out."
Nagito lights up several human-sized candles in front of them.
Nagito: "Let the show begin!"
Meanwhile, for Matsumi and Koshiro - circumstances aren't so good either, as they're up against a 'new enhanced' Panacea on the lamp post lit street with a dark, forested area around.
Panacea: "Well well darling! Would you mind introducing yourself? I know about this freak who throws water droplets, but just who would you be? A new player?"
Koshiro: "Doesn't matter! Fight with your fists, not your mouth."
Panacea: "HAHAHAHAHA! I'm so sorry about that."
She takes her therian form - the giant black rattlesnake.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "Unfortunately I don't have fists, so it's only natural for me to fight with my fangs and tongue."
She lets out a large slurping noise.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "I'd rather fuck my own two sons than let either of you breathe for a moment. But I love my baby boys, so I'll certainly enjoy crushing you two."
Matsumi: "You disgusting bitch! I'll show you who's gonna be struggling."
Koshiro: "Stay out of it for now, Matsumi!"
Koshiro takes his Snow Leopard form as well and lets out a roar, surprisingly intimidating her.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "This is going to be interesting! But you know too damn well that you don't have a chance against me, right?"
Koshiro: *monstrous growling voice* "We know what we are, but not what we may be."
Koshiro jumps in mid-air, delivering a tight brutal slap to Panacea.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "That stings! But this is as far as my generosity goes."
She summons ribbons off the floor, projecting them at Koshiro as if they were an army of snakes.
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice* "Oh no you don't!"
Koshiro uses his ice ability to freeze all the ribbons being protected just moments before they could strike him.
Koshiro: *thinks* "That was really really close!"
Matsumi: "Hey cat-man! Do you need help?"
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice* "Matsumi! I'll let you know if I do. Right now, I think I can pull this off on my own."
Panacea tries to strike Matsumi using the ribbons, however Koshiro is able to freeze them as well before they could reach her.
Matsumi: "Hey cat-man! I've fought her before once, I can stop her using my droplets only."
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice* "Stop flattering yourself! This is not the place or time for you."
Matsumi: "But...."
Before Matsumi could respond, the same familiar voice rings in his head "You need the ocean, don't you?"
Matsumi: "Good lord, Akihito! Stop haunting me, I get it! You had to sacrifice yourself because I was weak.....just cut me some slack here."
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice* "Matsumi! You should run ahead, as you are now you've got no chance against her."
Matsumi: "No way! I'm staying here."
Panacea keeps firing the razor-esque ribbons at them, and Koshiro is losing his stamina trying to freeze them all the time.
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice, huffs and pants* "This isn't looking good! She's on a whole other level, even moreso than that drunk bat guy."
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "I told you didn't I? I'm not going to show any leniency or sympathy for you two even though you're the same age as my 2 boys."
Matsumi: "Can you shut the fuck up about your sons? We don't wanna hear anymore twisted fantasies of you...."
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "Alright then, I'll give you something better to hear!"
The giant rattlesnake starts shaking it's rattle, creating extremely unpleasant loud noises.
Matsumi: "Ahhhh! What the hell?"
Koshiro: *growling monstrous voice* "THIS IS UNLISTENABLE!!!!"
The ribbons summoned by Panacea from the ground start dancing to the rhythm of her rattle. Koshiro spawns an ice shield, in hopes that they can take a breather - but they couldn't be more wrong. The rattlesnake immediately delivers a shattering blow to the icy barrier created in hopes of suppressing her noise.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "Hey! No cheating!"
The ribbons start randomly attacking both Koshiro and Matsumi, and neither of them is able to figure out which way the next one was going to come from.
Panacea: *high pitched raspy voice* "This is fun! Please don't stop running or dodging, I feel so entertained."
In the graveyard, Dan and Naomi, their torture just gets worse with time. They had no choice but to endure it, as both Juro and Nagito keep getting more and more twisted.
Nagito: "Should I just splash it on their faces now?"
Juro: "Not before I crush their skulls!"
Nagito: "They can die dude!"
Juro: "Can they? I mean I'm not too aware of their species."
Dan: *thinks* "What can we even possibly do? We're caught in this! There's no way of me even fighting back at the moment."
Naomi looks at Dan, with a last weak smile as she feels that they were finally going to meet their end. However this smile generates the exact opposite emotions inside Dan, and rejuvenates him with more hope.
Dan: *thinks* "No! I need to believe in Matsumi and Koshiro. We even have the edge, after all we both can regenerate and heal in little to no time. Maybe they'll find us, maybe we'll be saved after this nightmare.
A smirk is generated on Dan's face.
Dan: *thinks* "Earlier it was just the two of us, now.....now we've got two big therianthropes to rely on. But Chisaki......what about him? He's just a kid, so I don't wanna risk him on this."
Nagito: "Okay then! Time for some splish-splashing. Any last words before my wax changes your faces?"
Dan: "You're both too pathetic to be afraid of."
Nagito: "HUH?"
Juro: "Stupid asses! Should've begged for mercy, we might have gone easier on you."
Dan: "Do as you please, Guardian Angel's puppies!"
Juro makes a pose as if grabbing a bike handle, and cracks Dan's shoulder bones.
Dan: *huffs and pants* "I can do this all day!"
Juro: "Nagito! Change of plan - let's kill them right here, I'm sick and tired of this suspense. AND MAKE IT PAINFUL! THESE TWO ARE STARTING TO PISS ME OFF!"
Nagito: "ALRIGHT THEN! HERE GOES......"
Before they could make a move further, both of them are stabbed in the back few seconds apart. They let out painful screams, and fall to the floor. To Dan's horror, it was Chisaki.
Dan: "CHISAKI! IS THAT YOU? W-WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
Chisaki: "Hmph! Don't think I'm helping you two, I'm only trying to get these two freaks out of the game. That's what Matsumi and Koshiro would do, wouldn't they?"
The two fallen adversaries struggle and get back up.
Juro: "Took us by surprise huh?"
Nagito: "Hey kid! Do you think we're gonna go soft on ya?"
Chisaki: "You deserved it, scumbags! Besides the poison is taking effect, isn't it?"
Juro and Nagito try to advance forward, only to feel slightly weak.
Chisaki: "Hah! Serves you two right."
Juro: "What.....what is your ability?"
Nagito: "My rear feels numb!"
Chisaki: "Hahaha! Got you freaks there, didn't I?"
Dan: "Hey Chisaki! Do you mind getting us out of these ropes? We're not in good shape you know!"
Chisaki: "You both look perfectly fine to me!"
Dan and Naomi pout at his shocking yet realistic reply, however on the inside they are more concerned about what could happen with Chisaki as he was up against 2 power users. It was not just the scary powers, but also the fact that Chisaki was a human and too juvenile to recover from any sustained damage.
Chisaki: "So you two freaks really wanna see my abilities huh?"
Juro and Nagito struggle to move with parts of their back numbed due to the venomous infliction.
Chisaki: "First what are yours?"
Juro: "I'm the Bone Manipulation Gen-EC while Nagito is the Candle Manipulation Gen-EC!"
Chisaki: "So twisting bones and creating candles? That's all?"
Nagito: "Hey kid! You're not getting off easy, we still have some fight left in us."
Chisaki: "Then counter this!"
The kid jumps in mid-air and delivers threatening stabs simply using his finger. The two of them are finding it extremely difficult to target him as he is not only fast but also unpredictable. Using Nagito's wax as shields, they are able to suppress the stabs but unfortunately the poisoning is getting worse. Dan and Naomi are too shocked at the sight.
Dan: *thinks* "And here I was worried that Chisaki would be decimated by those two, so I guess we did serve as a successful distraction after all."
Juro: "I've had enough! Take some of this, stupid kid!"
He snaps his finger, and cracks Chisaki's right arm - the same one trying to attack them rapidly.
Chisaki: "AHHHHHHHH! YOU B******S!!!!"
Nagito: "We've got him now!"
Dan: "CHISAKI! WHY DID YOU SHOW UP? YOU SHOULD'VE STAYED HIDDEN!"
Chisaki: "Did you think you could stop me just by breaking my arm? Besides you're both going to die soon anyways!"
Nagito: "Hmph! It would be pretty distasteful to kill a kid just before our final moments but um....."
Juro: "Time to take away your second ar....."
Dan: "CHISAKI! LET THE GUARDIAN ANGEL TAKE US, JUST RUN AWAY!"
Juro hammers his own leg using his fist and breaks Dan's Femur horribly making him scream. However looking behind, he sees that Chisaki is gone.
Juro: "HEY! WHERE'S THE KID?"
Nagito is already squirming on the floor, as it is discovered that Chisaki delivered two venomous wounds to him while delivering only 1 to Juro.
Nagito: "Ju-u-uro.....the kid.....f-f-founta...."
Dan: *thinks* "I think I might have an idea where Chisaki possibly went."
Juro looks back, pats his comrade's back.
Juro: "Stay strong! I'm sure the Guardian Angel will save us."
Juro runs around, searching for the kid while struggling with his own venomous wound.
Juro: *thinks* "I swear if I see this kid, I'm definitely going to....."
He then reaches a fountain near the gravesite.
Juro: *thinks* "Come to think of it, Nagito said something like fountain, right?"
He looks at the reservoir and sees a yellow bamboo coming out of it. Running to the other side, he sees his target himself.
Juro: "HAHAHA! FOUND YOU KID! I'M DEFINITELY TAKING YOU DOWN IF I'M GONNA DIE ANYWAYS!"
The angry bone manipulator jumps into the fountain reservoir.
Chisaki pulls the bamboo out of his mouth and smirks underwater.
Chisaki: "Just what I wanted! Fell for my trick, didn't you?"
Juro: *thinks* "He can speak underwater? Am I just seeing things? Or is he a...."
Chisaki then mutates and manifests his true form - a deadly black stingray covered in venomous bristles on the side and a sharp spear-whip-esque tail, and almost big as the resevoir width.
Chisaki: *high pitched raspy voice* "Thank you for coming all this way! It's cramped here, but I'll take good care of you."
The stingray therianthrope swims rapidly towards his enemy.
Juro: "So what? You may be a stingray but it's not going to stop me from...."
Before he could speak further, the stingray catches up and delivers a highly venomous electric shock to him and causes him to fall into the reservoir within an inch of his life. Chisaki reverts back to his original form.
Chisaki: "Hah! I punched one hole in you because your ability was cool and scary, but your other friend's ability was boring so I decided to punch two in him. I think I should've not stung you first. We could have more fun you know?"
Juro: *huffs, pants, struggles* "What a.....what a dangerous kid! Your death...your death will be an interesting one."
With this Juro falls into the reservoir lifeless and Chisaki runs to where he came from. He tramples on the fallen Nagito, then frees both Dan and Naomi.
Chisaki: "Hmph! I did this only because I promised Matsumi to cooperate with all of you."
Dan: *thinks* "This kid is far more dangerous and unpredictable than we knew."

TO BE CONTINUED.....