Fantasy Code FERAL

[Flutterby]

Eyes wide, Beth gave Manjano a nod and turned back toward the wall coming toward her, and beheld it in all its slow-death glory.


Totus said from her shoulder, "Something is moving it."


"Some kind of mechanism.."


"..Is pushing it from behind."


"So if we stop that.."


"We stop the wall."


Without another moment of hesitation, Totus began listening just as Falarion was, with Beth lending her focus. He gave a soft screech and tapped at a place on the wall. She didn't have a pick ax like Manjano, that was in her larger survival pack back in Seattle, but she did have a gun with a nice kick. Totus ducked away, and Beth put two shots into the ice, creating a hole big enough for Totus to pull away more with his beak. In a few seconds, Beth was looking at a plate of steel with a small gear in it. Clearly vital to moving the wall, so logically, it was time to jam that sucker. She mentally ran through what was in her pack.


Rope, clips, protein bars, an emergency beacon, the pocket knife she couldn't stand to use anymore..


"The knife, Beth. It's strong enough and you've been wanting to get rid of it since that bastard hurt you." Totus said softly, and Beth nodded without thinking too much about it.


She pulled out a beautiful knife, clearly expensively made, with an engraving that read: To my Lizzy, who needs a knife even more often than I do -Tim. She stared at it for a moment, her eyes seeming sad. And then, her eyes hardened and she shoved it into the gear with reckless abandon.


"Needed the knife when you attacked me, Timmy boy.." She whispered, as the gear caught and the wall came to a shuddering, grinding halt.


@Lioness075

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui smiled softly at Luness, humming a low tune, as Luness gave her and Barry more warmth than what this maze was giving them. She watched as small blue flames danced near her while the other small flames that encircled Luness were flames of orange. Xiao Hui was impressed by the different colored flames Luness was able to accomplish and make. "Thank you, Lune." Soon, as they traveled, Xiao Hui kept her careful pace as she watched Barry's back and Luness' side. However, before she and they knew it, they had hit a dead end. But, even more so, Xiao Hui became more alert when Luness softly warned them of people approaching them. Her back turned to face the front as the iced walls were behind them, signaling their dead end. Using the knife in her hands, Xiao Hui made an "X" mark on as she touched the cold walls. She shivered slightly, though, was thankful for the flames Luness provided. Noting what Luness had described, Xiao Hui nodded, though knew deep down. . it wasn't a friend. . especially if it was what Luness described. None of them were wearing battle armor loud enough to cause such heaviness. Even if they had, their footsteps wouldn't have been hard and nor hard, since more of them were practically light-footed. Luness had mentioned multiple people, the only person she could only seeing being heavy-footed was Simon, even then, Jimbo tredded and walked softly then that.


Soon enough, Xiao Hui's ears twitched as she looked ahead, hearing whistling, laughing, and voices approaching towards them. Surely. . it was not their teammate, especially since what appeared before them were two men, heavily armored , and their companions: white wolves. Her nerves skyrocketed slightly as she looked impassively towards them. The wolves. . . reminded her of. . . Laohu. . the first time he. . . no. Shaking her head, she observed the menancingly glare and growls from the wolves as she took notice of their coat. Something with their coat made her wonder if it was a coat to protect them from something just as their human partners were wearing some sort of mask. Was that also to protect them from something? However, seeing one of the man being called Jack, Xiao Hui took notice of his weapon as he shot behind them, aiming at the walls as she saw the ice merging into the iced walls. Hearing the words of Jack. . . and the other male, Xiao Hui narrowed her eyes at their insults on Luness. As they stated they were entertainers, Xiao Hui couldn't help but scoff slightly. But, at the mention of Laohu, Leandra, and perhaps BB being ordered to being captured alive, Xiao Hui's heart raced. However, that begged the question, where were they? The only thing standing between her and getting Laohu back were these. .imbeciles. . and over her dead body would she be "chilled" in this maze when she's so close to being with him once more. But, she knew, Laohu was capable of protecting Leandra and BB, especially from a cold place such as this.


However, at the sudden attacks from the weapon, Xiao Hui quickly and swiftly dodged the ice's that were aiming straight for her and Luness. As the wolves flew directed towards Luness, Xiao Hui quickly used this chance to take the wolves' distraction on Luness as she took out a needle Nigel at given her, throwing one needle straightly at the wolves' hindlegs, hoping to hinder it from being able to move with his left hind leg. It would be of help to Luness. However, looking over at Barry, she noticed he was against the ice walls, careful to not let the wolf attack his neck, chest, or face. However, seeing that those lunatic males wasn't going to stop the ice-throwers, Xiao Hui needed to think of something and fast. . . as she quickly made sure to not get hit by the ice marks. It would have been bad, especially with her injury that still needed recuperating. Looking at her dagger, Xiao Hui looked around for a place where she could carve some ice. . like a shield to protect her teammates from getting shot at with it. But, for now, to save time, Xiao Hui took two more needles from the small bag, aiming the needles directly at brother's hands, wanting to stop their hands from using the weapon, as she moved around carefully.


@Bolts @Lioness075 @DawnAntalios

 

[Lioness075]

Luness felt on edge almost immediately when she saw their new enemies. The wolves made Luness almost instantly think of Leandra, who sported a permanent scar all along her back from a wolf attack years ago. At this thought, Luness narrowed her eyes at the wolves, fire seemingly dancing in her eyes now.


Listening to the two banter with one another, Luness took the time to look over their armor and equipment for weaknesses. They seemed well-protected from the cold, but Luness knew that having a container of such concentrated chemicals meant that enough heat could cause their weapons to implode. Surely, the eruption would cause the men to instantly freeze with their broken weapons? Still, depending on the range of the explosion, it could negatively affect Luness, Xiao, or Barry as well.


Taking note of the deadly ice that instantly froze anything it touched coming from their enemies' weapons, Luness let out a small hiss at the team, wanting to stop this before someone hand an appendage frozen and lost use of it permanently. This kind of ice was going to permanently damage any body parts it touched. Even if Luness melted it off, the intense cold would kill the nerves for sure.


At the mention of their 'pets', Luness let out a short screech, "You'll regret trying your luck against us!"


Watching Xiao act quickly in throwing a needle at the wolf coming for her, Luness prepared to take flight, but stumbled from Xiao's shoulder instead when the girl moved herself in an attempt to defend Luness.


Landing beside her in a stumble, Luness then shifted so she was facing the wolf attacking her and then hopped in front of Xiao before spreading out her wings and screeching. The moment she screeched, flames erupted all over her body and even flared out in a circumference around her, though the flames didn't touch Xiao, who was near Luness.


In addition to the flames, Luness also planned a flare and promptly shouted, "Xiao, Barry don't look!" While her teammates knew why not to look, Luness could only hope their enemies' were too curious to know better than to look away, as she flared up and in a flash, temporarily blinded anyone looking her way.


The aim of her flames were to burn the wolf and hopefully make it second guess the sudden attack on the phoenix. Since its coat was made to protect it from the cold, it surely would burn easily against Luness' flames.


@crucialstar @Bolts @DawnAntalios


~~~~~~


Manjano found the gear on his side and quickly pulled out a dagger of his own, though it was a borrowed one and not one of his personal ones, and swiftly stabbed between the gear and its mechanisms, promptly jamming it.


Falarion bounced over to join Beth's side to see how she and Totus were faring since Manjano accomplished his task.


Tilting his head to the side at the mention of some special knife, Falarion furrowed his brow at the talk of some guy who he definitely didn't know about before seeing the beautiful knife that Beth soon produced afterwards.


Glancing back at Manjano, Falarion watched as he quickly joined Beth's side to make sure she was doing well in time to see her jam the knife into the gear.


Both Manjano and Falarion heard Beth's whisper and exchanged a look before Manjano awkwardly cleared his throat behind her and said, "I, uh, jammed my gear as well."


Falarion looked to the wall that was previously approaching them to see that it was no longer moving. While they weren't necessarily free, they now were no longer in danger of being squished to death.


Wagging his tail, Falarion then exclaimed to the trio, "We're safe!"


Manjano nodded at this and then looked at Beth with a curious look before he rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "So, uh, who was Timmy?"


Hearing Manjano's question, Falarion's tail slowly stopped wagging, as he rejoined Manjano's side and looked up at Beth with a mixed expression of curiosity and sympathy. The way Beth and Totus had spoke of this guy, he didn't sound like he'd been any friend to Beth.


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Beth looked at the pocketknife silently. The deep drown wood handle had splintered, no doubt making the engraving unreadable, and she could see that the steel was heavily bent. But it seemed to hold well, saving their lives.


Totus stared up at Beth, concerned by the total lack of emotion coming from her. Her presence in his mind was as cold as the walls around them.


Whatever she was thinking, she pushed it out of her mind when Falarion declared their safety. She stood, Totus shuffling on the floor next to her, and leveled her eyes with Manjano's as he asked her the question she knew was coming. It didn't fill her with dread like she had expected.


In a calm voice, she explain.

Spoiler

"Tim used to be my best friend. We grew up a few streets away from each other. Being friends with him kept me out of the crosshairs of bullies in high school, he was the popular football star. I was friends with all his buddies. I was like everyone's sister. He was great.."


Beth cleared her throat and dropped her eyes. "Until he was bonded with a big, dark colored Grizzly bear called Snake. That bear never spoke, just followed Tim around and watched everything. Tim became cocky and arrogant, started being rude, drinking more and more at the after-game parties. Everyone noticed, we just thought it was a thing he was going through. We all just put up with it.. Until the night he got really drunk at a party, cornered me in the bathroom.."


She trailed off, not wanting to relive that moment. "His friends heard me screaming. Snake let go of my throat as soon as they broke the door down, but it took three of them to pull Tim off me. I wanted to fight him.. But theres not much anyone can do with a bear's teeth around their neck. The cheerleaders were out of town that day, so there weren't any girls to help me. They all just stood in the door, staring at me.."


Beth chuckled bitterly, and shook her head. "I could barely move, I was so terrified. Two of them, I don't even remember who, pulled me off the floor and patched up the scratches on my torso and the spot my scalp, found new clothes for me to put on, took me home. I couldn't walk up the stairs, so one of them carried me to my bed. I made them promise that none of them would ever say what happened."


She was silent for a few moments, her fingers touching a spot at the back of her head. "The other captain of the team, Mark, he got the team to go to the coaches and say that they wouldn't play if Tim stayed in the team. They said it was because of his partying. They got him kicked off. The best they could do, in terms of justice. I left town the day after they announced it."


Totus stared up at Beth, surprised to hear the story again. She had always sworn she would never tell people what had happened to her, because she didn't want it to define her. But here she was, telling Manjano and Falarion as if it were only natural. A part of him knew he would be proud later, but now he was just surprised.


Beth dropped her hand and looked up at Manjano, bracing herself for his reaction. There was a reason she kept it hidden. She saw how people reacted to other women like her. She didn't even realize her eyes were glistening with tears.


@Lioness075

 

[Lioness075]

Manjano forced himself to keep eye contact with Beth, as he could tell this was a deep and personal subject for her. He didn't want to ruin it by looking away or making things awkward.


Falarion sat down beside Manjano, as he tilted his head up at Beth and patiently listened to her story.


Upon hearing the mention of a bear, Falarion felt a figurative lightbulb light above his head, as he recalled her mentioning a bear in the pantry before their very first mission with The Watch. He'd felt bad about keeping it from Manjano, but he'd felt like Beth didn't want anyone else hearing about it at the time. He still felt a bit bad about it, but Manjano knew about it now as well, so it wasn't a problem anymore.


The minute she mentioned being cornered in a bathroom, Manjano's eyes widened slightly, as he knew exactly where this was headed now.


Falarion was rather oblivious about it, though, and so he continued to tilt his head and stare up at Beth with an unknowing expression.


As she explained how both of them had hurt her in more ways than one, Manjano felt an anger inside of him flare up, as he wanted to punch this Tim guy in the face until he couldn't see anymore. Then again...that had happened with one of Leandra's boyfriends in the past. Except the boyfriend hadn't survived Manjano's onslaught.


Feeling Manjano's anger, Falarion gently nudged his leg with his head before peering up at him.


Mate, you need to stay calm. There's nothing you can do about that Tim guy now.


I know...but still.


Just breathe, okay?


Taking a few deep breaths, Manjano then listened to Beth conclude her story before she began to look a bit awkward, as he no doubt felt she was waiting for some kind of reaction from him.


As it were, Manjano wasn't entirely certain of how to respond to such a story being shared with him.


While Manjano scrambled for words, Falarion spoke up, "Beth, I'm sorry they hurt you."


Pausing he then jumped to his paws, his tail wagging, as he barked, "I'll protect you, though! Nobody will get through me! I'm the best guard dog...wolf...fox, whatever, around!"


Smiling faintly at Falarion's burst of energy, Manjano then glanced back at Beth and said evenly, "If there's one promise I can make to you and never break, it's that I'll never hurt you like that, Beth."


Seeing the tears faintly forming in her eyes, Manjano didn't even think twice, as he slowly raised one of his hands and then gently brushed the tears from one of her cheeks. He gave her a soft smile before adding, "You're safe with us."


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Beth's face broke into a sad smile, and she crouched in front of Falarion. She ruffled his ears, several tears escaping, more out of relief than anything. "Oh definitely, Fal, no one ever gets by you."


She looked up at Manjano and stood as he spoke, her expression growing serious again. She tensed momentarily as he raised his hand, but relaxed when his touch was soft and comforting. "I know. I wouldn't be here with you if I thought you would hurt me." Her hand reached up and caught his, holding it against her cheek for a few moments longer. Her grayish eyes closed, and for once Totus felt the oddness in their difference of gender.


She may not like pink and shopping, but Beth had always been a deeply feminine spirit, and that had deepened when she drew away from anything remotely masculine after her attack. He was nearly always the perfect balance to that, but in moments like these, he just couldn't find a way to connect with her. Beth had very politely shut him out of her mind, and he was left with no more information than a stranger. He had a sneaking suspicion that a female companion would not get the same treatment, but wondered if he really wanted to be in her mind during a romantic moment such as this. The owl nudged Fakarion with a wingtip and gave him an I told you so look.


Beth's eyes opened, and she slowly released her grip on Manjano's hand. "Although safe might be an overstatement. We are still inside an icy maze of death, looking for your sister." She said, with a little rueful humor. Beth drew away, gently, and looked around them, her eyes landing on the destroyed pocketknife. "It's kinda too bad. The knife, I mean.. It was a present from him, but his parents paid for it. Knives like that aren't cheap." She said softly, and then her eyes moved one, looking for their next move.


@Lioness075

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8cb05c135d_Raven_Kitsune_35.jpg.988ff8618b943d8c4cdc82c8d999b296.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="136397" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8cb05c135d_Raven_Kitsune_35.jpg.988ff8618b943d8c4cdc82c8d999b296.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Raven and Kitsune


"One thing's for sure, we're all going to be a lot thinner," Kitsune mocked in his best Han Solo impersonation. The opposing walls continued their seemingly relentless assault. Raven shook her head at her companion's levity of their situation and prepared to jam her pistol into the hole that she had made.


She glanced over her shoulder and watched Alec smash one of the walls with the butt of his rifle and was surprised that the ice broke away so easily from the mechanical apparatus beyond which worked tirelessly to seal their fate. Immediately, Raven sprung up from her crouch and used the grip of the .9mm to perform the same on the other wall. It, too, fractured without too much effort.


When Alec called out to find something to jam the gears, Raven's eyes quickly shot to the small cat-thing creature. Before she could move, Kitsune sensed her intention and moved to block his companion. "Captain, no!" he said, surprised at the mere thought. Their connection was becoming stronger and the fox was more able to sense Raven's motives than before. Raven merely smirked and shrugged. It hadn't been that bad of an idea and would have solved two problems at once.


She turned back to the winding and whirling gears and considered her limited options. Then, with nothing else for it, Raven removed the magazine from the .9mm and simply shoved the barrel of the weapon in between the moving parts where she imagined it would do the most damage.


"Here, Alec," she called over and handed the magazine to him. "It's not much, but it ought to muck up something well enough to serve."


@SilverFlight

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon and Jimbo groaned as they felt the wall getting closer and closer. They slowed it, but there was something seriously heavy pushing those walls closer, something that the two of them just couldn't seem to stop.


"Siiiimoooon"Jimbo said through clenched teeth and strained voice. "This, is nooot, woooorking."


Simon looked up to where his fists were buried in the wall and kept pushing. Over the straining of his body, he nearly missed the sound of Ash calling out to them until he came running past. Simon looked back down the hallway way to see the charges place and then quickly looked away as Ash pushed the detonator.


A cold, and a bit forceful gust of wind blew past Simon and Jimbo ruffling their hair a bit. Simon looked back slowly, now covered in little bits of ice wall, hoping that the tension on the wall would alleviate itself.


But after the smoke cleared, Simon and Jimbo could feel the walls continuing to moves. Simon growled in frustration as he pulled one of his fists off the wall.


"This is ridiculous. I refuse....


Simon drove his fist towards the wall with all his might.


"....to be squashed....."


He drove the same fist at the wall again, as he did he revealed that his first punch had made a decent sized crack in the wall.


.....LIKE A BUG!!!"


Simon lifted his fist and drove hit hard at the wall once more, this time holding it in place as more cracks had formed around it.


The wall shuttered a bit each time Simon hit it, but it did not stop. The pair continued to push back on the wall with all they could until they heard Ash speak up again. Simon lifted his head, craning his neck to see what Ash's bombs had revealed and watched as Ash tried stuffing things into the now naked gears behind the walls.


Simon's hed whipped to where his crater was, and he smiled.


He raised his fist yet again, and drove it hard at the ice. Over and over he drove his fist forward until finally, his crater revealed to him more gears as well.


He chuckled to himself, and in a triumphant yell began wailing on the turning gears. He was bound and determined to make this wall stop at any cost.


@Peaceswore @SilverFlight @DawnAntalios @crucialstar