Futuristic An Agent of Maniacles

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu approached the giant spiked ball that Carmille had caught, wrapping his whips around it and smashing it off the floor repeatedly. "Thank you, Carmille. Now it's my turn. Please rest." Kotsu said, genuine concern on his face before turning and screaming as he swung smashing it into the floor with his whole strength behind him to open up the creature as it was, hoping to weaken it drastically or at least disorient it into coming out or breaking it's flesh to open it up and get rid of it's armor, slamming it back and forth between left and right with a firm grip on the ball of spikes. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Kotsu screamed, the veins on his arms showing with the force he was slamming the ball with, his eyes red once more. "OWL, IED's! NOW!" Kotsu yelled. "SAM!" He yelled into his earpiece. "BLAST EM WHEN THEY GET STUCK!"

Exzalia Darkling0096 Freikugel

 

[Freikugel]

The vampire received the full impact of the spike ball against her body and used her right hand to trap it in place. She hardened her body, and like a rock being hit by a hammer, she felt as it broke, gushing blood from the place were the ball hit her.
Kotsu delivered the final blow

"Filthy undead..." muttered before collapsing and fainting in a pool made by her own blood.
Left arm missing, thorax severely damaged, it would take some rest before her body regenerated the severe wounds

 

[Exzalia]

Owl acts quickly tossing the IED's at the target while laying down supportive fire with her pistol. Casually she had been inching her way closer to Morgan who was weaving unspeakable magic, the woman was distracted, she wouldn't think anything of a light touch.

"Almost." owl says under her breath.

 

[KotaKotsu]

With the fire of Owl's pistol, as well as the IEDs, the ball of spikes suffered heavy damage with chunks missing from it while writhing in pain. Kotsu, slamming it hard once more to ensure it was dead. "That... Takes care... Of that..." Kotsu said, dropping to his knees, panting. His stomach growled. He was hungry. He had been reckless with that last action and getting angry earlier with no more blood reserves. He couldn't even offer one to Carmille. But he did have another idea. He staggered over to Carmille, slicing his wrist with his fingernail and holding it to her mouth. "Carmille. Promise me that you'll help keep the others safe. Do that... And you can feed off me enough to get your strength back... Please." Kotsu locked eyes with her. Hoping that she wouldn't let the times Kotsu saved her go for granted despite how cold she had been recently. "Sam still needs help."

Exzalia Freikugel

 

[Exzalia]

Owl frowns at kotus over zealousness she crosses her arms. "Kotus you arn't going anywhere in that condition you need more rest than I. Sam is okay she's in an armored truck, I believe our best strategy is to hold out in here until Dentons reinforcements arrive. There is no need for you to play hero right now."

 

[Spacekitsune]

Amatsa was really sighign watching everyone fight and sighed annoyed.
"You're so annoying... you have to keep fighting... and stuff like that you're all going to die." Amatsa says shaking her head.
"As the only allies you have are the people here. but even then i think you're going to back stab me."

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu looked at Owl, and at Amatsa, and back to Carmille. He stood up, staggering, facing Amatsa. "I just saved your ass and you're telling me that you think I'm going to back stab you?" Kotsu said annoyed and pissed off from exhaustion. "How's about you worry about Quentin and picking him up because he can't walk before you say something else that's uncalled for?" Kotsu said with a tone that showed it was less of a request and more of a command. He wasn't strong enough to back up what he was saying and that showed, but he was tired of people not trusting him when he's tried to do nothing but gain his allies trust. "Unless you wanna give some of your blood to Carmille to help her get up, but if you ain't gonna do that, then stop talkin' shit." He said, holding his stomach and dropping to a knee. "Ugh..." Watching the corpses move slowly, Kotsu raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... Are they alive...?"

 

[Darkling0096]

The tiny DEHDs managed to gain entrance to the church through the roof. The larvae had apparently not found the water damage in the roof of the church, and with a few bumps, the drones knocked a hole just large enough to pass through. Scanning the inside, they found no Pests, and instead resumed orbit around the church's insides.

Over the sound of the Pest larvae screeching in frustration at the lack of ingress they could find, came the sound of yet more engines, and the sound of mounted guns unleashing a rain of lead on the writhing mass of unnatural maggots and steel and bulletproof glass. The gunners had arrived. One truck focused on the squirming van, while the other shot any stragglers who might be working towards the church as it backed into the rubble with enough force to shake it loose. "Denton sent us!", the man at the mounted gun shouted into the church, "Climb in!"

As the trucks were erasing pest larva from the face of the earth with mounted guns and big tires, the SWAT van began to shake as the sound like something between a motorcycle and a hornet's nest erupted from within. The rear doors of the van flew open as the scrap metal lovechild of a former police motorcycle and an engineer with time to kill came flying out, spokes-less tires sliding on bug juice. "Nice job, Denton, you're not a total ass. For now," Sam commented on the gunner trucks.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

In the ensuing chaos of the trucks arrival, and the loud rattling of guns owl hand brushes by Morgans while she's dragging Quentin. She casts mind delve and steals a large memory shard from the woman, it unfolds in her mind.

***

A man.

A stranger Owl did not recognize sat at a large oak desk in a expensive red leather chair. He had a gentle smile on his face, eyes were calm and measured. He was beautiful. Inhumanly, as if angels had granted this young man a portion of their features. Long golden hair touching his shoulders,, kissable lips, and a a muscular frame that showed even through the white buttoned shirt he wore. Morgan sat across from him, but not the Morgan. She was younger, covered thick black eyeliner, black lipstick, black nail polisher, paler skin. Everything about the outfit screamed of rebellion.

The beautiful man said, "I'm glad you came."

Morgan smiled, a genuine smile, "You know how it is Ace. You call. I come. Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing that will be detrimental in the long run. I have Joe under my thumb and the rest of his friends are all fairly stupid, the demon has already fled the island, and you and Donny have done great in taking care of anyone who stands in the way." The man, Ace, stood from his chair walking closer to Morgan

Fear grabbed hold of the young girl at his approach, but she tried to hide it, keep herself still. There was something about Ace. How he moved, how he carried himself. It was wrong, like watching an alien copy human behavior. Ace placed two hands on Morgan's shoulder. She stiffened, body locking. He gently kissed her cheek causing her to relax.

"Is Donny preparing what we need?"

"He is" she said, voice quiet. "It's going to be big right?"

"Oh yes, the biggest spell this century has seen. Think of it Morgan. Everyone whoever wronged you, whoever thought less of you, who told you would be nothing. All of them. Gone. All that will be left is me. Only me. And you and Donny beside me."

"What the fuck?" Owl mutters to her self coming back to reality. This one she would have to re-watch again, it made little sense yet she couldn't help but feel, alarmed by what she saw.

"The spell of the century...leaving only those three? was it a metaphor? Or were they literally developing some sort of nuke? Wait that was in the past the Morgan standing before me now is older. So did the plan fail?"

Owl can only conclude one thing from this, she would have to mind delve Morgan many more times, and stay alive to do it.

"Well Morgan, looks like we will survive this day after all." Owl says casually. "What are your orders now?"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aria​

Seeing that their truck finally arrived, Aria dropped the cross on the floor. The inside of the church was pretty much destroyed at this point and the only furniture that was somehow still intact was the drying potted plant in the corner. She avoided contact with the suddenly walking corpses, picked up Quentin gently and put him into the truck.

After that Aria approached the two other vampires. Carmille had fainted and Kotsu was talking with Amatsa. She picked up Carmille and and carries the fainted vampire on her shoulder, like a sack of potato. Unlike when she handle human, Aria didn't worry too much about breaking more of Carmille's bones or something like that. She also picked Kotsu and carries him on her other shoulder. She put the two vampires inside the truck, but she put them as far as possible from the unconscious Quentin.

"Calm down, Kotsu. Time to rest now."

It had been such a long time since Aria saw a vampire fighting with such vigor for humans that its quite nostalgic for her. Usually the longer a vampire lives, the more self-centered their motivation became so maybe Kotsu wasn't that old.

Freikugel KotaKotsu AbatedBigfoot Spacekitsune

 

[KotaKotsu]

"Wait!" Kotsu said, "We need to acquire those two specimens and bring them back to base! We need to experiment with them and see how we can fight this virus. Or better yet, see how we can more effectively destroy them!" He said, stumbling to stand, his stomach growling for everyone to hear. Quentin's blood smelled delicious but he had already made mention he didn't care to drink from a human. "Oh God, my stomach..." He said, gripping it again. "I need more blood packs... Or a rat or a deer or something." Kotsu said. "Jeez this sucks... We didn't even complete our mission. The Queen is still out there!" Kotsu said, falling back down onto his seat.
"I wish I could eat something normal like a steak or a banana or drink a coffee..." Kotsu said, lamenting to himself, pulling out his knife and playing with it by tossing it between his fingers and hands. "Listen, Aria. I appreciate this, but we do need those specimens. They're both dead, and they'll pose no harm to us. But we gotta find out what makes em tick." Kotsu said, staring into her eyes. "We can't let what happened to John and Eddie happen again to anybody, but especially not in vain. We owe that to those who's lives were lost in this mission. To those who suffer from this type of thing elsewhere."

Spoiled Bread

 

[Freikugel]

Carmille's slowly begun to regain her consciousness, however her body felt weak. She felt dizzy and tired.
With effort she opened her eyes, she looked the ground beneath her and felt her body jumping, then her eyes noticed a back and a pair of legs, it took her some time to understand she was being carried, like a bag of sugar.
She tried moving her neck, withstanding the sharp pain that assaulted her, the squad finished off the two creatures and she rested on the shoulders of the other vampire
"Aria..." she muttered trying to remember the name of the creature and then she felt how her consciousness slowly abandoned her again

Within her mind felt like hours, yet it was just an instant
.....ry of her

Huh?

Be wary of her

Who's that? She wondered

Silence....
And then...

BEWARYOFHER BEWARYOFHER BEWARYOFHER

WHAT?, WHAT?

DANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGER

Carmille felt as if her head were to explode as thousand of voices assaulted her

BEWARYOFHER BEWARYOFHER DANGERDANGERDANGER MONSTERMONSTERMONSTERMONSTERMONSTER

And only once she finally understood that there were no voices, and it was just her sharp instincts arising, triggered with such strenght that her mind felt is as if it were an assault of warnings, she could comprehend the true message

THE VAMPIRE, ARIA, BE WARY OF HER.
DON'T TEASE HER, DON'T TEMPT HER

DON'T EVER, EVER FIGHT WITH HER

IT MEANS DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!!!
A TRUE MONSTER!!!

And then Carmille fell completely unconscious again

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aria​

Aria sighed when she witnessed Kotsu's stubbornes. He was in no shape or position to go out of his way and do all the things. Yet, he still did it. It's an admirable and frustating quality.

"I guess... you can go fetch Eddie and John." She gave up trying to make Kotsu rest and made a way for him. "Don't drink their blood. It had gone bad, they don't even smell like human anymore."

KotaKotsu

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu stopped playing with his knife and put it away, smiling and nodding his head a bit gleefully, eager to be able to help the cost of his comrades lives not be for nothing. "Aria, you don't have to tell me that twice. I ain't chancing drinking infected blood. That'd be suicide. I'm starving, but I'm not desperate. I just have to wait 'til we get back and buy some blood packs or work for some. I've gone a few days without blood before and that sucked. At least this will only be for a few hours." Kotsu said, smiling, stumbling his way off of the truck and making his way back to the church's new debris free entrance to acquire John and Eddie's mutilated and discombobulated corpses. The image of the warped bodies causing burning questions to fill Kotsu's mind, but he didn't have time to ask them. His strength returning to him slightly as he hoisted the remains into a hand each and dragged them onto the truck. He moved Quentin to be seated on the bench he was sitting at before he left the truck, facing Carmille. Kotsu gently pat Quentin's head. "You're gonna make it out of this, buddy. I wanna see you falling on your face at least one more time. I know you'll pull through. Please pull through..." Kotsu said before looking at Carmille.
I should sit next to her to be able to hold my hand on her from trying to feed on Quentin if she were to try.
Kotsu sat next to Carmille, gently stroking her hair. "Please be okay, Carmille. We'll be able to help you soon enough. Just hang on. Please." Kotsu said. He took his hand off of her hair, and leaned back looking up at the lights inside of the truck, feeling his pupils dialate as the fatigue was lessening slowly but surely. The hunger was still very evident though. Kotsu pulled out a cigarette from his belt, and pulled out a match and his strike stone, lighting the cigarette and taking a deep drag.
"Anything to quell the cravings..." He looked at Aria. "You want one? You must be hungry too."

Spoiled Bread

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aria
​

Aria looked at Kotsu's cigarette and she suddenly recalled a fragment of her memory. Several dozens of newly turned vampires, working on a tobacco field. When a new human worker turned in, they feast on that human. Nobody bat an eye for those humans since most of them were just slave or beggar anyway. When there's no food, they'll live on tobacco, caffeine or alcohol. Then- Aria snapped back to reality. She refused Kotsu's offer politely.

"I think I have enough of it for the rest of my life."

"Say, Kotsu. How old are you exactly? It's rare to meet vampire that passionate about helping human. Even I only joined Maniacles for the money, but you seem sincere."

KotaKotsu

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu chuckled. "Now, I don't think I've been asked that for a loooong time." He said, taking another deep drag, and exhaling very slowly. "By my account? I'm 70 years old." He said, shaking his head while smiling. "I am genuine. The money's a good plus, but a steady supply of blood packs and being able to practice as an apothecarist and treat people of their illness and their wounds? It's an amazing feeling." Kotsu said, reflecting back on his practice with pride, looking over at Quentin in his injured state and frowning. "I just wish I could help these two. It pains me to see them in such a bad state. I made an oath like most do in my position. To help everyone I can, and to never hurt a soul." Kotsu put his head down.

Kotsu took another long drag on his cigarette before the cigarette burned to the filter, Kotsu flicking it onto the floor and grinding it under his heel. He found himself thinking about if he should voice this to Aria, but found himself admitting it with honest anyway. "I'm ashamed that I couldn't save those two." Kotsu pointed his head toward John and Eddie's mangled bodies. "I'm ashamed I couldn't protect these two either." He said holding out his hands to Carmille and Quentin. "But most importantly? I'm ashamed that I failed you guys. I may not be the leader of this squad, but I'm your ally. I wanted you guys to be able to depend on me. We don't even have resources to help Quentin in his current state, but at least he's stable." Kotsu said, grinding his teeth.
Creek, click. Creek, click. Creek, click.
Kotsu felt annoyed at himself. Here he was, throwing himself a pity party when there was still the Queen out there and he had failed his mission too. "We failed, we couldn't save the survivors, we couldn't kill the Queen, and we could barely hold our own." He looked at Aria with tears in his eyes. "We didn't even complete our mission in any degree. Do I even have the right to call you all my allies?" Kotsu was genuinely upset at the turnout of this situation, but not angry at anything except himself at this point for feeling like he could have and should have done better.

 

[Exzalia]

"Oh stop it Kotsu." owl says getting annoyed at his naivety she leans against the truck arms crossed. "Allies this, allies that, you don't even know us. Half of us would stab you in the back if it meant getting ahead, and I'm pretty sure Carmille there hates your guts. We arn't a super hero team, this is a group of ragtag mercenaries under the direction of an idiot who might I add, may have just ordered us to commit war crimes. If you really want to help people become a doctor, cause this aint it chief."

KotaKotsu

 

[TheAdept]

Morgan's level of mastery over blood magic came with more than just the ability to mangle a living things intestines or extremify blood loss. There were also less extreme abilities not related to combat.

Since escaping the church to the sanctuary of the trucks, she wasn't on board with everyone else about counting this mission as a failure and moving on. Not when she could feel the beatings of hearts and motion of circulatory systems buzzing underground and all around her. Not when one in particular seemed to be nearing the surface.

The Broodmother, or Queen, wasn't just some dumb giant bug. Now that Maniacles had discovered what the Pests had done here and attacked so close to a nest it was only a matter of time until reinforcements were sent and the Queen and all her children were destroyed. This, the Queen understood.

A Pests innards weren't quite like anything on Earth, but they were alike enough for a blood mage to detect their location and movements. Blood was sucked through arteries, muscles contracted and released, a central core to the circulatory system pumped, like a heart. It was no question what happened when Morgan felt a system like this but the size of a two story building emerging from the ground not far off from the very road they were traveling on.

"She's nearby! Stop the truck!" She shrieked just as they were on the road leaving the main town and forest surrounded on each side.
"This way! Hurry!" She yelled, exiting the truck which couldn't navigate through the woods due to the thickets of trees.

All bets were off. The Queen knew the best solution for her survival, or maybe merely for her own bloodlust, but the exiting mercenaries seemed a small enough force to be taken down without much hassle.

First came the Pests, then followed larvae as they slithered, just like earlier, right at the convoy. Then one could hear the sound of trees falling and something massive dragging across dirt. It dawn on Morgan and the guards manning the guns at the same time, but just as it did, it happened.

Something purple appeared, knocking down the trees in its path, its many giant eyes unblinking. It stood on many, almost comically smaller legs (but they were still about the length of a grown man. Tentacles slithered from it all around. Three mouths lined the bottom of its...head, but even those came with tentacles.

The machine guns started firing...

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu stayed silent until this event started, taking Owl's words to heart and recovering himself enough to where he could walk without pain or fatigue, making his way to the now open doors of the truck he was in. He summoned his whips. A calm anger flashing his face as he heard the Queen some distance away, and stared at the purple anomaly in front of him. "I did tell Denton I'd kill anything that got in my way. I meant it." Kotsu said coldly. "You'll pay for your crimes. NOW DIE." Kotsu charged the purple creature, grabbing at a tree to slingshot himself at the creature with more force, trying to punch it's torso or push into it with his whip to impale it, ready to toss it hard into a tree. Kotsu was in the environment. The woods. He could use this to his advantage without taxing his body as much as using pure physical force. He could rely on being able to use inertia and force to intensify his strength without the need to go to such lengths as he did before. This would be the perfect opportunity to crush his enemies.
Kotsu smiled wide, revealing his fangs and a crazed look in his eyes.

 

[Darkling0096]

At first, Sam thought the queen was just a big Pest, like with ants. Of course it couldn't be that simple. But when the goliath of all bugs started tossing trees around, all bets were off on that possibility.

"I knew I should have added guns," she said. Her drones had basically no charge left at this point, and the only weapon she had she couldn't use with this many larva around. "Please tell me this was bigger than expected."

Then she had an idea. As much as she hated Morgan, the bitch got old man brain in her hair, after all, an advantage was an advantage. "Hey, Morgan!", she hollered over the earpiece, "Think you can give it a heart attack if I get you close enough?"

 

[TheAdept]

Morgan didn't look at Sam; she needed to pay attention to the horde of Pests, but she did respond "I will need everyone to keep the Pests away. It takes a minute." She called back. Indeed, she said "everyone" and not just "you" because protecting the queen was the imperative of every Pest right now, and this plan would take the effort of the entire group.

Kotu's grinning face slammed into a tentacle, or rather the tentacle slammed into his face. Either way, another tentacle the grabbed him and pulled him closer, attempting to crush him against the Queens head.

 

[Exzalia]

Owls jaw dropps at the sight of the queen, she thinks quickly.

Two members down.

Their strongest fighter weak from hunger, the other out cold.

she was only now starting to recover her mana.

"Okay so obvious play here is to retreat-"

Kotsu leaps off the truck and charges the massive creature.

"Oh for fucks sake KOTSU!" Owl screams after him, he was the one person here she didn't want to see die. Then she see's him get grabbed.

She grits her teeth. "fine. I didn't want to reveal it yet but I have no choice."

Her eyes glow blue and eather swirls about her, her mind reaches out and connects with the massive queen. For a brief moment, she feels the pest queens sorrow and desire to protect her children. She pushes aside a short flash of sympathy for the the disgusting creature who was for all it's horror just a mother acting on instinct and sends a pulse of magic through her connection straight into it brain.

KotaKotsu

TheAdept

 

[TheAdept]

A large, otherworldly brain was not quite like a human's, but even such a magnificent thing was vulnerable to magic.

One moment, everything before her and her children needed to be destroyed. It was no more than a handful of lesser beings; what these people called "Pests" didn't view them as anything better either.

But the next minute...there she lie: a massive creature, surrounded by woods, watching smaller things like her explode into gore as loud noises burst from the metal things just outside the trees. There was nothing else but what she saw and heard. Her sense experience. The fight, her children, the one's attempting to destroy them...all this was gone from her mind as she was rendered mindless, if only for a moment.

 

[Darkling0096]

Not one to waste an opportunity, Sam flicked a switch on the Bullshit-cycle, the wheels split, and hover-propellers pushed the bike up towards a gunner. "Hey, bud, want to take a break?" The gunner never got to answer as a past leapt past and bit him the face. The two went over the side, and from the angle of his neck and the grease stain around his head, that body was not getting up. "Sorry, bud, that's why helmets are standard issue." And she set about trans-planting the gun from the truck to the back of the bike. The increase in weight caused the rear of the bike to dip before the motor caught up.

Slowed slightly by the weight, Sam floated over towards Owl. "You wanna shoot a bug bitch?"

 

[GamerCarrot]

The colour faded from Vivian's face as she looked up to see the queen of the Pests, it was big... bigger than she imagined. Holding her gun in one hand and knowing full well she couldn't go toe to toe with this thing. As she was about to take aim at the queen an order came through telling all of them to deal with the pests first which she happily followed, changing her target to the rest of the Pest's surrounding them in order to protect their queen. Shooting at every bug and even kicking a few into trees, she would love to go deal with the queen now but with the amount of Pests trying to attack them she figured she'd leave it to those who could get closer than she could.