Dark Harvest

**Date Completed:**6/29/2021
**Previous Role-Play**:Paragon Mar
**Users Involved:** User:Katokonia
**Setting:** Effigen
**Date:** August 5, 1510
**Scions Involved**:
* Starfall Nyx
* Starfall Hecate
* Entia Sharaz
* Raine Lilith
* Strodes Cain
* Koda Alyss
* Trisk Charles (Mentioned)

**Marines Involved**:
* Nibiru Hysteria
* Anthea Cassiopeia
* Sayid Barto
* Anthea Serenade (Mentioned)
* Benny J.
* Kenin Yani
* Kepla Jay (Mentioned)
* Kepla Sweeney (Mentioned)

**Other Characters Involved**:
* Bukki
* Semira Kaili
* Mayor of Effigen

**Metrics**: Dark Harvest/Metrics

## **Somber Cobble**

*"Emotions are fleeting things aren't they...they can be manipulated so easily, broken, learned. Thoughts themselves attune to them, stand by them. Memory is shaped by how the emotion of the present affects the latter, then by them, our own personal pasts. It seems that, at the very least, if one holds an emotion, they are...encouraged to further it, to strengthen it, though I suppose many lie to themselves about what they want, regardless..."*

"Ugh, I'm so bored. Are you bored? How about we have some fun!" Starfall Hecate whined, snacking voraciously on a large bag of chips as she talked with a full mouth. Before her was a man tied to a wooden post, gagged and unable to respond, though there was an effort to.

"Oh right, there's that whole gag thing. Ok how about this for a game idea? I'll let you go, and aaallll you have to do it let me flick you on the forehead! Pretty good deal right?" Hecate continued, and upon receiving a nod, albeit a reluctant and confused one, she smiled warmly. Grabbing a nearby knife, she walked over slowly towards the man. True to her word, she simply flicked his forehead. She dangled the knife in front of his eyes threateningly for a moment, before laughing and cutting him free. "Take care now!" She laughed as the man rushed to the door.

Before he managed to get out, the door opened first from the outside, revealing one Starfall Nyx. The man pushed past her, forcing a look of annoyance, though no movement to halt his progress, from Nyx. With the man now gone from the premises, she simply continued to walk inside, a large bag in one of her hands.

"Why did you let him go, I thought we agreed to using that one as bait for later?" Nyx asked her sister. While there was argument in her voice, she wasn't angry with Hecate, simply curious about her antics. She tossed the huge bag over to Hecate, as if telling her to catch it.

Hecate stumbled as she sprang up to grab the bag. There were piles and piles of snacks inside of it, alongside some actual food as well consisting mostly of fruits and breads. Hecate's eyes sparkled and she began to drool, "Have I ever told you I love you?" She smiled sweetly towards Nyx, not wasting another second before finishing off the bag of chips she had been snacking off just to open a new one.

"You tell me every time I bring you food, at least." Nyx said as she walked further into the room, finding herself a seat on a couch that lied to the side of the wooden post that had moments ago held a bound person. "So, what'd you put in him?" She asked as if she expected to have heard the answer already.

"Oh. nom. right." Hecate said while munching on some chips, "I rolled the gauntlet for his affinity. nom. It looks like. nom. he's a natural for treachery. nom. Looks like the guy has a wife. nom. So probably not for much longer." She smiled innocently, as right on cue, from a house in the distance came a crashing sound, followed by escalated yelling and screaming from two people, one of them being the man who had been tied here, though neither Starfalls cared enough to listen to the conversation itself.

Nyx let out a snicker, "And here I thought it was my job to ruin people's days!" She laughed, slapping her knee before recollecting herself, "Any word from Sharaz yet, that fool has been gone for almost as long as the three going for the vault."

"Nope. Though I did hear some commotion earlier," Hecate paused, looking into her already-empty bag of chips. She tossed it towards a trash can, though missed horribly, before grabbing one of the loaves of bread and beginning to eat it, "Something about uh. nom. Magician? nom. Dunno the specifics, but it's probably him. nom. He's enough of an idiot to do something that like."

Nyx placed a palm on her forehead in an irritated sigh, "That fool knows he was supposed to come back yesterday. At this rate the thieves are going to be back before he is."

A knock came from the closed door to the street, then another, and another, before it sounded like someone was making a percussion solo on the door.

Nyx and Hecate looked at each other with a quick glance. Hecate simply shrugged, refusing to get up, so Nyx let out yet another sigh as she begrudgingly slid off the couch she had laid down on, and walked over to the door. Before opening it, she shouted "Who the hell is it." Obviously annoyed at the ceaseless drumming.

"Is that you Nyx? Open this door, I beseech thee!" Came an unnaturally enthusiastic from the other side of the door, though he seemingly refused to stop drumming even though he had gotten a verbal response.

Nyx put her hands to her ears and started walking back to the couch, "Open it yourself asshole." She called back, curling herself on the couch and placing a pillow over her head as if to drown out the noise. Hecate looked at the door expectantly, as a click was heard and it opened.

"Oho! So you have asked and so you have received! Though it might have been easier to just, you know, open the door yourself. No worries; fear not! I have taken it upon myself to arrive within this wonderful house that stands as our current, and ever-so-fleeting, SECRET BASE!"

The voice that had propelled itself into the room, likely by picking the lock themselves, was none other than that of Entia Sharaz. He walked in with hands on his hips, as if posing for a camera, as he closed the door behind him and locked it, all while laughing after every single time he talked. He looked around the room, first at Hecate, who was looking back at him and chewing on something, and then at Nyx, who was attempting to sequester herself away from Sharaz's loud presence, shoving a pillow above her head and trying to act like she wasn't there.

"So, where've you been Sha." Hecate asked out of mild curiosity, though her voice was listless enough that it came out as more of a comment than an actual question.

"I'm glad you asked!" Sharaz beamed, meriting Hecate to roll her eyes as she leaned on one of her arms, ready for a long monologue that would surely ensue, "Well you see, just that afternoon our dear comrades Lilith, Cain, and Alyss made way for the treasury of that modest land not too far to the East of here I had found myself quite lacking in activity. Searching for a grand adventure, I did! Fear not the fame we have accumulated ladies, but the townsfolk now refer to me by many names, for my renown has grown tall here in Effigen. The children call me 'The Magician,' the adults call me 'That wizard guy,' and even the elders know me as one versed in subtle tricks and treats for the eye! ...though some of the girls called me a weirdo creeper... Anywho! What has become of our comrades then? They who I'd expect to have arrived by now, anyways!

"Hm, I guess you don't know either then. They were supposed to be. nom. Back today, but it's already. nom. almost midnight..." Hecate said, her eyes now fixated on a random spot on the wall, as if intentionally averting her eyes from Sharaz.

"Oh I see, maybe I returned just a bit too soon then! I had planned on this being our reunion, well, as much of a reunion we'll be getting for some time anyways!" Sharaz burst into laughter, as if something he said was humorous, "Hey Nyx, Nyxxxxxx." He called over to Nyx, who was still desperately trying to avoid conversation with him.

"What." Nyx peeked her face out from the pillow, "What do you want." She said as if the question was painful for her to ask, and in a tone that said that she would prefer if she didn't receive an answer at all.

"I'm glad you asked!" Sharaz cheered, "But wait, I think I'm the one asking..." He drifted for a moment, before continuing on, "I heard you'd been checking out what's up with those little hopping murder sticks yes? Any thoughts? Any leads? Could it be just some devastating natural phenomena perchance? It seems that the heavens themselves have forsaken this isle, showering it with naught; not a single ray of light felled for years now, or so I've heard. I myself did stroll by the wall, yes yes I did, and I must say that I was impressed at how many soldiers manned it. Stakes upon the hill, and rows of barricades to the bridge, truly an air-tight defense! And those waters, oh those murky, unscrupulous waters! I peered into the murky depths, and so did I feel as if the grasp of darkness itself made it's way upon my soul! Alas, I had to cast my gaze away, another moment and I may have been swallowed whole!"

"Right..." Nyx said, sighing as she sat up a little bit to angle herself towards Sharaz, "I did find a few things, though I was hoping it could wait until the others were back...I guess I can just say it already, though."

However, as if having just been cued entry, a crash was heard from the roof of the building that the three were all in. Hecate looked up, her mouth full as she almost choked while laughing. Sharaz burst into laughter as well, "Your words truly do carry fate by their breath o' helmsman! It seems that our friends have arrived by your decree!"

Nyx looked up at the ceiling, there being a break in it, with a face peeking through. It was Alyss, who simply stared listlessly at the three in the room below, verbally uttering, "Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." Before being abruptly yoinked out of the hole her face was in, as another one looked in.

"I could've sworn I had the angle right, I guess I just can't do anything right..." Cain said, looking into the room below, I guess we might as well use the door instead of making an even bigger mess..." He said, as two crashes were heard on the ground outside, Cain and Alyss having jumped down from the roof to the ground. Lilith peeked through the hole, and placed a nice, big piece of tape that she had with her for some reason onto the hole, sealing it as then a third \*thump\* was heard on the ground outside. The door then opened, as Lilith was the first to enter, "Did you guys not lock the door? Or are we just on time?" She asked slyly, strolling into the room and taking a seat next to Hecate, with Cain and Alyss walking in after her, with Cain closing the door.

Alyss suddenly burst into a spring, shoving herself onto the couch beside Nyx, though there was barely any spare room, so she ended up pushing Nyx onto the ground to get the space all to herself. Nyx sat on the ground for a few seconds, grimacing at the sudden change in dynamic. She stood up and made as if she was brushing dust off her clothes, before she leaned on the wooden post beside the couch and crossed her arms.

"I guess that this is everyone, then." She said blandly, everyone's eyes now on her, and silence in the room, the only sound being that of a rustling bag and the crunching of crackers, coming from Hecate, who was still eating.

"Right, let's get down to business. First off, Lilith, did you three get the money?" Nyx asked, looking over towards Lilith.

Lilith rose her finger for a moment as she produced from behind her back two large sacks of gold and coins, jostling them and replying, "The entire coffer! Though the op didn't go quite as smoothly as it could've."

Nyx furred her brow, waving her hand as if wanted to hear more about the problem.

"Yea...so, there were some marines on the island from some reason, and I don't mean just the local backwater garrison, actual marines. They weren't much problem for us, though one of them gave me chills just from lookin' at her. In other words, while I don't think they know we're here, they're definitely looking for us...probably." Lilith continued, as she walked over to set the bags in the corner of the room.

"Marines...I don't think there's any around here that would cause us too much trouble, at least when there's this many of us in one place, but I suppose we should have you three lay low for the time being. Good work getting the money, though." Nyx responded, her hand to her chin as she stroked it thoughtfully, "Now for our second order of business, I've been digging into the scarecrows and their source. I believe there is a devil fruit behind it, though I haven't found anyone who seems to be responsible, yet. I even tortured a few of the townsfolk, though they didn't know anything. I want someone to come with me to explore the other island in the morning," Nyx looked over to Hecate, "You're coming with me," Then she looked over to Cain, "And Cain, would you join us as well? I'd like an escape plan if things go badly."

Hecate simply nodded, and Cain gave an affirmative, "Roger."

"Soooo, what should the rest of us do?" Lilith asked Nyx, her arms crossed as she waited for an answer.

"Can we just do nothing and relax here?" Alyss said from the couch, though her voice was subtle and half-asleep when she spoke.

"Honestly, there's nothing for you all to do yet, though Lilith, if you'd like to try and gather more intel feel free to, just try not to get yourself profiled so that those marines you mentioned won't find us here." Nyx then looked over to Alyss, "Rejoice, Alyss, you get to sleep in tomorrow if you'd like, in fact, sleep all day." Nyx gave a cynical smile to Alyss, who opened one eye and smiled before falling asleep.

"Uhhh Nyx? What do you want me to do? Kinda leavin' me hangin' over here ya know. I don't think it'd be the best use of my grace to be holed up in this...hole without good reason." Sharaz said aloud, being the only one who had yet to get any tasks or orders to complete.

*"I really want to burn this guy on a stake."* Nyx thought to herself, before smiling sweetly at Sharaz, "How about this Sharaz, you can keep acting like the homeless town magician and report back in case those marines do happen to show up, ok?"

"Ha! You must think me for a fool! That sounds tantamount to bringing me by the wayside in search of flowers only for the carriage to make haste away as I place them in the basket. Surely you jest? I've had enough of that magician act anyways, it's gotten old." Sharaz retorted, a haughty tone in his voice.

"Oh...is that so...I thought I could trust you with such an important task, but I suppose I could ask Lilith to do this as well..." Nyx said, with a convincing sadness in her voice, "Lilith? Would you mind taking this us as well? Though I know it must be hard for you compared to Sharaz."

Lilith raised her arms up and shook her head, "I could try, but I don't think I'd ever do it as well as Sharaz could."

"Only Sharaz could do something like this..." Alyss murmured from the couch.

"Well. nom. I guess. nom. we just have to give up. nom. on the idea." Hecate added.

"FINE! If you fools cannot find within your carry to partake in this task yourselves, I shall bear this weight anew. Only one such as I could complete with genuine supremacy a task such as this regardless!" Sharaz announced, apparently having been persuaded to do the job after all. "Ha! I shall start immediately! I shall come find one of you should the dogs of the government bare their fangs upon this desecrated nation. Away!" He said in triumph, walking to the door, and promptly finding himself outside.

After Sharaz had departed, Lilith and Hecate began to giggle, Nyx joining in for a moment before clapping her hands to regain everyone's attention. "Right, unless you all are weary from your travels, I'd like to get this started immediately. Lilith, stay with Alyss until morning, Cain, Hecate, to me. Let us use the dark of night to our advantage to sneak across the bridge.

A unified "Aye" chorused through the room, as Hecate slid down from her chair and Cain leaned up and stood straight, pulling out a small jack-in-the-box,

"Well then...I suppose...I'll be making myself useful. I'll make the distraction.. meet you across the bridge in ten minutes, by that abandoned barn?" He asked Nyx listlessly, his face showing little sign of emotion whatsoever.

"Ok, we'll wait there once we cross." Nyx responded, "Hecate, come."

Hecate trotted over to her sister, carrying a large cabbage in her hands that she was gnawing on like a rabbit, as the three exited the building as well, leaving Lilith and Alyss alone in the makeshift base.

"Well Alyss, if you're gonna stay on the couch, I'm taking one of the beds upstairs." Lilith chided, making for the stairwell at the back of the building, though as she passed Alyss she felt a tug on her shirt. She turned to it, seeing that Alyss was awake and latched onto Lilith.

"Do you think that crazy woman is going to chase us here?" Alyss asked tiredly,

"Hmmmm, if they find out we're here, then probably." Lilith responded, not doing much to quell Alyss' worry. She then picked Alyss' hand off of her, as it dropped to the side of the couch, Alyss having already fallen back asleep after receiving a response.

*"This girl can really fall asleep anywhere can't she. Ugh, I wish I had something to play with, though I guess normal nights are fine too, every once in a while."* Lilith thought to herself, as she headed upstairs to bed.

## **Somber Waves**

"So what you're trying to tell me, is that they somehow got all the way from that island to Effigen, without a boat??" Anthea Cassiopeia and Sayid Barto exclaimed simultaneously, completely bewildered by their Captain's statement saying it was true.

"Yea, I saw them jump over." Nibiru Hysteria said apathetically, "More importantly, I might as well take the time to get this information on record while I'm still sane. I did a little bit of research, and it looks like those three are part of a group calling themselves 'The Scions.' There seem to be a few more of them, and there is allegedly one for each of the seven deadly sins or whatever, so while this is just a guess, I think there would be seven of them total. That said, we only have profiles on five of them so far, at least according to Ori. I can guarantee those three from before are somewhere in Effigen, and who knows, maybe that's where the rest of them are too. We don't have time to call in for backup, and unfortunately we had to leave Serenade behind due to her injuries... It's not that I don't trust you two, I do, but if we run into any of them leave the fighting to me, I can probably...take.....them.................all?"

Hysteria blinked a couple times, staring as Cassiopeia, "Uh, Cassie? Were we just talking about something? And more importantly why do you have three eyes."

Cassiopeia looked in a mirror, and truth be told, she had three eyes. "Ugh, this is why I hate it here sometimes." She muttered, annoyed, leaving the room through the door behind her. Barto stayed behind for a moment, looking at his Captain who was currently sitting down on her bed, "Hey cap, I'm going to head up to the deck, take a nice rest ok? I'll make sure to wake you when we arrive at Effigen." He said, then following Cassiopeia, exiting the door.

Hysteria cocked her head giving Barto a confused look as he walked away, though she lied down on her back on the bed, thinking *"Huh, I feel like I'm missing something here..."*

Exiting Hysteria's room, Barto revealed the exterior to be a narrow hallway, an open door at the end of one side leading to the deck of the small naval vessel the three currently traveled on. It was being manned by the garrison of the island that they had just been on, who had volunteered to both tend to Serenade's wounds back on the island, with some being ordered to take Hysteria, Cassiopeia, and Barto to Effigen, which was close enough of a place to be given the go-ahead, and also incited by Hysteria's claim that she knew that's where the thieves went. The mayor of the former island obviously wanted his money back, so that provided incentive for him to allow his island's garrison a temporary leave, though Hysteria and her troops merely desired to apprehend the criminals.

Barto walked out of the open door at the end of the hallway, closing it behind him. At the front of the ship, which is where the door led to, he spotted Cassiopeia standing with her hands behind her back, looking into the distance ahead in thought. The ocean water sprayed her face sporadically as the ship travelled through the water with relatively high speed, though she was completely unfazed. It took Barto several attempts to get her attention verbally, as he walked up to her, calling her name until he finally got a response as he reached right beside her.

"Hey Cass, you alright? Look kind of down..." Barto commented, looking at the horizon before them, then at Cassiopeia. It was hard for him to see her clearly, as it was nighttime, and the closest light being attached to the wall beside the door to the cabins, though he could make out a single, yet prominent tear rolling down Cassiopeia's face.

Cassiopeia turned to face Barto, answering with a serious tone, something unusual for her, "Barto, we have to make sure to capture those criminals. I'm not letting them get away with this, especially not after they hurt Serii." There was a subtle anger masking her facial expressions, though it appeared as if she was consciously trying to maintain her composure.

Barto saluted firmly, "Of course we will! Or else we wouldn't be pulling this late-night drive to gloomtown, would we?" He then relaxed his shoulders, walking up to the rail at the front of the ship and leaning over it, "But you know Cass, I hate to say it, but I'm not sure we're much help here. It would be different if we had Benny or Yani with us, they're good fighters, but look at us, look at me. Here I am with my gun and it didn't put a single dent in what, a little girl? That can't be normal Cass, there's something up with these 'Scions' or whatever Hysteria said they were called, and I'm not sure if we're fit for the job. I know the cap'n can handle them, probably, but I don't want to make her fight alone."

Cassiopeia initially tightened a fist, irritated that Barto had expressed, although perhaps inadvertently, that she was too weak, though as he continued to speak she walked up and joined him on the railing, slumping over it almost a little too much, "Hmm...yea maybe. I know it might be too late by the time they arrive, but I did actually take the liberty of requesting both Benny and Yani to meet us at Effigen, though they won't be there for a couple days after we arrive. In a best case scenario, we won't even need their help, though the next best scenario is that we can stall until they arrive, maybe turn the tables, especially if there's more than just those three..." Cassiopeia drifted off, looking up at the night sky, "Well, I guess being angry and depressed won't solve anything, I'm going to head to bed for tonight, what about you?"

"Ah, I actually have helmsman duty next shift, though after that I'll be restin' up." Barto replied, "But good night, be ready once you wake up though, seems like we're scheduled to arrive at port in the morning tomorrow, or I guess it might be today already." Barto joked, as the two gave each other a waving gesture as Cassiopeia walked to the door leading to the cabins and promptly entered it, closing the door behind her. Barto watched her go, then looked back to the front of the boat. There was a tiny light in the distance, and not in the direction of the island. Barto squinted his eyes, though he couldn't quite make out what it was.

*"Anyways, Effigen..."* He thought to himself, *"Isn't that the place overrun with, what was it, murder sticks? At least that's how the boys back at the base described them, though that was at least a couple years ago at this point. Oh well, guess I'll find out soon enough."* Barto let out a chuckle to himself, gazing onward all the same.

## A Tendency to Float

Come morning, the small navy vessel arrived at the port of Effigen, a small construct located on the tip of the smaller island, opposite to the side with the bridge. There were massive walls blocking out the sea, a large gate slowly being reeled upon the navy's approach. Barto was awake, standing atop the bow and letting the view sink in. There were rows upon rows of stakes beneath the walls, as if they were trying to desperately keep something out. Looking to the left and right, these walls and stakes spread all the way around the perimeter of the island, at least so far as Barto could see. *"No way, is that...?"* Barto thought to himself, as he noticed a few objects tangled within the stakes, and many more simply bobbing up and down in the water. They were scarecrows, an entire swarm of them, though while they actively turned their heads to watch the boat approach, it seemed as if they were not able to swim towards it, simply bobbing up and down in the waves. One that was particularly near starting waving it's hand at the ship angrily, as if attempting to attack it. A bell rung ahead, as the gate to the port finally opened fully just in time for the ship to pass through without having to stop, as it quickly began to close behind them.

The port itself was nothing to be impressed of. It held several ships, most of which appeared to be fishing vessels that had gone unused for quite some time. A dishonored dock stood, alone above the water. The ship quickly docked by it, as Barto looked to see if either Hysteria or Cassiopeia had come out of their rooms yet. He motioned to go wake them, however a voice first halted him in his progress.

"Are you the Marines we heard were coming? Are you here to finally put an end to those...reapers?"

Barto turned to the dock, where a rather plump, well-dressed man stood, nervous in demeanor yet obviously trying to make himself seem confident and strong by the pose he took. The man then continued, "Oh my, it seems my manners have gone to dust as well. I am Erik von Karl, the mayor of Effigen. We were alerted rather late last night of your arrival, though any arrival by the marines is right by me! oho." He exclaimed, waving for Barto to come down and introduce himself.

Barto hesitated for a second, before jumping down onto the dock. "My name is Sayid Barto, Lieutenant of the G-12 Marine Base, and currently under service of Nibiru Hysteria, who ranks as captain within the same residence." He saluted unenthusiastically, "A pleasure to meet you Mayor von Karl." He attempted to smile, though the disparity between this mayor and the rest of the people here was noticeable, even for Barto having just arrived. Erik von Karl was dressed well, looked well-fed, and quite frankly, didn't seem like he actually cared about whether these "reapers" were dealt with or not, at least by Barto's intuition. Meanwhile, Barto had scanned the port area just before landing. The people wore moth-eaten clothes, many ran and hid upon first sight of the ship. It was a cowering population, one that wouldn't be so fearful had they a strong leader willing to help them, though this was also simply Barto's observation.

Something that did catch Barto's eye, however, was the aura of a prodding glare facing him. He didn't want to make it obvious he knew he was being watched, however the presence didn't seem to match what he had encountered so far. It was much more refined, much more...dangerous.

"Well met Lieutenant Sayid, well met." von Karl remarked, as his eyes looked up. Barto followed his gaze, noticing that both Cassiopeia and Hysteria had moved on to the deck, them both promptly departing the ship onto the dock as well. Cassiopeia mentioned something to one of the garrison soldiers, who saluted and went towards the rear of the ship as she jumped to the dock.

"The more the merrier!" von Karl laughed heartily, "and who would you two be? I am Erik von Karl, the mayor of Effigen."

Cassiopeia proceeded to introduce herself, "Anthea Cassiopeia, Commander within the Navy under the jurisdiction of my Captain Nibiru," she shuffled to the side, hoping Hysteria would introduce herself. Hysteria looked over towards von Karl, and responded, "Hiya, I'm Hysteria. Nice to meet you!" Hysteria walked up to von Karl, and proceeded to shake his hand vigorously, much to his surprise.

"Oho, so you are the Captain then, I see. Well then, shall I show you to the the guest hall? We tend not to receive such esteemed presences! I can arrange for a feast if you'd like?" von Karl responded, hoping to gain the favor of the marines with his offers.

Cassiopeia coughed to gain everyone's attention, "Ahem. We appreciate your offer, but our work here starts immediately. We'll notify you if we need anything from you Mr. Mayor." She said bluntly, then grabbing Hysteria's hand and leading her down the dock. Barto bowed awkwardly in farewell to the mayor, as he hopped over to catch up to them, leaving the mayor behind on the dock by the ship.

It was the break of dawn. Nyx and Hecate were sitting atop a pile of hay in an abandoned barn on the larger island of Effigen, not a soul in sight, though a great many departed ones. corpses scatted the ground, blood since dried from a long day away in the past. Everything had gone according to plan, though Nyx felt as if something was lacking. A voice came from below,

"Well Nyx, those guards last night slept real nice when they took a whiff of the gas, but I must ask...why was it so easy?" Cain asked, standing at the foot of a ladder that led to where the two Starfalls sat, "It's almost as if...they didn't even care at all. Maybe we're just that great, though." He said to himself melancholically, as he began to hum and walk towards a pair of massive doors leading outside the barn, barred shut with both wood, and a massive jack-in-the-box to prevent anyone entry after they had bunkered down in the place.

"Maybe. Maybe so..." Nyx said to herself, "Well let's get a move on, it's probably best we waited until daylight to do this anyways, Hecate did make a good point.

Hecate smiled at the praise, as she slid down the ladder to the barn floor. The night prior, once all three of the Scions had met up at the barn, they initially had plans to trek and scour across the island under the cover of night, though Hecate had objected to this, noting that the three would be at a distinct disadvantage, neither knowing the terrain, nor the capabilities of the scarecrows that patrolled the grounds. While they'd be easily visible crossing during the day, they were already past the line of sight of those guards within the town, so the only threat would be them being potentially more easily visible to the scarecrows, provided that such beings weren't nocturnal in the first place, which had indeed seemed to be the case, them prowling the grounds just the night prior with fervor. Had Cain arrived at the barn moments later than he had and barred the place, there may have been a conflict then and there between the Starfalls and some of the scarecrows, as they had drawn very close. "Comin' sis?" Hecate asked, looking up at Nyx.

"Well, duh." Nyx replied with mock irritation in her voice, as she slid down the ladder as well and walked over next to Cain by the doorway, Hecate quickly following suit beside her. "Well, first things first." Nyx muttered, as she drew her sword and poked a hole in the wall. She moved to look through the hole, however was immediately jerked back by Cain by the shoulder. Nyx swung around angrily, about to ask him what he did it for, however was cut short by the sudden protrusion of a scythe-head within the hole she had just made. It slowly slid itself out, as it became replaced by the head of what looked to be a paper bag with holes indicating where the eyes should be. It was flexible, cocking it's head back and forth as it peered at the three inside the barn.

"Well I guess we won't be sneaking our way through this one. In that case, we have three options, or rather, points of interest I marked before where I think there may be a source as to this whole charade." Nyx spoke aloud, beckoning Hecate and Cain to listen in, which they both turned to do, though Cain still had one eye on the hole, wary of it breaking further.

Nyx continued on, "First is the large barracks that sits towards the outer city of the Old-Town, I mention this because it looks like an easy place for someone to bunker down and hide in, and it's easily defensible as well, whether or not they are actually controlling these things or not. Second, is about this far away," Nyx drew a line on the ground with her sword, additionally marking the distance between where the three currently were from the barracks she had already mentioned, "Here is a pocket of forest, though I only mention this as it's one of the few groupings of trees worth mentioning, making it a possible hiding spot, especially if one were to dig out a cave or something of the like. Lastly," Nyx drew a line to the opposite direction of where she had claimed the small bundle of trees was, "Assuming that there is someone actually controlling these things, I would expect them to be in this final location. It's an abandoned warehouse on the far side of this island, nearly completely unreachable by normal means because of these patrolling effigies, though if this is a devil fruit ability, or some other wicked form of ability, I think this is the best bet we have. Besides, if it turns out nothing's there, we can easily maneuver back towards the barracks, knocking out two spots with a single trip."

"Hey, I don't mean to break your stride, but what makes you so sure that there's someone behind this anyways? Couldn't it just be a freak of nature? Have you SEEN the world we live in?" Hecate asked curiously. She didn't seem to be contesting the thought, but was rather simply seeking out a reason for Nyx's train of thought.

"Just a hunch." Nyx stated simply, as she re-sheathed her sword and walked towards the hole in the wall of the front of the barn, where a scarecrow yet stared at them vibrantly, or perhaps ominously, rather. "Cain, can you find out how many of them are out there?" She asked calmly.

"I...I suppose..." He stuttered in response, blushing slightly for whatever reason. Cain then closed his hand into a fist, when re-opening it there appeared to be a small yellow jack-in-the-box. He then did the same with his other fist, as he punched yet another hole in the wall, though on the other side of the barn's front from where the scarecrow protruded. He then dexterously slid one of the boxes out through the hole, as he walked back a few steps and cradled the one he yet had. A happy song could be heard coming from outside, as a screen popped out of the jack-in-the-box that Cain held. It displayed on a small HUD screen 5 red dots, that seemed to be being updated on location every few seconds, fitting perfectly to the melody of the box that was still playing outside.

"Well, five seems to be the number today." He said dully, as he waved his hand towards the hole in the wall he had just thrown one of the yellow jack-in-the-boxes through. A small crash was heard as something pressed against the wall, as suddenly the yellow box found itself struggling to fit the the hole, eventually succeeding and flying towards Cain's hand. He then closed both of his hands, and open re-opening them both yellow boxes were gone.

"Neat! So are we going to try and fight them? Or should we sneak past somehow?" Hecate asked, pulling out from nowhere a can of soda, which she had apparently had with her, beginning to gulp down.

"Hm..." Nyx thought, "Actually, Hecate? I would like to experiment with something with you."

Wiping off some stray liquid from her lips, Hecate looked at Nyx, confused as to what she meant.

"Your power. It seems that these things are sentient, yes? Would your fruit be able to rustle them up, do you think?" Nyx asked, though her tone made it seem like it was less of a question, and more something leading to a command.

"Right, fine, FINE, I'll try." Hecate said, finishing off her drink and tossing the can to the side, "Hey Nyx, can I grab a little anger from ya? Just need a little boost to my stats before I, you know, risk my life going outside."

"Of course you can." Nyx smiled, then furthering, "Take some of Cain's too, might make him perk up for once."

Cain looked up, having not entirely been listening to the conversation, "Wha?" He began, though by that point Hecate had already started draining the two of them. It felt as if sins themselves were being lifted from the two, Cain noticeably seeming to brighten up from being under the weather, though he struggled to act as if nothing had changed.

"...oh, that." He stated simply.

"Ok Hecate, on your mark, we'll head on outside." Nyx said, holding the hilt of her sword with one hand, and she fell in line behind Hecate, Cain doing the same.

"Alllllright! Sounds great sounds good! I'm feelin' real good right now, good in the sense that I'm ABOUT TO CRUSH SOME FUCKING STRAW SKULLS!" She exclaimed loudly, dashing into, and kicking down the barred barn door, easily knocking aside the giant jack-in-the-box that sat in front of it as well, as it sprung open awkwardly on it's side. Outside the barn was a misty day, dark clouds barring most, though not all of the light trying to make it's way to the surface of the ground. It was brighter than nighttime, though not by much. Hecate wasted no time running over to the scarecrow that was still peeking it's head inside the barn, as she slapped it on the back, laughing, "Go wild buddy!" As she picked it up, avoiding the scythe that began swinging in her direction from it, as she tossed it towards the other four scarecrows, three of which were of the same type and one of which had a flaming pumpkin for a head, which were clumped together in a group in the other direction, startled by the sudden explosion of activity.

Hecate then looked back at Nyx and Cain as the Scarecrow was in mid-air, "Either this works or it doesn't, but either way, for now, WE RUN!" She said giddily, as she grabbed the two by the hands, dragging them along with her as she bursted with amazing speed towards the third spot Nyx had indicated, being the abandoned warehouse.

They made great progress initially, with Hecate easily bringing the two to almost the 75% mark towards the warehouse before she started to audibly sputter, having run out of the energy she had taken from Nyx and Cain's anger, which the two were quite often plagued with either willingly or otherwise. Unfortunately, the way the power worked meaned that usually it can't be used on the same people within the same time frame, as it takes time for them to re-kindle their emotions. However, she was very fortunate in having Nyx as a sister, as Nyx always seemed to be angry at something, no matter how well she hid it. Cain, on the other hand, was also literally always seething with jealousy, something that could be easily converted into anger as Hecate sucked away their sin. Meaning, that while they had to halt temporarily, she took the liberty of draining just a little bit more from them to top up. She began dragging them along like ragdolls once again, though abruptly stuttered to a halt.

Nyx and Cain both looked exhausted, not from being subjected to Hecate's power, but rather instead because they had literally been dragged across half of an island within a mere couple minutes, their bodies flying like flags, their only anchor being Hecate's grasp by the hand.

Nyx panted for a moment, looking up, wondering why Hecate had stopped so suddenly. Seeing the cause, she immediately drew her sword, prepared for a fight. Cain stood up straight as well, as he began to juggle a trio of jack-in-the-boxes that he had conjured on the spot.

Before the three was a jagged row of at least 15 scarecrows, topped of in the center with what appeared to be a suit of armor, though the helmet was missing, showing that there was no actual person within it. They were near the warehouse at this point, it sitting easily within view, meaning that these creatures must be the ones guarding it. The fact that they were concentrated here all but confirmed Nyx's theory that there was indeed something they were protecting, and that it resided within the spot she had chosen. Smiling as if she had already proved her theory true, she called towards the building, "Show yourself! Maybe we won't have to destroy your pretty little toys, and we can have a talk instead!"

A few moments passed of pure silence, aside from the creaking of the animated suit of armor jostling against the wind. No response came before the scarecrows began to advance towards the three, malice obvious in their intent, as they had weapons bared, the suit of armor even pulling out a spiked flail for good measure.

Nyx sighed to herself, "Cain, you're good against groups. Take these out and me and Hecate will keep heading on to the warehouse, ok?" Without even waiting for a reply, Nyx grabbed Hecate by the arm and led her towards the side, as to go around the group of enemies. A few of the scarecrows motioned as if to pursue the two, however a loud song, sounding as if it came from a music box, distracted them for a moment. This distraction was all they lasted for, as suddenly in the faces of the few that were ready to turn a violent explosion took place.

Cain chuckled, as he began to juggle more and more jack-in-the-boxes, not pulling them out of anywhere, but them simply seeming to appear. They sang synchronously, as he chuckled, "Looks like I get to be useful this time around eh? In that case I'm not holding back on you all. I'm not sure how smart you all are, but you can show me by whether you keep trying to contest us, or if you run away and scatter into the fields and leave us be." He stopped juggling the jack-in-the-boxes, catching a grand total of eight of them, spread between his two hands, "So what'll it be? Your life, or your...prolonged one?"

The scarecrows hopped like pogo sticks, turning to look at each other, before quickly beginning to dash towards Cain. The animated armor ran towards him as well, though it's path was much slower, apparently weighed down by it's very being. Cain sighed at their approach, as he began peppering them with jack-in-the-boxes, as his fight ensued.

Looking back briefly to see that Cain would most likely not be joining the two in entering the warehouse, Nyx gave an irritated look, though it quickly washed away as Hecate stopped in front of the door to the building. It was a large door, easily able to fit a giant of a man through it, though not a giant, and it appeared rusty and completely unused as of recent.

"Well, let's pop in then!" Hecate chirped, as she proceeded to brutally destroy the door with her foot, as it capitulated from the force and flew backwards inside the warehouse. Hecate then drew her own sword and ran inside, a dim red glow emanating from her blade being the only light within the place. Nyx soon followed her inside, drawing her own sword as well and calling out, "Show yourself! We know you're here!"

Her voice echoed throughout the large, dark building, as a torch lit up on the opposite side of where the door formerly stood. A voice came from it, though it was tired and distinguishably peeved at having been disturbed. "How dare you barge in to my palace!" It shouted, coming off very weak if meant to intimidate, sounding more like a ranting child than anything of substance.

"Hah?" Nyx said aloud, taken aback by the shrieking reaction.

Hecate burst out laughing, as the voice from the back of the room continued to shout at them, "Fools! Know that you have spelled your doom by entering this humble abode! Guards!"

Suddenly a rattling was heard within the chamber. It sounded like the creaking of metal, though it was far more refined in both step and make. It drew closer towards Nyx and Hecate, a deafening stomp of a sound carried with each step it took.

Nyx reacted quickly, flicking on a lighter and throwing it over towards the sound.

When it landed, it illuminated what appeared to be a giant scarecrow wearing a giant suit of armor, stray straws hanging out of it, and a massive sword by it's side. The creature looked at the lit flame below it, forlorn, as it then looked up at Nyx and Hecate. It turned it's head back to the voice at the rear of the room, as it's foot caught aflame, quickly spreading fire to it's entire body, easily blazed and also lighting up the entire room in the process.

"How'd you know that would work?" Hecate whispered to Nyx, who simply let off a pretentious smirk, responding with a simple huff of a grunt. The two could now see the figure on the other side of the room. It was a feminine figure, though they wore a mask on their face. It seemed as if they had been sleeping this entire time, Nyx and Hecate's entrance having woken them up quite rudely. The masked girl struggled to get up quickly, as she then saw her massive guardian blowing up in flames right before her eyes. "CHARLES! NOOOO! PUT IT OUT PUT IT OUT!" She began to cry, before lifting a finger and halting herself, letting out a cough for clarity.

"I mean, YOU FOOLS! That was but one of my many warriors, know that a simple flame cannot defeat me!" The masked girl began, as she began to laugh theatrically.

Nyx sighed, not even wanting to continue this anymore. She saw it almost now as a waste of time. Initially she had thought that there would be some malicious mastermind that she could potentially bargain with to stir up some trouble, though this had not been within her potential personalities anticipated whatsoever.

"Hecate, shut her up for a second." She said exasperatedly to her sister.

"Right on sis!" Hecate said, as she dashed over to the masked girl, and boinked the top of the girl's head with the palm of her hand, "I'll take it away if you cooperate, kay?"

"How DARE you touch me, FOO...ooo...ool...huh...what was I...you..." The masked girl said, her head swaying around like a ragdoll, losing her balance and falling onto the ground. Instead of trying to get back up, she curled into a ball and began to sulk, "Why...do..these...jerks...have...\*sniff\*...to ruin my day...for no...\*sob\*...reason..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP! Is this some kind of joke?" Nyx roared from across the room angrily, walking up to Hecate and the girl now rolling on the floor.

"Stop yelling at meeeeee...." The masked girl whined melodramatically, as the she attempted to cower into herself.

"Tch. Hecate make her normal again." Nyx spat, even more annoyed at this personality than her previous one.

"O-kay Nyx..." Hecate said reluctantly, as she began sucking on the air, inhaling in the direction of the masked girl.

The masked girl let out one final sniff, then suddenly stopped sobbing. "What the hell did you just do to me." She asked in a demanding tone, though it was much less audacious than before.

"Now now, be a good little girl and answer some of our questions first." Nyx said back, "Are you the one that's controlling all these murder pogos?"

Hecate held in a laugh at Nyx's choice of words, turning away to hide the awkward smile on her face.

The masked girl looked at Hecate's reaction, before looking up at Nyx, "Fine, just please don't make me depressed again, that sucked. Yes, kind of? It's more of a 'I gave them a headstart' to their new...ah...lifestyle."

"How?" Nyx prodded, making sure to angle herself so that the masked girl got a good look at her sword.

While not visible, the girl's eyes widened in fear, "Um, I don't know, actually. I think it might have something to do with this?" The masked girl shuffled around the ground beside her, revealing a hatch. She opened it and pulled out a bag, inside it being what was most definitely a devil fruit. "It wasn't this exactly but, something similar, I guess. One day I was just kind of, able to do it."

"Ok..." Nyx replied, mildly happy that she was getting somewhere. Nyx eyed the devil fruit, and promptly grabbed the bag that the masked girl had been holding, snatching it easily. Without saying a thing about her action, she continued, "Soo, why did you choose to make a bunch of murder pogos, then?"

A laugh came from behind Nyx, though it wasn't Hecate's voice. "MURDER POGOS!?!? That's hysterical!" Cain shouted over, as he walked confidently over to the three from the broken doorway, "I sent those m-u-r-d-e-r p-o-g-o-s flyin' boss! So, what's going on in here huh?"

Nyx looked at Hecate, who was already one step ahead of her. Hecate walked up to Cain, who was beaming at her happily, as she proceeded to punch him square in the face, sending him reeling a few feet back. "Feel any better now, Cain?" She asked monotonously, looking over to the man.

"Ugh....I hate when that happens....thanks. So who's this...?" Cain asked, back to his usual self.

"That's a good question Cain!" Nyx said cheerily, though thick in sarcastic tone, "What's your name? And don't forget to answer my other question too!" Nyx continued, crouching down to look at the masked girl at eyes, level, "And how about you take off the block in between us while you're at it."

The masked girl hesitantly nodded, as she slowly took off her mask. Without her mask on, she appeared to just be a normal girl. She was relatively good-looking, and almost had a look of innocence in her eyes, and under different circumstances, could easily pass off as just a regular person.

She began to explain herself, "Um...I don't really f-feel c-comfortable talking without my mask on, but....my name is Bukki. At least, Bukki is the name I remember. I-I guess I c-could explain myself..." The girl now known as "Bukki" whimpered, obviously uncomfortable, this discomfort seeming to come from her not wearing her mask. "A-ahh, I'm just going t-to tell you everything....it's p-p-p-probably easier that way..."

Nyx scoffed in annoyance, "Listen, if you're going to whimper like a fucking baby put your damn mask back on, just get on with the fucking story."

Bukki quickly put her mask back on the moment she got permission, noticeably sitting up straighter as she continued to speak, "Thank you miss! Ok...so the whole killer scarecrow thing, yea, it was *kind of* an accident? But not a bad enough of an accident for me to care enough to fix it, you know?"

Bukki received three blank stares, as she nodded to herself, continuing, "So back a few years ago...I think it was seven or eight now? This place used to actually be pretty wealthy compared to other islands nearby. There were a lot of farms, and not many people, so you would think that would mean everyone would be prospering and happy, right? Well, the people actually working the fields weren't the citizens, but slaves and servants. I uh, may or may not have been one of them, but that's besides the point. Well...actually that may be the point. One day, some dude came up to be and gave me and one of my friends a bag with three weird-looking fruits. He said if we ate them, we could free ourselves from being...indentured." Bukki paused for a moment, "One of them you just took from me, by the way, but anyways...me and my friend both ate one of them. Here's where the...accident...comes into play. I'm not entirely sure how, but it looks like ever since then I've been able to influence things to come to life in a sense. So one day, my master...um...got mad at me for something. I really don't want to talk about it, but it was a painful night. I was just a little bit mad, almost. In my thoughts, I said something along the lines of, '*I wish all these idiots would die,'* and next morning, what do ya know, there's people dying!" Bukki exclaimed, raising her arms for dramatic effect, though receiving only three slightly less blank, but arguably more annoyed stares.

"Uh, ahaha, yea. I don't regret it, by the way, those people deserved to die for all I care. But it looks like I subconciously made some scarecrows come to life or whatever, learned later that it's because they were the thing I most associated with killing, I guess since they're related to farms, which are related to harvests, so they kind of, harvested the people just like a person would harvest wheat." Bukki joked, without smile nor applause from her audience.

"You're really an idiot you know that?" Nyx flouted.

"A real big idiot, yup." Hecate reaffirmed.

"Even...I wouldn't do something...so dumb." Cain finished, as the mocks of all three resonated throughout the room.

Bukki looked down at the ground, before slowly asking, "So...I'm guessing the townsfolk sent you here to kill me? That's fine, I don't want to live in this shitty world any longer anyways. This whole 'queen of the scarecrows' thing got old really fast, especially when they started reproducing and stopped listening to me.

Hecate blinked a couple time, "I'm sorry, reproducing? What? Scarecrow on scarecrow action? What the fuc-"

Nyx physically placed a finger on Hecate's lips to silence her, before responding, "Before I say if we're here to kill you, I have two more questions. First, what happened to your friend who also ate one of these fruits," Nyx shuffled the bag with the fruit inside a little, "and second, do you happen to know what fruit this one here is?"

Bukki cast a solemn frown, speaking slowly, yet clearly, as she replied, "Right...my friend, her name was, is?, March...I know what her power was, actually. She got some really weird ability that made her all icky, like a jellyfish. She tried to run away, but her ship got shot down..." Bukki perked up slightly, "But hey, if she can turn into a jellyfish maybe she didn't die if she sank, I know enough that these fruits make it so you can't swim. Um...as for that one. I'm not really sure what it does, but the guy told me that I should keep it until I found someone powerful that I could trust to use it wisely...apparently it can 'destroy worlds' or whatever, I don't know, he was super weird about it."

*"Destroy worlds? This girl makes a great case."* Nyx thought to herself, as before anyone could react to stop her, she grabbed the fruit from out of the bag and swallowed it whole.

Three shocked faces stared at her, as Bukki lifted her mask up and ran up to Nyx, grabbing her and beginning to shake her, "WHAT DID I JUST SAY! IT'S FOR SOMEONE I CAN TRUST! SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE! IT CAN...DESTROY...WORLDS????" She yelled at Nyx, who smiled evilly at the girl.

"Heh, sucks for you. Even if it doesn't destroy worlds, it was worth it for your dumb reaction alone." Nyx replied tantalizingly.

Cain was completely taken aback, actually physically falling to the ground, though it didn't seem as if he was in mere shock, he seemed to be afraid of something coming from Nyx.

"What the hell..." Hecate stammered, pointing at her sister, "Hey Nyx...you need to look in a mirror..."

Nyx looked at her two allies confused, "Oh come on, I know it was in the moment, but is it really that surprising?" She then looked down to Bukki, who was now sulking on the floor, this time out of her true feelings, "*Stupid random person...eating my freaking fruit that I kept safe for years...ksksks"*

"Bukki." Nyx said plainly, authority in her voice, "Where's a mirror."

Bukki pointed to a corner in the room, where a dusty mirror was visible. She looked at Nyx, as she immediately stopped sulking and jumped back like a scared cat, sweat visibly appearing on her face.

Nyx didn't take much notice to this, as she calmly walked over to the mirror. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks. Her body appeared completely normal, however her face seemed to be...eroding." Nyx turned around, panicked, "What the hell is happening to me?" She said in a rushed tone, pleading subtly for someone to help her.

Hecate cautiously walked over to her sister, "Uhh...maybe it has to do with your fruit? Can you try controlling it, like, putting your face back? It could be one of those logia-types."

Nyx closed her eyes as she tried to do as Hecate said, *"Focus...focus...focus..."* She began saying to herself inside her head, as suddenly, everything turned black, then white, then suddenly a burst of a rainbow of colors erupted before Nyx's closed eyes, as they appeared to be dragged back into the white, which then found itself devoured by the black once again. *"What's...going...on..."* Nyx screamed inside her head. Physically, by this point she had already collapsed, however her mind has not yet registered this. A voice erupted inside of Nyx's head, cacophonous and deafening in it's sound, though audible only to her, if it even were true sound at all, *"Unholy, is your truth...Holy, is thy enemy...will you continue the cycle? Or will you be the one to finally break it...."* The voice spoke, as the world rushed back to Nyx's vision, as she found herself laying face-up on the ground, Hecate and Cain standing over her, with Bukki slightly further behind the two, though still curiously looking over, though obviously fearful.

"What just happened." Nyx asked calmly.

Hecate opted to respond, "Well, you fell down about a minute ago, but it looks like your face is back to normal."

Nyx quickly turned over to look at the mirror. It was true, she appeared as she normally would once more, though she could see something in her that wasn't quite right, indeed, something had changed within her very soul.

"But wow...I really didn't expect you to just eat it on the spot like that, I mean, think of our power-balance now. Now none of us three can swim anymore, isn't that kind of bad? That means seven of the ten of us all have devil fruits now." Hecate continued, the worried look that had been on her face disappearing and turning to one of prospect.

"Honestly," Nyx began, "I felt strangely compelled to do it, more than I normally would. Can't really expl--" Nyx suddenly stopped speaking, "OWWW!" She began rubbing her forehead, "I have a killer headache right now, we should probably head back soon."

"I'll make sure the path is clear for our travel back." Cain said numbly, as he walked out of the building without another word.

Bukki raised her voice up, though feeling very out of place, "Um, hey guys?"

Hecate and Nyx both looked at her, saying in unison, "What do you want."

Bukki shrunk back sheepishly, though proceeded with what she had been about to say, "I know this might sound weird...but um...can I come with you?"

"Haah?" Nyx immediately replied, "What makes you think we even want to stay in your presence, let alone let you come with us?"

"Ummmm...." Bukki stammered, "I can be helpful you know, I DID cripple an entire country after all. Besides, in all honesty, I really don't want to be here anymore...everyday has become the same, it's as if time doesn't pass anymore. I've been sticking around because apparently someone was supposed to come and eat that fruit you just stole from me, and I was planning on going with them. You chose this for yourself, so now you have to take me with you." She ended much more defiantly, though perhaps not aiding her attempt at persuasion.

"Hey kid," Hecate walked up to Bukki, crouching before her, "Do you have any idea what kind of people we are? We kill people. We torture people. We burn cities to the ground just because we can. Do you really think you fit in a group like that?" Hecate seemed to be genuinely asking Bukki rather than trying to sound intimidating.

"Well...I did inadvertently, or indirectly I guess, kill 54,000 people..." Bukki stammered, though her voice became noticeably more dejected, thinking about how foolish she must have sounded asking them out of the blue to go with them. "Sorry, it was a stupid question, but in that case can I at least make a request from you before you leave?" She pleaded, standing up from off of the ground.

Nyx walked over beside Hecate, who stood up from her crouching position as well, "I'm feeling generous today, what would you like?"

Bukki put her mask on, fixing it to her face before replying,

"Can you please kill me."

Nyx and Hecate were momentarily taken aback, as Hecate started laughing hysterically, nudging her sister in her laughter, "Nyx, she may be an idiot but I kind of like this kid! You sure we can't bring her along?"

Nyx sighed, placing a hand on her forehead, "It's not like any of the capital vice slots are open right now though anyways..." She turned to Bukki, "How would you like to die?"

"I don't care, but at least don't make it too painful, please." Bukki responded, her tone completely different from either of her previous two. She had the voice of someone who was ready, and willing, to die without a moment's notice, though there did sound to be a very slight, almost completely imperceptible tone of regret in her words, though neither Nyx nor Hecate picked up on it.

"Tch. You're a real idiot you know that?" Nyx scoffed, sighing loudly as she turned around and began walking to the door. "Fine, you can come, but at least make sure those fucking scarecrows don't attack us on our way back." She said, as she walked outside.

Hecate let out one final laugh, as she placed a hand on Bukki's shoulder, "Well you heard the boss, come along now B-u-k-k-i." As she grabbed Bukki by the hand, and dragged her outside, leaving the abandoned warehouse alone, and leaving it now, truly abandoned.

## A Bit TOO Wild for Effigen...

*Meanwhile in town...*

"So you've come, eh? I always knew this day would come, I always knew that one day someone would recognize this dastardly, yet beautiful face. Alas, I cannot bring myself to cower behind a mask, not helm. I stand behind myself, before myself, and as, myself, indeed. You've done well to come here in number, for alone I daresay I'd find myself with too great an advantage! Hark, so let it be known that this is the day of our first meet, and I presume fate has already decreed that it shan't be our last. Let us quarrel and see who stands atop the hill of victory, and who shall roll back down to the badlands below..."

Sharaz sat in a chair, seated in the outside portion of a cafe. He had a cup of tea in hand, it's plate in the other, as he pretentiously challenged the three marines, Cassiopeia, Hysteria, and Barto, who had just happened to be passing by the cafe. None of them had any idea who he was, and in fact didn't realize that he had been talking to them until halfway through his diagloue.

Cassiopeia turned around in irritation, "Who the hell are you?" She asked in a harsh tone.

"Who am I? WHO am I indeed, perhaps I've grown less man, striving ever so towards that which rests lawfully above us all, or perhaps unlawfully, but by their own decree. Surely you jest, fair maiden! You can act as if you meant simply to pass me by, however I saw the look in your eyes not but a moment ago. A passing glance made to appear as if an idle observation, however in secret you were in fact spying on me, realizing in an instant my identity, and making the decision to take me down later. For of course, you would find thyself lacking were you to now!" Sharaz began laughing haughtily, continuing his dialogue.

Cassiopeia's eye twitch, as she took a step forward towards Sharaz, "What the hell are you talking about." She struck, piercing him with an arrow of what Sharaz would appeal as an attempt at ignorance.

"HAHAHA! You cannot fool me now foul marine! I have seen through your tricks, and now I know that one so scheming of you must not be allowed to scheme any further!" Sharaz put down his cup of tea, as he stood up triumphantly, "This Entia Sharaz shall not play along with your antics of ignorance and feign, nay! You best prepare yourselves, for you now face I, Entia Sharaz, the one and only, the greatest o......." Sharaz continued, his voice growing fainter and fainter to the ears of the three marines, who had opted to simply leave the man whom they perceived as a lunatic be and proceed on their walk.

Barto leaned in towards Cassiopeia, "What was that guy's problem?" He joked, as Cassiopeia gave a withered look at Barto, "I don't know, but I hope we never see him again."

Suddenly, the sound of shifting tile could be heard from the rooftops, as in front of the three landed Entia Sharaz, who had ran along the roofs to catch up with the party, then acrobatically landing himself onto the ground with extraordinary technique. He bowed for his performance, as if expecting applause, as he lifted his head and once again intruded upon the marines' ears.

"Fools! Did you think you could simply get away from me? I have traveled far and wide, come to this very Grand Line we all reside within! By the sweat on my brow, the blood of my tears, all for this moment. I joined my now-comrades for the sole purpose of expansion! Expansion of that which we consider our lives, though perhaps to a lackened merit of another's. Alas, not all can see prosperity in an age where faith is controlled by man over god, money is controlled by few over many, happiness is dwindling amongst all, and the battle for supremacy over these seas grows stronger by the day! You would do well to remember me, I am he who you woul...." Sharaz bantered enthusiastically, encouraging himself with his own philosophy to keep speaking.

However, he was currently speaking only to a stray cat that had walked up to him curiously, as the three marines had moved on yet again, passing by Sharaz without even making an attempt at a response this time, hoping that he would just leave them alone.

Yet, Sharaz refused to relent. Cassiopeia was holding Hysteria's hand, who was walking giddily as if in a daze, as she let out an exasperated, irritated sigh, as she heard a huff and puff behind her, the sound of one running towards her, Hysteria, and Barto.

"If this man says another fucking word..." She murmured to herself, waiting for the inevitable as Sharaz ran past the three, and placed himself in front of them, arms crossed in a proud pose. Hysteria looked at him this time, asking, "Why are you all fluffy?" Obviously experiencing one of her delusions at the time.

Sharaz responded to her query with full force, though, much to both Cassiopeia and Barto's dislike, "Fluffy? How dare you refer to me as fluffy! A bold line of hair sits atop my head, nothing more, and nothing less. It gleams in bright gold as does my future, though I would warn you that I am, while not fluffy, rather warm to the touch, oho!" He then blinked a couple times, before shifting his hands to his hips, "I see you made a foolish attempt to distract me! I cannot blame you for resorting to verbal deception and distraction to defeat me, but know that such shall never be able to scar Entia Sharaz! Now, allow me to perfect clearly what I have to say upon you all today! You have incurred upon a land tainted by sin, tainted by sorrow, tainted by greed, and with prospect of dark tomorrow. Those of you who shine yet so brightly under the guise of upholding the very institution, the very being that claims to be the light, have no place here. For such light has failed these people, look around you! What good to the growth of the tree is light stained black? Shadows cast by a rain of dark clouds upon the horizon, whittling it further? To stand by such a false sun under the belief that to be by the sun is to provide a warm glow to the mass, is hypocrisy in itself! Have you no shame? Have you no shame?" Sharaz implored, quaking in his boots with what might have been rage, before he suddenly stood stiff. "I challenge you, and if I win you must depart without another word! I cannot allow thi..."

Cassiopeia let go of Hysteria's hand, as she walked slowly over to the still-blabbering Sharaz. He was speaking with big words without having actually made clear, at least to Cassiopeia, what the hell his problem was. She slowly dragged her feet over until she stood right in front of Sharaz, who was still talking even with her movement. Barto watched on, whistling lowly as his eyebrows raised, as Cassiopeia propelled her right fist directly into Sharaz's chin, knocking him into the air by almost a foot, yelling, "SHUT. THE FUCK. UP! WHO EVEN ARE YOU??? I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. WHY. DO YOU KEEP. FOLLOWING US!!!" Before she didn't even wait to see him fall, walking back to hold Hysteria's hand again, as she simply said, "Come." to Barto, who felt quite compelled to agree, doing so swiftly, as Cassiopeia led the two farther down the road.

Sharaz crashed into the cobble below loudly. As he sat up, he rubbed his chin, which stung quite a bit from the impact. He then switched from rubbing his chin to placing his hand on it in a thoughtful manner, thinking to himself, *"Wait, is it possible they actually don't know who I am?"* He then shook his head, saying aloud, "Impossible!" As he leaped up, landing on his feet, and proceeded to jump onto a nearby roof and proceed to chase down the three once again.

Sharaz bursted for one final time in front of the three marines, and at this point Barto and Cassiopeia already had pained expressions on their faces, as Cassiopeia was motioning as if she were about to grab her weapon. Sharaz launched forth verbally without delay, "Come now, surely you know of I? Entia Sharaz, one of the troublemakers you all have been looking for oh-so-desperately? Please do not jest like this again, there is absolutely no world in which one on your side of the border knows not the name of I!" He spouted, noticeably irritated now, his voice wavering with what sounded like anger at them not having confronted him in his identity thus far.

Barto looked nervously towards Cassiopeia, seeing her looking down at the ground with bloodlust in her eyes. He pushed her back slightly and stepped in front of her, "So uh, Sharaz yes? By troublemakers would you happen to be referring to a potential affiliation with a small tired girl and a dude that throws boxes everywhere?"

Sharaz laughed pretentiously before shouting, tears rolling from his eyes, "FINALLY! You have granted unto me the recognition that I deserve! How could you hold out so long? Is this some manner of psychological warfare that the navy has developed in order to deal with those riddled in power, in strength,...in pride? Alas, I almost exuded rage from within in a manner unfitting of one of my prestige, renown, fame!" Sharaz rose one his hands up to the sky dramatically, "Now know this foul marines, you shan't find thyselves able to land a single hand upon my comrades nor captain, to reach them you must vanquish I, Entia Sharaz! A feat impossible for the likes of weaklings such as yourselves." Sharaz spat on the ground, as he lowered his hands and let them rest by his sides, "Now come, seek your justice and find it inept!"

Cassiopeia lifted her head slowly, "Huh?" She said with an angry voice, "You're with the man who hurt Serii?" She said dangerously, letting go of Hysteria as she pulled out her chains.

"Selii? I don't believe she's around, no." Sharaz replied, confusing the name with another. "It seems you've been angered little marine, come, bare your fangs and test their grip against the bark of my skin!" Sharaz began moving his arms in an irregular pattern, "What're you waiting for? Have at me!"

Cassiopeia broke into a charge as she ran at Sharaz filled with anger. She gripped her chains, launching them at Sharaz's torso and legs as she rushed forth. Barto hesitated, looking over to Hysteria, who was just standing there doing nothing. He wanted to help Cassiopeia, but his brain had received too much information, causing him to find himself unable to make a concrete decision.

Sharaz leaped gracefully into the air, flipping above and over the charging Cassiopeia, dodging her attack in their entirety. "Surely you seek not to restrain me with such meager a force, no?" He taunted, landing on the cobble now behind Cassiopeia, in between her and the other two. He then pulled out from his pocket a playing card, as he proceeded to throw it at incredible speed towards Cassiopeia's left leg, where it shot with surprising accuracy.

Cassiopeia was unable to fend off the attack, not entirely in her right state of mind, as the card didn't merely bounce off her leg, but instead sank into it, lodging itself in her calf as if it were a dagger. She shrieked in pain, falling to the ground to cradle the wound. This spurred Barto into action immediately, as he grabbed his rifle and immediately fired two shots at Sharaz.

Even while looking away from Barto, Sharaz still managed to bob his head to dodge the bullets with almost too great efficiency, as he looked at the injured Cassiopeia and then at Barto, "Man, this really is a letdown. I had heard someone strong was here, but I guess I was lied to. Or perhaps, I'm simply just that great a warrior!" He said in triumph, beginning to laugh.

His laugh was cut short, as suddenly, out of nowhere, Sharaz was grabbed by a massive tongue. He was then dragged violently into the mouth of a large green toad, which had appeared beside Barto and in front of Hysteria. Cassiopeia could no longer see Sharaz, however she figured Hysteria must have done something as she was out of range of her ability. She grated her teeth, as she took the card out of her leg and took the time to sew her wound shut.

Meanwhile, within the aura of delirium, Hysteria was laughing hysterically "Froggy ate Sharaz! Froggy ate Sharaz!" She said in a childish manner, pointing and laughing at the massive green toad that had just engulfed Sharaz. Barto simply watched on in awe, as the toad began hopping in circles. An irregular shape could be seen jostling from within it, until eventually a fist-shape could be seen slamming the inside of the body, as the toad threw up Sharaz and began hopping hurriedly into the distance.

"What...the fu--. Ahem. How dare you think to engulf me within an amphibian of such proportion! That alone is not enough to defeat the likes of Entia Shara--" Sharaz began spouting angrily, as suddenly another tongue grabbed him, and he was engulfed by yet another massive toad, this one being colored in a strange shade of light blue.

The same process occurred once again, though Hysteria stopped laughing and replaced it with simply looking at the sky in awe of something. Sharaz managed to get himself out of the toad much quicker this time, as this one too hopped away. Sharaz was panting, arms and knees on the ground, as he began to speak once again, but was instantly cut short by an anvil that landed on his back, sending him sprawled onto the ground without resistance. He let out a pained grunt, before letting himself simply stay collapsed under the weight, talking no more.

Barto's mouth was wide open in shock at what had just happened. This was the first time he had ever seen Hysteria use her fruit as an actual mode of combat. Before this he had thought it simply to be something that toyed with the mind, though it had a very real effect here. Cassiopeia, who had seemingly regained her temper, limped over while brushing dust off of her clothes.

"I guess the captain did everything, as always." She said annoyed, though it seemed to be geared more towards herself than anyone.

Hysteria spoke up, "Bad Sharaz. Bad. See what you brought upon yourself? You silly man." In what appeared to be a reprimand to Sharaz.

Regardless of method, though, it seemed as if they had won. However this moment was fleeting, as another had already arrived on the scene.

## Moonshine Mania

"Well that's no good is it? That fool up and got himself captured while I was grabbing a bite to eat."

Cassiopeia and Barto immediately turned to the voice, which came from a nearby low-hanging rooftop. Barto already knew who the voice belonged to before seeing them, however as he turned his suspicions were easily confirmed. It was Lilith, who was carrying what looked like a bag full of rum and vodka, additionally a bottle of vodka sitting happily in her left hand, where the bag was in her right. She made a dramatic pose, her fist touching her forehead as she shook her head in mock disdain, "Oh poor Sharaz, he finally met his match in you all...But I really shouldn't have expected anything more, should I have..." Lilith sighed, as she gulped down the last bit of the bottle of vodka she had been holding. She licked her lips, as she pointed to Barto, "Oh hey, looks like you found me! How sweet of you to come all the way here~"

Barto, much to his surprise, blushed a little bit, as Cassiopeia eyed him with a look of disgust before looking over at Lilith, "How about you come down nice and easy and we won't have to hurt you, how does that sound?" Trying to sound intimidating, and somewhat revitalized after Sharaz had been taken down.

Lilith giggled as she responded, "Oh no, I think you're the one that should take it easy. How about ya let my friend there go and be on your merry way? Nyx would kill me if I let such a good asse--, I mean, comrade to just get captured like that. So how about it? I don't really expect you to, but if you let him go maybe I...could do something for you to return the favor?" She winked, slinging her back over to rest in front of her.

Hysteria responded before Cassiopeia had the chance to, simply stating, "You're in my range, you know."

Marking the end of her statement, a leopard hopped atop the roof Lilith was standing on, growling at her and baring it's fangs.

Lilith jumped back, startled, "What the fuck? You know what, never mind." Lilith placed the bag of alcohol back into her free hand, swinging it behind her as she proceeded to throw the emptied bottle of vodka at the leopard. Rather than just shattering as glass would, it shattered and additionally released a light pink fume into the air around the impact.

The leopard began to run at Lilith, however as it smelled the pink fume, it sat down and began thumping its tail onto the roof below it, purring. Lilith then proceeded to pull out a full bottle of rum as the leopard suddenly shifted targets, now jumping at Barto. Before it reached him, it simply disappeared into thin air, as he heard Hysteria pout, "Hey, that's not fairrr!!!!" As what could easily have been hundreds of small knives appeared in the air around her, pointed directly at Lilith. Lilith's eyes widened, and she dashed to take cover behind a chimney, as a volley of flying knives flew past in a barrage, some hitting the brick of the chimney though without puncture.

Lilith could be heard with heavy breaths, as a gulping sound came next, and yet another empty bottle, this time of rum, came flying through the air. This one landed directly beside Cassiopeia, who leaped back as it released a red fume in it's wake. Hysteria didn't run away from the smell, forcing Barto to make the decision to push Hysteria aside. However, in doing so he accidentally breathed in the red fume, as he stopped in his tracks, looking around in an extremely confused manner.

Lilith called from her spot behind the chimney, peeking an eye out to see if her attack had hit anyone. Smiling as she saw Barto wandering listlessly in his position, she called out, "Attack the chick with the chains!"

Barto's body, against his own volition, began running towards Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia was shocked as to why he was running at her, however she pulled out her chains in preparation for his possible attack upon her. She didn't want to believe that he would actually hit her, though she had just seen a leopard turn on it's master, giving room for doubt within her mind.

Barto did attack her, winding and surging a punch straight to her face. However his stance was nonexistent, and his attack was mediocre at best, with Cassiopeia easily able to sidestep and trip Barto. She quickly kneeled on his back as he fell, tying his arms and legs with amazing speed with one of her chains as she grabbed her remaining chain link and looked over angrily towards where Lilith hid. "You bitch, what did you do to him!"

Lilith laughed from behind the chimney as she peeked out and made eye contact with Cassiopeia, "What did I do what did I do...who knows, maybe he just doesn't like you?" She laughed as she glugged down another drink, throwing an empty bottle of vodka at Cassiopeia, however at this point her aim was starting to waver, as the bottle shattered next to Hysteria instead.

Hysteria took a big whiff of the pink fume that came afterwards, then looked at Cassiopeia and blinked. Cassiopeia prepared to run in that very moment, however to both her and Lilith's surprise, Hysteria just scratched her head, not doing anything. However, something did occur that changed the tides of the battle completely, and that was that the large anvil that was weighing down the unconscious Sharaz had disappeared as well. Lilith noticed this at the same time Cassiopeia did, as she leaped off the roof towards Sharaz without a second thought. Cassiopeia realized the change at the same time as Lilith, however did not have the instant reaction did, instead hesitating for a second before noticing Lilith on the move, and threw forward her remaining chain to try and intercept Lilith's path. However it was moments too late, as by the time the chain reached it's destination Lilith had already grabbed Sharaz' body and began to run away, carrying him. She carried him in front of her, plopping her bag of drinks above it, as she ran irregularly, yet quickly away, much too fast for Cassiopeia to be able to follow confidently. And so Cassiopeia, against her interests, chose to not give chase.

She looked at Barto, who had been struggling to free himself from the chains on the ground to no avail, and then at Hysteria, who was just looking blankly, and at nothing in particular. She kept her eye on Hysteria as she walked over to Barto, rolling him over so that his face now faced upwards instead of the ground. She looked into his eyes, they appeared normal, however with a slight reddish tint inside of Barto's irises. The color was fading, and Cassiopeia watched as Barto slowly stopped struggling and returned to normal.

"...W-what the h-hell was that..." He groaned, looking up at Cassiopeia before exhaustedly leaning back onto the cobbled ground.

"I don't know." Cassiopeia responded, "Do you remember what happened?" She asked calmly.

"Y-yea...one moment I was getting Hysteria out of that red gas, then the next I heard that girl say something, and it felt like my body was compelled to attack you. Then after that all I can remember is just being here on the ground. I wanted to say something, but my voice didn't work." Barto replied, having apparently regained full control over himself.

"Ok, well if you promise to be good I'll untie you, deal?" Cassiopeia said, as Barto nodded enthusiastically as she untied him. Once Barto was free though, he didn't move around to make use of his freedom. Rather, he tapped Cassiopeia on the shoulder, who was leaning down as she retrieved her chain, and said in a dumbfounded voice, "Uh, Cass?"

Cassiopeia looked up at him, then to where he now pointed with his finger, as she closed her eyes in a helpless visual.

Barto continued, not quite registering her realization yet, "Yea uh, the captain's gone."

"I can see that, Barto."

"Right, so...did you see where she went?"

Cassiopeia grimaced, as she unfortunately had to reply with a "no."

Hysteria had disappeared without a mention nor trace left in her wake. For all the two knew, she could have chased after Lilith, wandered into an alleyway, or started flying across the island. There was no way of knowing what happened to her especially with her devil fruit ability, which only made attempting to discern her intentions even more difficult.

Cassiopeia bit her lip as she looked around in vain at the surrounding area. It was empty, all the townsfolk having long since scattered since the beginning of a sense of trouble, so there didn't seem to be anyone around to ask for help either. She looked at Barto again, tugging on his arm, "Well, let's just head in a direction and hope for the best. It's no use just sitting here and waiting for a miracle.

"If you're looking for the spaced-out chick, she went that way."

A voice came from behind Barto and Cassiopeia, revealing itself to be a girl with pink hair. However this was not Lilith, and aside from being a girl with pink hair, she seemed to share no traits with the mentioned whatsoever. She wore what appeared to be a martial arts uniform, frizzled hair tied in a loose bun behind her head. Her voice sounded tough, almost as if she was putting up a front for the two. "Hey, did you hear me? Or did I tell you for nothin'?" She asked as Cassiopeia and Barto had not yet responded.

Barto replied after, "Oh! It would be a great help if you could show us the direction she went in, thank you!"

"Right. So you know those two guys you were squabblin' with just a moment back? She's skippin' like a happy little girl right towards their hideout."

Cassiopeia eyed the newcomer suspiciously, "How do you know it's there hideout, if you don't mind me asking?" She said sweetly, with a sharp edge.

"Tch, so many questions when I'm just doing you a favor. I know because my target is part of that group, got it?"

"Your target? Apologies, but would you care to...explain what you mean by that?" Cassiopeia replied, prodding into the girl's reasons for being here.

"You're kind of a pain, good thing my tolerance is high." The girl replied, continuing, "Right. My name is Semira Kaili, I'm a bounty hunter. Right now I'm looking to capture a fellow by the name of Trisk Charles, he's a part of the same group as those two you just interacted with. They usually stick in groups, so I haven't had a chance to get inside, but I've seen him going in there multiple times in the past month, so there's no doubt in my mind about it. If you really want to know why I'm helping you, consider it a gesture as to defeat both of our enemies, ok?" The girl introduced as Kaili said, as she crossed her arms as if challenging Cassiopeia to waste more time questioning her.

Barto responded before Cassiopeia did, her showing an irritated frown on her face, "Thanks for the information! Well, we'll be on our way then..." He grabbed Cassiopeia by the arm and began to pull her towards where Hysteria was going.

"Hey, wait up a moment. I'm coming with you." Kaili stated, as she started walking behind Barto and Cassiopeia.

"Huh?" Barto questioned in surprise, "You want to help us?"

"I just told you, my target is in there. If you or that dazed chick plan on breaking into it, there's no way I'm letting this chance slip by. Now follow me, let's go." Kaili concluded, jogging past Barto towards the direction of the hideout of the Scions.

Cassiopeia seemed to be peeved by something about Kaili, though kept her mouth shut as she shook her arm free from Barto's grasp and chased after the girl. Barto let go easily, as he followed in suit, as the three headed towards the hideout.

## Abstract Delirium

Nyx, Cain, Hecate, and the new tagalong known as Bukki had finally arrived back into the town. Bukki was not wearing her mask, as such a figure would immediately see her recognized by anyone and everyone within the town of Effigen, stowing it away in a small backpack she carried with her. Cain led the group, using his jack-in-the-boxes as makeshift motion sensors as to dictate the best possible path back. The journey through the large island had been very simple, with the scarecrows seeming to respect the presence of the Scions who were with Bukki, their creator, seemingly giving them reason to leave the group alone. Crossing the bridge had been extremely simply as well, surprisingly. Bukki showed the three to a tiny rowboat that rested at the base of the shoreline somewhere to the left of the bridge, allowing the group easy access to the smaller island. The shore of the smaller landmass was riddled with stakes and walls, however for the four this had been an easy obstacle to surpass, as they were mainly meant to keep out stray scarecrows, not actual people.

Finally back near the hideout, Hecate held Bukki by the shoulders and whispered to her, "Ok Bukki, it's almost time for your big debut! Not all of our members are here right now, but just as a fair warning, most of them are really weird anyways." She winked, as Cain raised up his hand to halt the group before they exited an alleyway.

Nyx, who was taking up the group's rear called in a hushed tone ahead, "What's the hold up?"

Cain looked back and placed a finger on his lips, as if saying to be quiet. However this motion was cut off by one Raine Lilith crashing headfirst into Cain's torso, sending him sprawling backwards. She got up quickly, brushing dirt off of herself, "Oh hey guys, uh, you might wanna turn around!" She said hurriedly, concerned over something the four had no knowledge of thus far as she began to break into a jog down the alley the group had just come from.

Hecate looked to the distancing Lilith and called over, "What's up with you? Is there something wrong? Also where's Sharaz?"

All three of these questions received an answer not by Lilith herself, but from what happened next.

First, as Cain pushed himself up off the ground, he was collapsed by yet another person, this time being the limp body of Entia Sharaz, who launched into Cain as if propelled by a cannon, crashing into him with a great burst of force and sending the two flying back into a wall. At this alone Nyx and Hecate immediately drew their swords, as Bukki sequestered herself behind the two. Lilith could be heard complaining with a loud grunt behind them as she then found herself next to Bukki, saying to her, "Hey little lady, don't think we've met? Well let's save it for later, we got a problem."

The problem presented itself without further delay revealing itself to be Nibiru Hysteria, who silhouetted the exit of the alleyway to the main road. As Cain struggled in pushing Sharaz off of himself, his eyes widened as he say Hysteria, frantically shouting to Nyx and Hecate, "That's the crazy marine bitch! We gotta get out of here!" Cain mustered his reserve strength to topple Sharaz off of himself, as he ran to hide behind Lilith, who let out a sarcastic laugh at the action, though Bukki, who was also right there, was somewhat nervous.

"Um, who is that?" She asked innocently, fear distinguishable in her voice.

"I don't know, but it looks like trouble." Hecate answered, Nyx quickly following, "Looks like you all did a sloppy job at running away, Lilly, Cain?"

"Um yea, there's no way she should've realistically been able to track us here, though. She was running the other direction, at night, on a CLOUDY night, and with Cain just springing us over. Like, that can't be normal can it?" Lilith replied, as she flipped out a knife from her pocket.

"Track? I don't know about tracking, but I did see you go this way..." Hysteria's voice rang from the top of the alleyway, as she began to walk forward, approaching the group, "So hey, I may be crazy, but at least I'm sane enough to know that you've hurt not one, not two, but THREE of my precious subordinates now...I can't just let that fly...sorry not sorry." She said, getting ever closer.

"Back off if you care about yourself not being hurt either!" Nyx called over, however her words were lost in the air as suddenly the entire space of the alleyway began to shake as if feeling the effects of an earthquake. Buildings shook as glass shattered, and rocks began to fall into the alleyway.

Hecate took the initiative, gripping her sword and dashing towards Hysteria with it, charging with the blade's tip pointed at Hysteria's chest, as she lunged to pierce it through. Her struck pierced clean through Hysteria's chest, much to everyone's surprise, as Hysteria's body collapsed on to the ground, apparently dead. Hecate withdrew her sword, flicking blood off her sword in a swiping motion on the ground.

"This is the person you were all scared of?" She called back to the rest of the group, right before she was suddenly launched into the air, hitting an invisible ceiling that apparently now lined the top of the alleyway. Hecate began sliding along this invisible ceiling, then being dragged and slammed into one of the vibrating buildings to the side, her body then being let go by whatever force had been holding it, falling limp down to the ground into a trash can, conveniently directly next to Sharaz's body.

Bukki screamed, as Cain swore and began producing a set of five jack-in-the-boxes from his hands. Meanwhile Lilith pushed Bukki aside, kicking away rocks that were soon to fall on top of the two. Lilith had no idea what had just happened to Hecate, but it was very similar to what had happened to her minutes prior as well.

She had been carrying Sharaz's body away from her momentary quarrel with the marines as suddenly a massive bouncy wall appeared in front of her, causing her to drop Sharaz and fall backwards. When she went to go pick him up, his body seemed to be being grabbed by a large shadowy hand that was dragging him away and dangling him into the air. Lilith thought about whether she should try and grab him, but had decided to first prioritize her own safety, using her acrobatic skill to hop over the bouncy wall, which conveniently brought her to the alley that Nyx, Hecate, Cain, and Bukki has just happened to be walking through, her jump landing on Cain, bringing her to the current events. However this time there was no shadowy hand that had been dragging Hecate, though it was arguably hard to tell do to the general lack of light within the dark alleyway, in an already dark environment.

After clearing all the rocks landing in the immediate area, she ran up to Nyx, who was readying her sword, though unsure where to direct her attack. Hysteria's body was lying on the ground in front of them all, seemingly dead, yet their predicament yet wandered.

"And the lord said, let there be light!" Hysteria's voice said in an aloof tone, resonating throughout the space, as suddenly another Hysteria appeared standing above the one that lay dead on the ground. She looked at the confusion on everyone's faces, before casually saying, "Oh this? This is just a fake me of course! I'm not that stupid to just let myself die from a weak attack like hers." She pointed at Hecate's limp body. From her fingertip, a spray of an oily substance launched towards Nyx and Lilith, scattering on the ground carelessly and falling short of them. The current Hysteria then pulled out a lighter from a nonexistent pocket in her clothes, lighting the substance as it roared ablaze in a line towards the group. Hysteria became engulfed in the flames, a hysterical laughter filling the area as the body burned to a crisp, collapsing in a scorched debris beside the other dead body, which notably was not on fire even though surrounded by it.

Nyx and Lilith backed up hesitantly, however Nyx was consumed with rage at having just seen her sister be pummeled to the ground. She let out a roar of anger, shouting, **Akora!** Lilith on cue begins to stab at Nyx, though cancelling all of her attacks just before they made contact with Nyx's armor or skin. Cain catches on to what his allies are doing, as he diverts his attention towards trying to find the source of this space, and how to escape it's seemingly invisible boundary. A beautiful and tranquil song begins playing from the jack-in-the-boxes in his hands, as he waits a few seconds, timing his move, as he then tosses the boxes up one by one into the air, as they collide with the invisible ceiling and proceed to violently explode soon after. The explosion catches everyone's attention, especially frightening Bukki, though Lilith and Nyx were more interested in seeing if it made any difference for their predicament. A shattering sound was heard from above, as they took that as a cue for it having done something. Lilith stopped what she was doing and ran over to grab both Sharaz and Hecate, lifting them easily over her shoulders with a surprising well of strength, as Cain grabbed Bukki and sprung himself upwards, Lilith soon following him. They both surpassed what had seemed to be the earlier boundary, landing safely on the rooftops. Nyx moved to follow them, however she was abruptly cut off by a massive fist that knocked her down from her jump onto the ground below. Hysteria appeared again, "Hey, you're the leader right? Sorry, but I'm going to have to keep you here..."

Nyx sat up after being slammed into the ground as if she were barely even hurt, seeing Hysteria standing above her, smiling. Hysteria spoke down to Nyx, "Heyyy, guess that didn't do it for ya huh?" From Hysteria's body sprung out dozens, if not hundreds of fists, which extended unnaturally long and began beating Nyx to a pulp on the ground. Nyx initially guarded against the blows with her arms, but eventually began to lose her form under the constant barrage of blow. She tried rolling to the side, however in the direction she rolled a sledgehammer appeared and blasted her directly in the face backwards, sending her up off the ground and landing awkwardly in a pile of boxes and cans that had been in the alley even before Hysteria had appeared. She struggled to get up from the rubble, however the very rubble itself grew arms that dragged her down back into them, not allowing her to get up. Nyx let out a bloodcurling sound of pure fury as she tried to get up, however to no avail. Hysteria trotted over with a childish smile, "You ready to give up yet?" She asked, throwing a pebble at Nyx's face.

Nyx spat at Hysteria, though it fell short of impact. She smiled evilly as she leaned forward as far as she could with the arms and hands holding her down, as a dark purple aura begins steaming from her right arm. In a burst of movement, Nyx's arm visually exploded into a burst of raw energy, as she freed her hand and quickly used her now free arm to free the rest of herself, as she pushed herself off the rubble and into a tackle, propelling herself at Hysteria as to grapple her. Hysteria doesn't resist whatsoever, letting herself be grabbed, as Nyx proceeds to plunge her sword's tip directly into Hysteria's neck . Hysteria's neck starts gushing out blood, however the blood freezes mid-spurt, literally turning to ice, which then begins to shoot in the form of a sharp icicle at Nyx. Nyx rolls away to dodge it, however the icicle manages to make contact with her left arm in her escape. It doesn't pierce the skin, however Nyx yelps in pain regardless, feeling a searing singe from the impact, what one might expect from being burned, rather than touched by an icicle. Hysteria's body that had just been stabbed then alters shape as a whole as well, turning into a swarm of butterflies that scatter in all directions aimlessly. A voice resonates throughout the space again, it belonging to Hysteria, saying, "Well, all I really need to do is wait for someone to bring in some cuffs for you...oh wait!"

Nyx let out an exhilarated huff as pairs of handcuffs begin to appear all around her, flying at her from all directions. Some of them aim to grab her arms, however many more clash with each other, forming makeshift chains in an attempt to drag Nyx towards the ground. Nyx tries to dodge, however already moderately tired, she eventually becomes swarmed with the handcuffs and exhaustedly collapses on the ground. Her vision begins to fade, when she remembers something, *"Well it can't hurt to test this out can it..."* She thinks to herself, as her body begins to violently spasm. Emitting from her in all direction pours a dark and malevolent energy that immediately destroys all the handcuffs holding her body down to the ground. Nyx gets up in amazement at her own power, as Hysteria's voice comes again, sounding somewhat worried, "How'd you happen upon the neth--...hmmmm...this is troublesome..." She said, as a pile of skeletal remains appear in swaths on the ground, in fact, the ground itself had started to grow bones and skulls from it much like a flower, albeit much faster. Hysteria continued on, "I want to ask where you learned that...or maybe got that....but I guess I can find out later, hopefully...you don't seem like you know what it does, so..."

Nyx was only confused by Hysteria's words, thus she ignored them and kept attempting to use her new devil fruit ability. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, however she did catch on quick that it made quick work of anything that was being thrown at her, violently decaying and withering objects with extreme speed, and even forcing any sentient being to turn tail. She attempted to coat one of her arms with the substance, trying to punch her way out of the alleyway, though unfortunately this did not work for her. Hysteria's voice came from behind Nyx, "Luckily for me, I guess this really isn't part of the world per se...more just my own lil imagination." Nyx turned around to see Hysteria beaming at her with her tongue out playfully. Nyx launched a projectile of nether at the body, which left a massive burning hole in it, forcing the body to collapse as a corpse on the ground.

"Ugh...well I can do this for as long as I need to...you don't look smart enough to escape hehe..." Hysteria called ambiguously from the entire alleyway, continuing to send an assortment of random obstacles, projectiles, and beasts at Nyx to keep her preoccupied.

## Outside Delirium

Lilith and Cain had gotten out of the invisible barrier that had made up the ceiling of the alleyway and landed on the nearby roofs. They had initially waited for Nyx to join them, however they were surprised to find that she didn't follow them up. Lilith looked down into the alleyway, however it just appeared to be a normal alleyway. There was no shaking, no bodies, no residue from the battle that had ensued whatsoever, but most importantly, no Nyx.

She rested Hecate and Sharaz onto the rooftop tile gently, as she asked Cain, "Hey, is it just me or did Nyx disappear?"

Cain let Bukki down, as she stood up beside him, in complete shock over the events that had transpired. Cain looked back to Lilith afterwards, then down into the alleyway, "Hmm...so it would seem. Though, I really don't want to go back and check, honestly..." He added, as Lilith hummed in mild agreement. Bukki tugged on Cain's shirt, pointing at a nearby rooftop, "Hey, I don't think those guts are friendlies..." She said nervously.

On the rooftop in question stood three people. One was Cassiopeia, who had a dangerous look in her eye, gripping her chains tightly and appearing as if she would attack Lilith and Cain at any given moment. The second was Barto, who had his rifle wielded in his hands, the barrel of his gun aimed, slightly lowered, in the general direction of the Scions. The third, was someone none of the Scions currently here had yet encountered, being Kaili. Kaili was busy threading a needle for some reason, however her eyes were deadlocked onto the group, as she scanned them for her target. She muttered to the two marines, "Looks like my guy isn't here, but I'm guessing taking in any of these guys has gotta give me something, right?"

Barto made a quick response, "Well, they certainly look guilty of something eh?"

Cassiopeia also replied, though more seriously than Barto, "If you help us, I'm sure we can work something out."

Kaili smiled at the responses, as she finished lacing various threads onto a needle and proceeded to wrap it around one of her fingers, "Well, that's good to hear. Looks like your friend got some of them out of action, let's not waste this chance. I'll take the guy, you guys deal with the other two." Kaili said, as she leaped onto the rooftop that the Scions and Bukki were on. Cassiopeia and Barto quickly followed, leaping across the rooftop and onto the next, weapons in hand and ready.

"They couldn't have picked a worse time to get here..." Lilith muttered under her breath, as she pulled out her knife, and additionally a small bottle of some indistinguishable type of alcohol from inside of her shoe.

"Well...this sucks..." Cain replied, as he began spawning jack-in-the-boxes from his hands and feet, as they began to surround him, all of them immediately beginning to play a song.

Lilith eyed back towards Cain, then past him to Bukki, she called over to her, "Hey you, I know we haven't introduced ourselves but if you know how to fight, I think we could use your help right now..."

Bukki nodded in agreement, looking at the three enemies presented, she singled out Barto, replying loudly, "I'll fight that guy, he looks like the weakest link." As she crouched down and touched the rooftop.

"Hey! I'm right here you know!" Barto shouted back, peeved at being called the weakest of the three, though at least he knew who his opponent was now without having to talk through it with Cassiopeia. This meant that Cassiopeia would be left to deal with Lilith, which she was more than happy with as an arrangement. The fight began once Cassiopeia began to swirl her chains, leading into a dash towards Lilith.

Lilith knew that Cassiopeia had it out for her, however she didn't want to fight near the bodies of Hecate and Sharaz, not wanting to potentially get them caught in the fight, so she dashed to the right onto a different rooftop, goading Cassiopeia to follow her by taunting, "Come on, is that all you've got?" As Cassiopeia's charge was now leading into empty space. Cassiopeia took the bait easily, not caring about the slumped bodies on the ground in the moment regardless, as she chased Lilith onto another rooftop.

Cain caught on to what was going on, as he began to do the same, leaping to a rooftop in the opposite direction. A thin string whizzed by his head as he did this, as he landed in extreme caution, seeing that Kaili had predicted this movement and was already jumping herself, taking the offensive against Cain. Cain tossed a green jack-in-the-box in her direction, as if began to emit a noxious gas at her. Kaili leapt back a few feet, as she retracted her string, revealing it to be tipped with a needle on the end. She began swinging it around her finger, as if preparing to launch it again.

Barto was now left alone on the first rooftop with Bukki and the limp bodies of Hecate and Sharaz. He hadn't seen Bukki yet, only the other two, being Lilith and Cain, that were with her. Thus, he was hesitant to shoot at first, especially since her appearance without her mask was simply that of a young and innocent girl. Bukki took advantage of this hesitation, as she whispered to the roof she was touching, "Shoot towards that man."

As if in response to the command, tiles of roof began shooting in pellets towards Barto, who was completely caught off-guard by the roof itself attacking him. He swung at the pellets with his gun as a makeshift bat, though some of them did manage to pepper his torso. He winced in pain, however took them out and threw them away. Yet, all those pellets of roof tile that he had batted and thrown away shifted their direction mid-air, coming at him once again as if they were homing missiles. "What the--" Barto exclaimed in surprise, as he looked at Bukki who was staring back at him as if she were afraid of what he'd do. Barto figured that she must be the one controlling the pellets, as he raised his gun before he would be peppered once more by the sharp tile, *"It's just another enemy Barto, it's just another enemy..."* He told himself, as he proceeded to close his eyes halfway, shooting a rapid-fire of three bullets directly at Bukki. Bukki's eyes widened, as she braced herself for the impact, crying "Don't hurt me!" As Barto's skin was pierced in the torso anew, this time he let them remain, rather taking the pain than having to watch out for them returning once more, though it was a bit more than he could handle, as he spat out a gush of blood. He looked over towards Bukki to see if his attack had worked, but a baffled expression displayed on his face as he did so. Bukki was sitting down collapsed on the ground, her hands wiping tears away from her eyes as she had thought her life was about to end. However, the bullets that Barto had sent at her were on the ground, as if they had simply bounced off of her body. Bukki looked up and realized that she wasn't in pain at all, then seeing the bullets on the ground she said aloud, "Wait...could it be?"

Bukki stood up with renewed vigor, as she picked them up, and whispered to them, *"Shoot him."*

During all this, loud explosions and songs had been playing nonstop to the left of Bukki, where a large body of smoke rose across the entirety of where Cain and Kaili were fighting. Aside from the constant chatter and release of jack-in-the-boxes, there was absolutely no dialogue, and barely even any sound, coming from the two combatants. No grunts of pain, only the faint sound of running and attacks within the area, both fighters trying to fully take advantage of the lack of sight created around their battlefield.

The fight to the right was much more animated, however.

Cassiopeia had begun her assault by rushing at Lilith, sending her chains forward to latch onto Lilith's body and send her crashing into the ground. Lilith in the meantime had no main mode of attack. Lilith's fighting style almost exclusively revolved around her acrobatic ability alongside her special technique that saw the use of specially-produced alcohol that she would throw at opponents alter their mental state, and as she only had a knife at the moment, she was forced into a continuous retreat. Cassiopeia was taking full advantage over the fact that Lilith didn't have the range to attack her, sending a constant barrage of swirling chains at Lilith. While Lilith wasn't having that hard of a time dodging them, especially due to Cassiopeia's anger slowing her strategy's effectiveness somewhat, she knew she wouldn't be getting anywhere if all she did was keep retreating. She murmured in an irritated tone, realizing that it didn't matter that she realized this, as at the moment there was absolutely nothing she could do to change it.

"What's going on up here. I can barely sleep." An angry voice came, as a girl jumped up onto the rooftop where Bukki and Barto were. It was Alyss, who had been sleeping in the hideout but apparently rudely awakened by the sounds of the fights going on. She looked at Bukki, cocking her head curiously, then over to the smoke, and then finally over to where Lilith and Cassiopeia were. When she finally looked at Barto, the bullets Bukki had sent forth were already flying towards him, as Barto could do nothing to prevent himself being shot thrice by his own bullets directly in his stomach. He coughed up even more blood, a look of confusion and anger in her eyes, before he collapsed on his back, dropping his gun as the already dark sky seemed to be getting even darker in his eyes.

Alyss looked at him apathetically, saying "Ohhh...the marine guys found us. Ok." A gust of wind brushed past Bukki's face, as Alyss dashed over towards where Lilith and Cassiopeia were fighting. Lilith smiled an evil grin as she saw Alyss approaching, thinking, *"That's right! I completely forgot Alyss was here!"*

Cassiopeia noticed Lilith's change in tone, and immediately sent one chain flying behind her, anticipating an attack from behind while continuing to strike forwards with her other chain. The chain struck Alyss flat in the face, however Alyss appeared to have taken no damage, continuing forward and slamming Cassiopeia into the ground with a single punch. Cassiopeia launched downwards with enough force to create cracks in the rooftop itself, as she immediately lost consciousness. "Are you ok Lilly?" Alyss asked in a cute voice, as Lilith looked at Cassiopeia on the ground, and walked over to Alyss, hugging her tightly, "Thanks to you!"

Meanwhile, Kaili and Cain had both heard the gunshots, however Alyss' appearance was blanketed by the sound of one of Cain's jack-in-the-boxes exploding in a manner akin to a cluster bomb. Kaili assumed that the shots meant that either Barto or Bukki had won their fight, hoping that it was Barto for her own sake, though didn't have time for her mind to wander in wonder about another's fight. She was expecting her own to have gone much easier, however Cain was a deceptively sturdy opponent even though his outward appearance felt delayed and depressed in a sense. He had utilized his boxes and simply his reflexes to find himself astray from the path of Kaili's threaded needle thus far, even in the cover of the smoke, which was impressive to her in its own right. She had covered her face with a piece of fabric to keep out the smoke and whatever other gases drifted in the air around her, assuming that Cain had done the same. She would use this lack of a sense of smell to help bolster her next attack's effectiveness. She quickly retrieved her threaded needle, then pulled out a small bottle from her pouch. It was a deadly poison that would cause hours of paralysis from a single drop, and one that would inject itself into the bloodstream even if only touching the outermost layer of skin. She opened the bottle carefully, tipping it so that a single drop would land on the very tip of her needle. She quickly closed the bottle, placing it back into her bag as she proceeded to fling her needle in an arc towards the general direction of where Cain was, and had tipped her needle with poison in a manner that would see the droplet flicked towards Cain, however also remaining as a coat on the needle in case she did end up managing to land a hit later on.

Cain had no way of prospecting this attack, however he remained bombarding the area around him with jack-in-the-boxes. He then began crouching into himself, as he slowly took on characteristics of a jack-in-the-box himself. He aimed to constrict himself and launch towards where he believe Kaili was in a spring-like maneuver, popping at fast speed towards the location. He finished constricting, as he launched himself at her, unknowingly having just made a near-miss with the poison droplet, which flew harmlessly by where he had just been standing. Cain's fists appeared box-like as well now, and he prepared to use them like springs to add force to a punching strike the moment he found Kaili in the thick smoke.

Kaili heard the sound of Cain constricting, though assumed it was simply another one of his many types of jack-in-the-boxes. She pulled out a small knife from a pocket strapped to her leg, as she began rapidly pulling back the poisoned needle. It hit something, being cut off in it's return much to Kaili's surprise. She then heard a crash on the ground, followed by another crash that sounded more like one of a breaking toy. She had unwittingly just caused the needle to hit Cain directly in the cheek as she returned her needle, the poison coating the needle making contact with Cain's skin and immediately being put to work. She looked around, confused, as she let go of the thread holding the needle and raised her knife in front of her, as she started running towards the first roof where Barto and Bukki had been, leaping to it to clear her vision from that simply of smoke.

When she arrived on the roof, her eyes widened as she saw a bleeding Barto, and across another jump where Cassiopeia and Lilith had been fighting, she saw Lilith and another girl standing over Cassiopeia's body. She blinked quickly, noticing Bukki, who was cowering right next to her as Kaili's sudden appearance. Kaili assumed immediately that the mission was a total loss, though she wasn't sure where Hysteria had gone, now that she thought about it. But there was no time to think of anything else, as she quickly send a roundhouse kick that easily connected with Bukki's face out, sending Bukki flying a few feet backwards in pain. Kaili was about to leave the two marines, however made a quailed expression as she dashed over to pick up Barto, then taking him in her arms. She then threw a pair of handcuffs at Lilith and Alyss, who noticed them easily and dodged. However, they weren't meant for the two, instead latching onto Cassiopeia's arms and revealing that they were attached to a thin string. Kaili jumped of the rooftop, attaching the strings that held Cassiopeia to her hip, and began to run down the cobbled street away from the fight. She displayed amazing strength by doing this, able to run at a fairly good speed while carrying Barto, and whilst dragging Cassiopeia from atop a roof. As Cassiopeia's body flung off the rooftop towards the ground, Kaili jerked the string that connected to the handcuffs, sending Cassiopeia's body flying straight towards her, which Kaili quickly caught. As she ran away, Kaili muttered to herself, "You guys owe me big time for this..."

Alyss asked Lilith as Kaili left with the fallen bodies of the other two, "Should we go after them?" In an unusual display of willingness to do something from the girl. Lilith shook her head no however, "First we need to check on Cain, he hasn't come out of that pile of smoke yet. Also...I'm not sure what we should do, but we have to get Hecate and Sharaz back inside the base safely. Nyx was fighting some marine chick in the alleyway, but she disappeared once the rest of us escaped. I don't know where they went, but we can't take the risk right now of splitting up to go find them. Would you mind checking on Cain?" Lilith replied to Alyss, who let out a soft "Ok," as Alyss then leapt inside of the foggy smoke.

Lilith hopped over beside Bukki, "Hey good work kiddo, looks like you won yours pretty easily huh." She said to the girl still huddled on the ground with a foxy grin.

"Oh...um, thanks..." Bukki replied nervously, then looking up at Lilith who was holding out a hand to help Bukki up. Bukki took it, and then asked, "Hey so um..., what should we do about these two? I don't know about this blonde guy, but Hecate got beaten up pretty bad back there..."

Lilith paused for a moment as Lilith referred to Hecate by name, then remembering that they had already met earlier. Lilith was reminded that she had not yet introduced herself yet, though, "Oh right, my name is Lilith by the way, you can call me Lilly if you'd like." She winked, continuing, "The blonde idiot on the floor is named Sharaz, you don't have to pay him much attention, and the little cutie that got us out of this mess is named Alyss. She's usually pretty lazy, but when she's on the job she usually does well, sometimes."

As if cued by her name, Alyss jumped out of the smoke. She was seen to be gripping Cain by the shirt, plopping him on the ground beside the other two fallen Scions as she landed. "Hey Lilly, looks like Cain's been paralyzed."

Lilith raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that? He just looks unconscious to me."

"Look." Alyss responded, showing a small jack-in-the-box in cupped hands. The jack-in-the-box took on the appearance of a toy-like and miniature Cain, that suddenly yapped out, "Damn right I'm paralyzed. That string girl was definitely a tier above those marine idiots. Didn't look like she was a marine though, not with her fighting style for sure." It said in a voice that sounded almost exactly like Cain's, though in a slightly warped manner.

Lilith laughed out loud, saying "Right, I do vaguely remember this dumb talky box being a thing."

The jack-in-the-box producing Cain's voice swore at her, before clearing it's throat in a hoarse sound, saying, "Fuck off Lilith," In a tone that one might never expect to hear from Cain himself in normality, "For now grab my body and the others' and bring them back to base. Alyss, you can carry all three of us, and take the new girl with you. Lilith, I don't know where Nyx went, but I want you to try and find her. Search every nook and cranny of this entire damn city and only come back if every single one proves empty, got it?"

Alyss gave an affirmative sound, as she picked up the three bodies and jumped down onto the ground, as she began walking to the hideout. Bukki gave an awkward wave to Lilith, as she went to go follow Alyss to the base she had not yet been to, leaving Lilith alone, though with the company of the voice box. Lilith asked Cain in a low voice, "Between the two of us, what are the chances her disappearing is the same as what happened back when we fought her on that island before? Is it possible that Nyx is still actually just right below me in the alleyway?"

The jack-in-the-box with Cain's voice audibly thought to itself, "Hmmmmm...that may actually be what happened, but for some reason my mind says to stay away from the alleyway, though I guess it could be some sort of subliminal setting. You might get stuck in there if you go back in though, but I suppose you best try. Lilith nodded in a forlorn manner, as she simply said, "Guess so huh, wish me luck." Lilith then placed the jack-in-the-box down, as she took in a deep breath, and jumped back into the alleyway. As she descended it was as if an almost demonic energy swarmed within the place, as after passing through a certain distance she was suddenly back into the alley as she left it, except with a lot more bones.

From above, though already out of earshot, Cain's voice box could be heard shouting, "Wait Lilith! At least take me with you so I know what's going on down there. Lilith? You there? LILITH!!!!"

The message came to Lilith of her own volition though, realizing that it would have been much smarter to bring the box with her, though it was too late now. She immediately saw Nyx on the ground, but Nyx herself seemed to be meshing with something else entirely. Lilith didn't know how to describe it, but it almost felt other-worldly, and innately sinister and full of malice. There were various objects flying at Nyx, however they were all disappearing as they made contact with Nyx, ranging from reactions of explosions, to burning to a crisp, to rusting rapidly and turning to dust. Lilith nervously called to Nyx, "Nyx? That's you right?"

Nyx turned around. One of her eyes was pitch-black, darker than the cloudy sky above, and from around her body emanated an equally dark, yet transparent, aura, though it was extremely thin. Nyx had reacted to Lilith's voice, and she could feel Lilith's presence, yet she could barely see Lilith even with her eyes both open, one of them still appearing normal. In fact, she couldn't see much of anything. Feel much of anything. Sense much of anything at all. This was different than when she nulled her senses with her martial art, this was far more powerful, far more...freeing. It seemed that Lilith's appearance caused some form of shock to Nyx's functions however, as just after Lilith called to her Nyx collapsed onto the ground.

Hysteria's voice could be heard just after, causing Lilith to look around her frantically to search for its source, "She lasted pretty long to be using that power...well...I guess I'll have two captures to my quota, thanks for coming back...I guess..."

## Residual Servings

Barto slowly opened his eyes, seeing above him a low-hanging ceiling in a moderately lit room. He thought to himself, *"Shouldn't I be dead? Or was that just a really bad dream?"* However this thought left his mind as he immediately winced in pain as he tried to get up. He clenched his teeth as he slowly lifted his head to look at his body. There were bandages surrounding his entire torso, reddened ones at that, and oh did he feel it. He remembered what had happened now, he had been decorated with sharp shards of tile and shot by his very own bullets before he had, what he previously thought, died. Yet, here he was alive. *"Even if that didn't kill me, shouldn't I have bled out?"* He thought to himself once more, as a door opened to his left. He slowly turned his head to the sound, and his eyes widened as the person in the doorframe was none other than one of his fellow marines, Benny J.

"Benny!?" Barto exclaimed in an astonished tone, though this sudden use of his voice caused him to begin to cough violently, only sending waves of pain from his injuries back into him, as he lied back down flat on his back, exhausted.

"That's right Barto, it's me. Sorry we got here so late, it was on short notice, but I'm glad you're okay!" Benny responded, then looking up and down at Barto's body, "Well...alive, at least. You're a tough guy, I know you'll be fine!" He continued encouragingly.

Benny was then pushed aside and out from the doorframe, as he stumbled into the room. Another figure entered hurriedly through, her hand still standing where it had just shoved Benny out of the way.

"Barto!!! I'm sorry we came too late to help you guys! How are you feeling? I won't ask if you're hurt, duh, but how bad is it?"

The voice belonged to Kenin Yani, whose presence surprised Barto just as much as Benny's had, as he tried to open his mouth in response, but refrained from speaking loudly as he didn't want to experience the coughing fit he had moments ago, instead replying in a soft tone, "Hey Yani, looks like you guys did show up...that's a huge relief." He then inquired, "Did you guys treat my injuries? I remember them being quite bad to say the least..." Barto laughed slightly, though his voice obviously tired.

Benny, who had reallocated his balance and leaned against a wall in the room replied, "Oh actually it wasn't us. In fact, where did that girl run off to? Kaili I believe her name was?"

Yani looked over to Benny, replying, "Oh right, you hurried over this way so you didn't hear. She already left, said the two were in our care now." Yani then looked back to Barto, "Yea Barto, you owe that girl a life debt I think. Apparently she dragged both you and Cass off the battlefield by herself AND tended to both of your wounds. She came and found us the moment we landed, leading us straight here. We came and checked on you when we arrived before seeing the captain, and you were both dead asleep. But as for today's visit we actually only got here a few minutes ago ourselves, but it looks like she, Kaili, already took her leave. Guess she's not the type that likes it when people owe her? I don't know."

Barto nodded dully, as he blinked awake, thinking, *"Cass! What happened to her?"* He opened his mouth to ask, but then he heard a groan to the opposite side of the room from the door, to his right. He quickly turned his head over, as he saw Cassiopeia sitting up in a bed that lay just beside his, rubbing her head as if it were in pain.

"What the hell..." She muttered, then looking around at the room, exclaiming, "Benny!? Yani!? When did you two get here??"

Barto let out a chuckle at her response, and Benny and Yani both smiled and laughed. Benny looked smugly over towards Cassiopeia, "Hey Cass, you've actually been asleep for a week. It's a relief you finally woke up, everyone's been worried 'bout you."

Yani got up from beside Barto and walked over to Benny, proceeding to send a roundhouse kick flying at his arm. Benny jumped up and blocked the attack with his other arm, this one braced in a guard. Yani shouted at him, "God, shut up Benny." She turned over to Cassiopeia and gave a warm, and responsible, smile, "Don't worry Cass, looks like you've only been out for a day. Anyways, I guess we should debrief the two of you huh?"

Barto and Cassiopeia both blinked, listening intently.

Benny opened his mouth to talk, but Yani physically covered his mouth with her right hand, opting to speak herself,

"Alright so I'll tell you what happened in the past day. So first thing's first, after we landed ship here and Kaili took us to see you guys, we made contact with the captain. Hysteria had her aura active, and damn it was oppressive once I took my first step inside. She told us to bring sea prism cuffs for two people she caught inside of it. Ah...what were their names again? I forgot, but one had pink hair and was wearing some sort of frilly outfit, she looked absolutely beaten. The other one was some light blonde chick and shit, she looked crazy when I saw her. I think the moment I set eyes on her I almost threw up, though I can't say I understand why. Anyways, we got the handcuffs on both of them and loaded them onto the ship, no problems there. The problem came later when some of their friends tried to get them back, there were four of them who came and they were a real hassle, though with the captain on our side me n' Benny were able to fend them off. The captain already left with the ship, Sweeney and Jay are both onboard so I don't think there'll be any trouble. We stayed behind to wait for you guys to wake up so we can get the hell out of this depressing little island. I know you two are still tired and hurt, but we should get going as soon as possible, meaning, now." Yani explained, a nervous look in her eyes, "I'm worried the friends of the people we captured might come after us, so please, get up, now."

Cassiopeia seemed to be able to life herself without much trouble, though Barto could barely move a muscle. Benny chuckled as he handed Yani his spear, "Here, I'll help him out."

Benny grabbed Barto and tossed him a little bit into the air, catching him in his arms. Barto howled in pain as his injuries were disturbed by the impact, though he didn't verbally complain, knowing that this was the fastest way. He looked up ay Benny and said, "Don't forget about my gun, please." Benny nodded, looking over to Cassiopeia, who looked back and then looked to the side, where Barto's gun was leaning against a wall. She grabbed it, alongside her chains that were placed next to it, as she followed behind Benny and Yani, calling forward to Yani, "Yani, show us our way out of here, by all means."

Yani raised her hand to her forehead in salute, as the three made their way to the docks. There was a small navy vessel there, as the three boarded without any difficulties. Benny placed Barto down on the deck, grabbing the gun from Cassiopeia and handing it to him, "In case you need it." He said, winking. Yani untied the ship from the dock is was resting by, as she asked Cassiopeia, "Anything we need to do before heading out Commander? We already dealt with that idiot of a mayor, so nothing to see there."

Cassiopeia didn't hesitate for a second, as she answered, "Yani, get us the hell away from this island."

Yani nodded, smiling, as she tossed the rope onto the boat and headed to the wheel. "Right-o, Benny, keep an eye for any incursions, but for now, let us set sail upon our beautiful base G-12!" Yani cheered happily, as the boat made it's way out of the harbor, and away from Effigen.