Vermillion sat on the sidewalk, his legs stretched out in front of him on the street. The Captain paced back and forth in the middle of the road, her chin lowered into the palm of her hand as she thought. The air between was thick with tension, and the silence felt like a heavy weight dragging them both down to the ground. Vermillion rubbed his chest, wincing as the pain filled his exhausted mind. He tried to keep his mind focused on reviewing his fight with Rosa, looking for her weaknesses, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from returning to the Warden. He was important to both Vermillion and the Captain, and it was very clear that their inaction was because they didn't want to risk hurting him. Vermillion knew that taking down the Mooshroom Monstrosity and Apex should come first, but he didn't want the Warden to be stuck in the crossfire. It was the wrong moment to realize he still had more emotional attachment than resolve.
"We don't have many options," The Captain said, turning to face Vermillion. Her gaze was pure, a little angry but mostly determined. Vermillion supposed this was one of the reasons he respected the Captain: she was nearly incorruptible. She had the greatest sense of justice that Vermillion had ever seen. She wasn't afraid of getting deep in mud and shit to save a life, and she would do everything in her power to protect everyone. She didn't always succeed since she was a human and not an omnipotent god, but she tried her absolute hardest, and it was difficult to see her strong morality as a weakness. "No matter what, we need to take down the Mooshroom Monstrosity. We just have to decide when the right moment to attack is. If we go after the monster alone, we risk the others harming the Warden. If we try to save the Warden, we could end up accidentally hurting the corrupt heroes, getting hurt ourselves, or missing the chance to take down the enemy before it takes more lives."
"We can't let the Warden get corrupted. If he does, the mists will only spread twice as fast because of his powers," Vermillion said plainly. The Warden could produce any gas from his skin, and he would be able to spread the mooshroom corruption as quickly and efficiently as the monstrosity. Though, in the back of his mind, he knew that he didn't want the Warden to become corrupted not only because it would spread the infection faster, but because it was a painful experience. He would be put through hell trying to resist the infectious voices whispering in his head for him to give in, and he would eventually fall. No one had an indomitable spirit, not against the Mooshroom Monstrosity's power. If Vermillion's powers didn't make him immune, he would have fallen a long time ago.
"Right," The Captain nodded absently, like she wasn't focused on that part of their problem. "Our best bet is to divide and conquer, but we can't logically do that. There are four corrupt heroes; it will take more than one of us to defeat them. The pictures of the Mooshroom Monstrosity make it look like a colossal beast, as well. It would definitely take a whole team of people to hold it down, let alone subdue it in battle."
"It's shitty that it's our only option," Vermillion says. The Captain's eyes narrow, but Vermillion continues talking before she can get a word in. "This is going to be our most difficult mission yet, but I think we can pull this off if we're strategic. You'll have to fight the heroes. At least one of them, probably Adamus, will stay behind with the Warden to make sure he stays put and is being corrupted. You've spent enough time sparring with Halo and Cait Sith that I trust you know some of their tricks, and Rosa will be easy for someone as strong as you. The more time you spend around them, the more you'll be able to adapt to them. I'll fight the Mooshroom Monstrosity. I can use the wind to maneuver around, tiring him out, and then I'll use the wind to hold him down. We can figure out how to put power suppressors on his arms after."
"This is suicide. I can't fight three heroes by myself, especially if one of them is Halo. You can't fight a monster this size. You're wounded and tired, Vermillion," The Captain pointed out, gesturing to the tears in his suit that revealed the leftover wounds from his fight with the Wretched Wraith and Rosa. They stung painfully despite the adrenaline in his veins, and he knew that he was going to be facing hell later. It didn't matter to him. Kamikaze was currently underneath the effects of the sickness, and the Warden was suffering right now. The fog would continue to spread. There was no telling how many people were already dead.
"We have no fucking choice, now do we? Back-up isn't coming. No one else but us can safely breathe the gas. The corrupted heroes and the monstrosity isn't going to slow down just because we're hurt. Out of the two of us, you're best suited with dealing with the heroes while I handle the monstrosity," Vermillion said, pulling himself onto his feet. He slid his daggers out of their sheaths, catching the hilts before the daggers could strike the ground. The black blades glinted in the few beams of light that were able to pierce through the thick veil.
"Stay safe, Vermillion," The Captain said, stepping towards him. He nearly flinched back, but he held steady as she placed her hand on his shoulder. She squeezed reassuringly, her forehead pressing against his. Vermillion breathed out quickly. The Captain did this sometimes. She usually did it with Nemesis, Dream, or Ankh, but one time, before her very deadly mission, she had done this with Vermillion. It startled him because he never imagined he was close enough with her for this. It made him feel warm that time. It made him feel like someone was eagerly waiting for him to return home safely. For some reason, it made him feel the same way now. He felt something surge in his body, more potent than adrenaline, a force that compelled him to live well. He closed his eyes, pushing the tears that had gathered in his eyes down his cheeks. When the Captain leaned back, he quickly wiped them away. Now was not the time... nor would it ever be.
The Captain seemed hesitant to leave, but she eventually took a resolute breath, running towards the place they had last seen the Warden. Vermillion, in contrast, turned his attention to the eye of the storm. He took a leveled breath before he shot forward, the wind propelling him as he hurtled through the air. He kept moving, keeping a steady pace as he rushed through the streets of the Badlands. His daggers cut through the wind at his side, putting up a little resistance as they made a weird sound. Vermillion didn't pay them any mind since he had grown accustomed to the sound. It followed him every time he rode the wind with his daggers out.
Vermillion halted when the air grew so thick he couldn't see his hand in front of him. He could, however, feel the ground trembling beneath his feet. Something heavy was creating a booming noise in front of him. The gas seemed to swirl in an inward spiral. Vermillion closed his eyes, bringing both of his hands to his sides. He searched the world around him. The wind, eager to move and change and flow, responded to his call, buzzing with energy as it begged to be given freedom. Vermillion focused on constraining the wind first, shackling it to his form. The wind resisted him at every step, but it seemed to follow his orders as soon as he allowed it to move around him. As if it had been born for this, the wind began to spiral like a rapidly forming tornado. The radius grew larger as Vermillion pushed more power into the air, commanding it to move. The growing wind ventilated the red mist until it was stuck pulsating at the edges of the wind bubble.
Vermillion could now see the Mooshroom Monstrosity. It was a bulky golem with arms as thick as tree trunks dragging against the ground. Its head perched forward like it was hunched over, the cracked jaw snapped around a reddish brown face. The golem was covered in splotches of neon red moss and mushrooms. The Mooshroom Monstrosity looked over at Vermillion with two completely black eyes, the third eye socket on its forehead empty. The Mooshroom Monstrosity raises both of its giant arms before slamming its fists against the ground. The asphalt cracks around the monster, and mooshroom cows crawl from the darkness. The cows look at Vermillion with empty eyes, trotting towards him at an easy pace. The Mooshroom Monstrosity continues walking like its problem was taken care of. Vermillion growls slightly. He doesn't like hurting animals, especially cows, but he will do what he needs to.
Vermillion shoots forward with his own leg strength. His daggers slice through the leather skin of the cows. Some of the mushroom spores on the cows puff out thin red smoke, but they have no effect on Vermillion. They don't stop him from disemboweling most of the cows, watching as the lifeless husks fall back into the asphalt cracks. Vermillion avoids the cracks, not wanting to know what kind of bovine hell those entities came crawling out of.
The Mooshroom Monstrosity turns its entire body around to face Vermillion, its arms spinning around it like a deadly fan. Vermillion dodges out of the way, ducking down to the ground. The Mooshroom Monstrosity lifts both of its heavy arms, slamming down its fists to the ground. Instead of creating more cracks to summon more demon cows, it creates an area of effect that sends Vermillion stumbling back. He uses his dagger to cut into the asphalt, slowing himself down. He looks behind him to see that his feet have nearly crossed through the edges of his wind bubble.
He turns his attention back to the Mooshroom Monstrosity. The monster leans down, and Vermillion can see something blistering across the creature's back like fire. Vermillion stumbles to his feet in time to jump away from the first flaming projectile. More follow it, and Vermillion is barely one step in front of the previous one. The last projectile hits Vermillion's heel, and he nearly tumbles forward as the burning pain shakes his entire mind. He angrily throws one of his daggers forward, watching in satisfaction as the Mooshroom Monstrosity is unable to dodge the thin blade because of its large size. The spores on the Mooshroom Monstrosity's body seem to become inflamed as it looks down at Vermillion. It races towards Vermillion on its stubby legs, anger pulsating around its body as a physical mist.
Because of the wind bubble, Vermillion is unable to call on some wind to help him jump over the monster like he wants to. He has to duck out of the way at the last minute, tearing the burned skin around his ankle and upsetting many of the bruises littering his body. He swerves around with a wince, pushing his other dagger in the calf of the monster. He manages to keep his dagger in his hand, but he isn't able to dodge the backhand of the Mooshroom Monstrosity. He flies across the small bubble he made for himself. He hits the edge of the wind. Thankfully, the wind itself does not hurt him... falling on the asphalt does make him whine in pain. He wishes, briefly, that he could just kill the monstrosity instead of trying to keep it in place.
Vermillion twirls his dagger in his hand, running back into the fight. He leaps over one of the cracks as he reaches the monstrosity. The creature raises both of its fists again, but Vermillion slams his fist against the hilt of the dagger embedded in the golem's skin. The dagger turns, cutting flesh as the hilt hits against the skin. The Mooshroom Monstrosity grunts in pain, and Vermillion pulls the dagger out of the creature's skin. He jumps back before the creature can hit him. The Mooshroom Monstrosity lowers itself onto the ground, and more mooshroom cows start to crawl out of the cracks in response. Vermillion sighs, clutching his wounds with a pained expression. He throws both of his daggers in opposing directions, watching as they cleanly through the nearest cows and get stuck in the next cow over. Vermillion runs towards one of his daggers, grabbing it as he vaults over the mooshroom cow. He holds the cow up, letting it take all the hits from the flaming projectiles. When he smells burning beef, he pushes the cow into one of the cracks, running towards his other dagger.
Vermillion stands unsteadily on his feet with both of his daggers. The Mooshroom Monstrosity continues to half-sit, half-stand on the asphalt with chipped and cracked skin. Vermillion looks down at the power suppressor cuffs he had swiped off of the Captain and Warden. He feels bad about taking them, especially with the Captain having to face four- maybe five- superpowered opponents, but he can't do anything about it now. He just has to figure out how he's going to get the suppressors on the Mooshroom Monstrosity. Its arms are too thick for the cuffs to go on normally, so Vermillion is going to have to be a little more creative. He supposes he could create a hole in the golem's skin that will allow him to hook the cuffs. That wouldn't be practical, however... unless he used a preexisting hook. Vermillion scans the Mooshroom Monstrosity's body until his eyes land on the creature's jaw. There are many cracks across the surface, and some of them create enough space to push the cuff and close it back. Plus, it might be more effective if the suppressor is closer to the head of the monster.
Vermillion is drawn out of his thoughts when something hits him in the back. He stumbles forward, whirling around to see that another cow had come up from bovine hell. Vermillion throws his dagger at it, and the creature 'moos' pathetically as it dies. Vermillion yanks his dagger out of the cow's corpse. As he straightens up, he feels an excruciating pain hit his back. He falls onto the ground, nearly falling into one of the cracks. He manages to stay on the asphalt, but his daggers fall from his hands as pain burns into his body. He looks at the Mooshroom Monstrosity to see gray smoke rising from the beast's skin. Vermillion breaths are shaky, wishing he could curl up. He hisses when that attempted movement causes his vision to burn white with pain.
As the pain threatens to drag him under, he feels something cold press against his fingertips. The cuffs that he had attached to his belt had been dislodged when he fell to the ground. One of them was hooked over his index and middle finger. He heard the wind start to enclose around them as some of his power ebbed away. He pushed his thumb against the cold surface, remembering briefly who he had gotten this from. The Captain was waiting for him to succeed. She was doing her best to keep the corrupted heroes from finding Vermillion or harming the Warden any further. And the Warden himself was waiting for Vermillion to put a stop to the poisonous gasses. The Warden was fighting to keep control over his body and mind. Vermillion wasn't just fighting for himself, he was fighting for them. He was fighting for everyone outside the Badlands district. He was fighting for everyone who would suffer if Apex won. He was fighting because no matter how much he denied it, no matter how much he knew it was impossible, he was driven by a sense of right and wrong. He had sworn years ago to protect the people of Logstedshire, to save anyone he came across. He might have broken that promise one year ago, but he was going to renew it here and now.
With a newfound determination sending adrenaline through his body, Vermillion pulled himself to his feet. The Mooshroom Monstrosity was continuing down the street with booming steps, unaware that Vermillion was still a threat. The vigilante grit his teeth as he swayed on his feet, holding the power suppressor cuff tightly in his hand. He opened his eyes as wide as they would open with how much pain he was in. He took a deep breath, and suddenly, the wind bubble imploded. The wind swirled around to his back, and he was practically lifted into the air as it pushed him forward. The Mooshroom Monstrosity turned around slowly when it heard, but it couldn't do anything as Vermillion landed right in front of it. As he fell, Vermillion made sure to hook the cuff around the crack on the monster's jaw. Vermillion's feet hit the ground hard, and he snapped the power suppressor shut.
The effect was immediate. The Mooshroom Monstrosity crumpled to the ground, deactivated like a lifeless robot with its power. The red mist dissipated. Vermillion could once again see the orange sand hidden in the corners of the street and the deep blue sky stretching above his head. He could see smoke billowing a few streets over, and he assumed that the Captain's fight had gotten intense. Vermillion wondered how she was doing as his legs gave out from under him. The wind caught him as he fell, but it could do nothing to keep his eyes open as he surrendered to the darkness that promised to take his pain away.