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Gates of Apperton - 09:30
Level 3 / Entrance of the Colony
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The members partaking in the mission to discover what happened to Abigail's team are ready to move, awaiting her arrival.
Once there, she's accompanied by a silver haired boy with blue eyes, that turn silver towards the iris, dressed in long and fancy ornamented clothes that venture the combination between complex blue gradients and several white lines that twirl into distinguished patterns. Golden earrings, that seem to be miniature snakes, loop around his earlobes as he performs a saluting bow.
Nali pops up from behind him.
Abigail: "Good morning everyone!!" She exhales. "I want to introduce you to someone." She puts her hand on his head, considering he's far shorter than her.
???: "I have a mouth Abigail."
Myrellie's eyebrow twitches.
???: "My name is Jacob Culiedro. I am a distant cousin to Nali and son to one of the leaders of the Hallard family.
Kohen: "Nice to meet you Jacob! Name's Kohen." He extends his hand, which Jacob simply stares at, keeping his own behind his back.
Lily: "I'm Lily!" She waves.
Orton: "Orton Cromwell. Pleasure."
Myra: "I'm Myra Stryder! But you can call me big sis if you'd like!"
Jacob: "... Pleasure."
His face of clear discontent triggers Kohen, who closes his fist and slams it in his pocket.
"So. You're from the Hallard Family, are you? What's it like being part of it?"
Jacob: "I have more reasons to take a shit on the street than to tell you anything regarding my family." He states, expressionless.
Kohen frowns.
"Woah. Why you trynna act so tough my guy? I just asked you a simple question."
Jacob: "I don't associate with punks like you."
Kohen: "Does my presence intimidate you or what?"
Jacob: "Hardly. You're no different from scum."
Kohen grabs his scythe.
"What's your issue motherfucker?"
Abigail grabs both of them by the head.
"Relaaaax. You kids resort to fighting way too easily.
Jacob's family is a sensitive topic Kohen, don't mind his attitude."
Kohen: "How's that my problem? He should've just told me that instead of acting like a fuckin' asshole!"
Myrellie: "Language Kohen!"
Lily: "Reminds me of someone I know oddly well."
Kohen snaps his gaze towards Lily, then releases the grasp on his scythe when she smirks at him.
"Tch. Read the room Lily."
Jacob: "Take your own advice. You're the type of hard-headed idiot that needs reminding about common respect and ethical behavior from everyone around him, since you can't seem to control your own tongue."
Kohen: "Shut the fuck up."
Orton: "Why's he here anyway?"
Abigail: "Well, Nali wanted to introduce him to you guys before you left."
Kohen: "You're friends with this guy, Nali?"
Jacob: "Any problem with that?"
Kohen: "I wasn't talking to you, since you can't answer a fucking question normally."
Jacob: "Maybe direct that question towards me next time."
Kohen: "Kiss my ass."
Nali: "OKAYYY guys!!! Chill out for a second!" He steps in-between them. "Yes, we're friends. I met him as a kid, around the time I found out there were other Royal Families."
Kohen looks at Jacob.
Who coldly stares back.
Jacob: "And where did you meet this aberration Heisenberg? He reeks of bad manners and putrid flesh. Is he a Scout?"
Kohen: "Won't ever risk my life for people like you, that's for sure."
Nali: "I said CHILL OUT!!" They both stop, since Nali isn't the type to lose his temper no matter the situation. "I wanted you guys to meet for one simple reason. You both like explosions."
Jacob and Kohen: "This guy likes explosions!?"
Nali: "Yes and yes!"
Kohen: "Fuck sake."
Jacob: "Couldn't it have been someone else?"
Nali reaches into his backpouch to pull a few wooden cartridges, containing a glass tube that holds a strange, yellowish powder inside.
Nali: "Kohen. Remember that tree I asked you to burn down a few weeks ago?"
Kohen: "How could I forget it? Lily keeps bringing it up everytime she's mad at me!"
Lily: "I'll pop your kneecaps if you don't shut it Alcatraz." He scoffs.
Nali: "Either way, Culi can create explosives by combining the tree's ashes with a mixture of Aether and a bunch of different chemical components. Basically, MAKESHIFT BOMBS!!" He excitedly reveals. "If you bring us ash from different places, maybe we could find a more viable, and reusable source for the making of these explosives!"
Kohen: "I presume it's because you can't find gunpowder, or any chemical agents that can cause a combustion?"
Jacob: "I'm surprised you're even aware such words exist."
Kohen doesn't respond, despite staring him down.
Jacob: "I didn't know this Kohen would be such an arrogant and filthy punk. You should've warned me Heisenberg. I could've brought my disinfectant spray."
Before Kohen could strike Jacob's face, Abigail effortlessly stopped him from doing so. Their speed is remarkable.
Abigail: "Now that you seem to be all caught up, why don't you guys discuss this whenever you're back from the mission?" She taps him on the back.
Myrellie: "If we wanna reach Zamaton within the week, we have to pick up the pace."
Kohen stares directly into Culiedro's eyes.
"Guess so."
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Apperton Priority Mission 56
Partaking members:
- Stephanie Myrellie (Female)
- Kohen Alcatraz (Male)
- Lilith Ketler Reid (Female)
- Orton Cromwell (Male)
- Myra Stryder (Female)
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Before returning to her office, Abigail flicks Jacob's temples.
Abigail: "Hey. Ya can't keep treating others like that Culiedro. How do you expect people to trust you if the first thing you do is attack them?" She smiles.
Jacob turns towards her, and with an elegant bow, followed by a snobby smirk, he speaks.
"How do you expect to be the Warden of a Colony once people know you're a useless lump of meat? You couldn't have possibly taken care of everyone during the crisis if it weren't for the Royal Families' generous offers to keep your fucking guts alive!! I get a kick out of imagining you perishing Abigail Myrellie!! Since nobody here likes you, maybe you'd be better off being Fyiona's Warden, since you act like such a fucking dog anyway."
Nali: "C-Culiedro!! What the hell are you saying-" He freezes upon glancing at Abigail.
Her cold stare towards Jacob caught even him off-guard. There is no empathy for the kid behind those eyes. If she had even the slightest chance to kill him in that very moment, his brains would be splattered all over the stone floor.
Abigail: "Dismissed." She aggressively turns towards the stairs. "Take him back to the castle Nali. Before I change my mind."
Nali: "....."
Abigail: "Nali." She lands a side eye. "Take him back. Immediately."
Her voice shook the floor.
Nali: "F-For sure auntie!! I'll d-do that right away."
She stares Culiedro down one last time, then takes off towards the top of the stairs, shattering them with every step she takes. It leaves a clear trail of destruction behind her.
Jacob: "Pfft. You're such a suck-up Nali. Have more of a backbone will ya? Otherwise, commoners like Kohen and Abigail will stomp on you." He gently, yet powerfully grabs Nali by the back of his jacket. "Don't forget what you promised me sweetheart." He whispers. "I want everything you have. Every single invention you come up with. Every single emotion you feel. Every single person you talk to. And every single part of this precious makeshift body of yours... Otherwise... Your little secret won't be so secret anymore. Hehe~"
Nali shrugs him off and frantically steps away. Sweat dripping down his face, as the corners of his eyes wrinkle further.
"Culiedro, you're fucking insane... Forget it!! I have nothing to hide from anyone or anything to give over to you!! Stop threatening me with those damn lies already!!
Jacob: "Lies?? AHHHH HA HA HA!!! You mean to say I misheard my sister moaning your fucking name for an entire night!?"
Nali's jaw drops.
Jacob: "The sister that I love so so dearly, Heisenberg? The one that helped me fall asleep with pats on the head when I was a little kid? My innocent sister that you have now tainted with your royal fucking filth?" His expression grows cold, as he approaches. "Didn't think so." He lands a slap to the back of Nali's head.
"Watch your tone pussyboy. We wouldn't want anything to 'accidentally' happen to your precious Abigail, or to my big sister, now would we?" Nali falls to his knees. "Maybe that dog Kohen could get the short end of the stick too?"
Jacob takes advantage to kiss the top of his head.
"See you around~" He hops towards the stairs, ascending one step at a time.
Nali hardly exhales.
Sweat pours down his face.
As he holds onto his chest,
And his forehead meets the floor.
"..."
------------------------------------------------------
Wilderness: North of AppertonTime until their destination: 35 minutes------------------------------------------------------
Halfway done with their trip towards the abandoned facility, Lily approaches Myra, who was talking to Orton about the fact Kohen has attained an incredible amount of knowledge through the books she gave him. Way to calm him down when he's not exploring.
Lily: "Hey girl! You got a minute?"
Myra: "Yes I do, my dear. What is it?"
Lily: "Well... I was curious about this earlier but, since the whole thing with that Jacob guy happened, I couldn't ask about it.
But like... where were you and Kohen last night?"
Orton flinches.
Myra: "Oh! We were just strolling through the Colony. Trying to visit some of the places that caught our eye when we were heading towards the castle."
Lily: "Did you find anything cool?"
Myra: "Not necessarily, since most of the places were closed. But I can't remember the last time I had that much fun with Kohen!" She smiles, brushing her hair with her fingers.
Orton and Lily both frown.
Lily: "What.. type of fun did you guys have?" She hesitantly questions.
Orton: "They were probably just messin' around Lily, what else would they be doing?"
Myra terribly smirks.
Myra: "There's a lot of things we could've done. You'd know, wouldn't you? Orton Cromwell~" He scoffs.
Orton: "Leave me alone. You talk too much."
Myra: "And you stillll aren't gonna do anything about it, are you? When will you finally grab me by the hair and shut me u-"
Orton turns around and strongly grips Myra's face. Nearly lifting her off the floor, as she struggles with the pain.
His eyes rooted within wrinkles. Teeth showing with a frown he can't control.
Orton: "Please. Just shut the fuck up." His iris twitches, rapidly moving from one side to the other within the frame of his eye.
Lily: "ORTON!! STOP IT!!"
His gaze snaps to Lily, who eagerly tries to release Myra from his grasp.
Myrellie and Kohen turn around to see the commotion, and the latter immediately sprints into action.
Kohen: "ORTON!" He states, pushing him away from Myra and standing in front of her. "What the hell are you doing dude!?"
Orton: "Why, Kohen? Why the FUCK do you always have to get in the way of EVERYTHING!?" His voice begins breaking, as he slightly twitches. Saliva drips from the corners of his mouth.
Kohen: "....
... Orton..?"
Orton: "Everyone is always Kohen THIS! And Kohen THA-AT!! How's Kohen f-feeling?? What's Kohen t-thinking about-t!? And nobody ever gives a FFFUUCK about how ORRTONNNN CROMWEELL FUCKING feels."
Myrellie: "Shit.. HE'S SPLICING!! BE CAREFUL KOHEN!"
Kohen: "HAH!! So you decide to act like me and be a little punk for attention? Dont make me laugh Orton!!! We've been friends for years now man! You know you can always come talk to me-"
Orton lunges towards him with a punch to the jaw.
Anger, mixed with a strange look of regret, plagues Orton's face as he stares down at Kohen, several of his muscles twitching, as an uncontrollable smile plagues his frowning face.
Orton: "WHAT...- the ffffu-uck do you k-NOOOoow about fffriend-s-s-ship?? Since WHENN!!!! Do you give a fUckk about how I feEEeel~~?
You always.. p-pull me into d-DANGERoussss situations.... without a SECOND THOUGHT!??? on that FUCK FUCK FUCKINGGG Head of yOUrs! How the fFUCk-- do you expect m-m-meee to believe a sINGLE.... fffffUCKing word... yo-you say-ay-ay!?"
Kohen slowly gets up, and stands in front of Orton, frowning.
Lily: "BE CAREFUL ALCATRAZ!!! DON'T FIGHT HIM, HE ISN'T HIMSELF!!!"
Kohen: "THINK I CAN'T SEE THAT LILITH!? I'M AWARE!!"
Lily: "MYRELLIE!! GET THE FUCKING PEN ALREADY!!"
Myrellie calmly observes.
Lily: "MYRELLIE!? DO SOMETHING!! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE!?"
Myrellie: "Shh." She raises her finger.
....
Kohen: "Come on then Orton! What is this about!?" He calmly asks, getting a surprised reaction from his friends.
Orton grits his teeth, holding his head between his hands.
"WhyYYY do yoouuuu.... only c-care about m-me when... when I-m.. s-splic-cing!? What about... AALL... the other times.... whyyy... why weren't.. Y-You there... As a FRIEND!!?"
Lily: "Is he..." She stares at Myrellie.
Myrellie: "Yes... I've never seen this happen before."
...
Kohen: "I get it. I fucked up multiple times. But I can't run time back Orton. I'm in front of you, right here and now! I'm asking you to talk to me and tell me what's wrong. So please!! As your friend, tell me what's going on so we don't have to fight already!!"
Orton flinches again, gritting his teeth more powerfully than before.
The anger behind his stare seems so sorrowful.
A horn begins forming over his right eye.
Orton: "It- It doesn't even-nn matter... It doesn't matter.. at all...
So we don't have to fight y-you say?? Kohen.. you really don't fucking understand... a single... thing... d-do you?"
Kohen: "If you tell me what's wrong, then maybe I will." His tone simmers.
....
Orton: "HOW CAN I BE SURE OF THAT!?" He jumps at Kohen, attempting to bite him with all his might. "You're just Some sTUPID FUCKING KID-- That I HAVE to be f-Friends with.... CUZZZ-Z-- these mmmm-mmmissions...!!"
Kohen lands him a right hook.
"SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY ORTON!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!! THIS ISN'T YOU!!"
He grabs Orton's head.
"DO YOU THINK THIS IS WHAT MYRA WANTS TO SEE?"
Orton: "Ha.. Haha--- HAHAHHAHA!! IROOONIC FOR Y-Y-YOU TO TALK AL!!! YOU DON'T F-FUCKING KNOW ME!!! Or WHAT I FEEEHEHEHEEEEELL!!" He agressively snaps back, grabbing Kohen by the foot, slamming him against the floor, and launching him towards Myrellie, who grabs him to break his fall.
Kohen: "IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL CALLING ME BY MY NICKNAME HUH?? ISN'T THAT THE NAME YOU GAVE ME TO SIGNIFY THAT WE WERE BEST FRIENDS?? HUH ORTON!?"
Orton freezes.
That's when Myra steps in front of him.
She grabs him by the face,
And kisses him.
....
Unable to react otherwise, he holds onto her, and kisses her back accordingly.
Lily and Kohen both look attentively, worried he might just snap her in half.
After a few solid seconds, she pulls her lips away from his, and sees the tear running down his face.
Myra: "I'm sorry Orton... For everything I've done.."
Orton: "...."
All of the abnormalities that erupted from the splicing have disappeared.
His calm self has returned.
...
The pen wasn't needed.
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Abandoned Research Facility
Morning / Codename: Lotus
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The lands surrounding the entrance to the facility are barren. This is located around 20 minutes away from the main road that leads towards Petal Subway Station. Now they have an idea of what they might find along the way there.
Cracked roads and half a dozen rundown wooden shacks poorly spruce up the sandy wasteland that surrounds them. Mostly rocky, the sand contains secrets underneath it, along with dead bushes and skeletal remains.
One of said secrets...
Is the way into the facility.
....
Broken and bent beyond repair, there is a massive metal door that has allowed extremely viable access into this place.
But the group cannot believe their eyes when they realize....
The entrance is decorated with several dead bodies.
Kohen notices that dozens of them are dressed in black, with bright red lines trimming most of the edges of their jackets. A symbol of a red flower on the wide collars.
Kohen: "The Crimson Lotus..." He crouches to pull the jacket for Myrellie to see. "Abigail's team.. They're the Crimson Lotus."
The man he's holding strongly snatches his wrist.
GASP!
With a few deep breaths, he stares into Kohen's startled eyes, as his own face starts melting with the visible green substance.
???: "M-MONSTERS!!!!! PLEASE!!! TELL HER THEY'Re MON- NNnnnN-- Ughghnnnn...."
He dissolves into the green liquid that surrounds him.
Lily: "Fuck..." She murmurs, placing her forearm on Orton's shoulder, and tapping her forehead against it.
Kohen: "Shit man. Everyone wants a piece of me today."
Myrellie: "It's quite the thing to watch."
Kohen: "Ya don't say...
This guy was alive, so maybe the others are too.
Let's find them before anyone else dies."