Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-5999656-20190205035159/@comment-26571677-20190601042855

It took her a moment to realise what was stopping her from moving.

Before, it felt like a depression that sunk her feet to the ground; wet concrete surrounding her feet; keeping her rooted to the ground as all she could do was stare at the lone figure in the ruined control room; the silhouette lighting up randomly as sparks flew from the remains of dead electronics.

She should have been running up to him; holding him close, making sure that both of them were out of the place as soon as possible.

Instead, she stood there; dumb and blue.

But why was that?

Why did she not want to move?

Her eyes, still perceptive as ever, peered into the shadows behind them.

They peered and saw…

A mass of writhing, twitching black bodies with white bone; red eyes glowing in the shadows overcast by collapsed rebar and concrete.

Now she knew.

She knew why so few fights cropped up at all of these auctions.

She knew why criminals that would have slit each other’s throats for a single piece of the merchandise sold were happy to act the civilized man.

She knew why slaves that would have fought tooth and nail in their restraints were content to slump and observe with dead eyes those that would buy them.

She knew why the auctions were usually so quiet.

Apathy.

A small herd, but enough to cause those closest to simply drop to the ground; torn apart shortly by sharp teeth and claws; flesh from bone and offal from ribcage.

The shock snapped her out, and she gripped her teeth; ignoring the lump in her throat as she threw a concussive grenade up into the control room.

As soon as she saw the man turn, she leapt backwards; down into the abyss, back towards the other criminals.

The moment her feet left ground, there was a muted squeak of sound; the air rippling as a body in a cloak fell after her.

Her semblance activated as she hit uneven concrete; a shockwave echoing out and cracking the walls around her as her body glowed brown.

She looked up, and he followed, landing in a roll as his blade was wrenched from the wall that broke his fall.

And there he was; turning towards her with red bandanna tugged down; stubbled face displaying a range of emotions from anger, to love, to relief.

All she could do was wait; dumbfounded.

His emotions seemed to finally calm themselves as his mouth and eyes upturned into that familiar grin.

“Taller than I remember you.”

All she could do was smile.

---

What was one supposed to feel in a situation such as this?

He’d found her; after years of thinking that she was dead but knowing that she was not.

He’d found her in a place of criminals; a place where the scum went to grow and ply their evil deeds.

He’d found her armed with enough weaponry to wage a small war; certainly the weapons to link some distinct, intermittent assassinations to the assassinator; the gun on her back was evidence enough of that.

He’d found her a criminal and a killer; part of those he’d worked so hard to destroy over so many years.

Yet he’d found her, and all else could take a backseat.

Dust moved in; wrapping his arms around her in a clap of the back as he held her close; silent pas the five words he’d managed to splutter out in his shock.

He held her close and felt that she was warm.

He held her close and remembered those times she’d play him the guitar. The times she’d pass on the few scraps of food they’d managed to buy or steal under the excuse that she wasn’t hungry.

He remembered her yells and screams when they’d arrested them; that look in her eyes that stuck into his soul from then till now.

He held her close.

It seemed like an eternity. Time that Dust could hardly say was not well spent.

Yet, he opened his eyes and saw a visage of carnage; the few captured slowly being torn apart. His eyes widened and his teeth grit as he saw a hunter fall from her perch; hundreds of black bodies swarming her writhing form and chipping away at her aura until it broke.

The screams were palpable for twenty long seconds.

Every single one of them would meet the same fate if the helicopters fell; his eyes swerved; switching from a group of dragons to a person at the side of his former lizardman nemesis; covered in blood and standing on the main auction room floor.

They’d practically fallen right into the midst of the battle; unseen for now, but not for long.

Yet despite the fact that he was standing amongst men and women that could tear him limb from limb without the faintest of cares; his attention always reverted back towards the helicopters. They’d die without help; every single one of them condemned to the same fate as that poor girl.

He broke off the huge.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to help them. They’re gonna cark it without my help.”

“…It’s too dangerous. I can’t allow you to do it; you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“If it’s my life for a two more alive, then that’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

“What about your wife? You willing to pay the price for a widow?”

He hesitated; his eyes looking at her and then back at the hill of hunters rapidly losing ground while he bit his bottom lip.

“How do you know about her?”

“I keep tabs. It’s another story for another time. For now, we have to think about this. Not just charge in…I see that age hasn’t tempered your recklessness, because if you haven’t noticed…not enough space in those helicopters for all of us, and I don’t intend on dying today?

“You have a good point…what’s your plan, then? Cos we’re running out of time, and quick.”

It was her turn to pause. She stared at the ground for a few seconds in silence, before her lips formed a wry smile, and she pointed towards the group of dragons; eyebrow upturned and eyes smug.

“…That’s a terrible idea.”

“No, no it isn’t. You just don’t have my charm.”

“Bugger off I don’t! See that lizard man over there? Stopped him from killing me with just my words.”

“Right. Get your bandanna on, we don’t have time…listen to your big sis, and we’ll get through this just fine…”

---

A moment later, a pair emerged from the rubble, moving towards the main group.

The woman in the mask prodded the man in the front with her eerily glowing rifle; humming in quiet anticipation. The man had his hands raised in surrender and his head was slouched; red bandanna afixxed over nose and mouth.

“Good evening, Dragon. You look awfully tired out…have you been having fun?”

Her words were not understatements; the group she’d met with just an hour prior looked terribly worse for wear; clothes ragged and breathing heavily. Another notch on the endless list of fighting, she supposed.

“The way as I see it, we have a common goal; to get the hell off of here, and preferably not in a casket. I’ve captured this hunter here, as you can all see. He will vouch for us as we move towards the helicopters; ensuring us safe passage…It’s our best bet.”

She looked to each of them for the same amount of time, gauging their reactions.

“So in return for us working together…we all get home relatively unscathed…do we have a deal?”

She waited calmly for their decision; giving no indication of the fact that her radar had just detected a swarm that had caught onto their scent.