Liam was about to go try and find the teachers, but then he saw that Lucy had apparently snapped out of whatever had turned her into that gigantic ink monster. And she looked really, really broken up - she needed help. She needed someone to be there for her.
Liam ran over quickly to Lucy's side and decided to head over.
"Lucy! Oh god did that...that evil little gremlin hurt you?" He looked between her and Hei Lin.
Then he heard her whispering something, and thought it sounded like she was saying she killed someone, "Lucy, you're good, you didn't hurt or kill anyone here - what happened was all on that shadow creature. He's gone now, he's gone. You didn't hurt or kill anyone here."
edited 25th Mar '18 2:53:38 PM by NickTheSwing
AKA Nixer
Cafeteria
Liam's reassurance didn't seem to do much to break Lucy out of her Heroic BSoD, and her cries were starting to dry up into harsh hiccupping.
"O-Oh, g-god I k-killed... I-I killed th-them all..." she sobbed, tightening her grip on Hei with the utmost despair.
She finally understood what Elim was talking about. That pressure in her mind, those headaches, they were all from her refusing to remember.
Even then, she couldn't remember actually doing it, no matter how she tried (not that she wanted to in the first place). She only remembered the aftermath. Four bodies strewn out on the pavement, limbs bent unnaturally, their jaws, eyesockets, and every other orifice practically shattered to the bone from the sheer amount of pressure placed on them.
She remembered her scream, which lasted for a full minute before she passed out from lack of air.
But worst of all, she remembered the look on her brother's face.
A silent vow was made there and then. No matter what Elim or anyone else would say, she would never accept that thing as part of her.
edited 6th Apr '18 6:53:11 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Cafeteria
“Lu..Lucy??”
Wrapping the sobbing girl into a hug, Hei frowned when he heard her saying something about killing. But that couldn’t be right. Lucy didn’t kill anyone in the school...
Realization dawned when he recalled Elim’s words at the start. Lucy probably lost control at an earlier point and ended up killing someone. Hei realized. That made things clearer, but Right now, Hei had to focus on calming Lucy down.
“I’m n-not going anywhere, Lucy.” Hei murmured, sounding much calmer than he felt “I don’t care what y-you did in that incident Elim was talking about. We’re going to do our b-best to help you through this, o-okay? You’re not alone.”
edited 25th Mar '18 4:09:59 PM by svenorzokarkoff
AKA Nixer
Cafeteria
Lucy's despaired sobs had all but died now, the girl simply clinging onto Hei whilst shaking like a leaf, knuckles white from being tightly clenched. She momentarily opened her eyes at his reassurance, looking at him with blurry vision.
Unable to muster a sound, she just nodded weakly, and lowered her head again, managing to remove herself from him before she effectively suffocated him via squeezing. It was quite surprising she could even stand up, given the state she was in.
Trying to wipe her eyes, she looked around at the destroyed cafeteria, flinching as she registered the colossal pool of ink surrounding her ankles.
"I… I'm so, s-so sorry..."
She honestly couldn't think of anything else she could say. Her mind was clouded with thoughts about her brother.
Does he hate me now? Is that why he's been so serious since?
She realised that the only way she'd know is by talking to him.
edited 25th Mar '18 4:41:12 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Surrounded by weirdoes
Sam took a deep breath as he picked up his ruined shirt. Bummer, but not something to worry about now. Lucy woke up and seemed to have broken down. Feeling bad for her, he walked up, and patted the back of her head with his clean hand.
"Nice to see you back in the land of the living, Lucy" He said, trying to smile after all that happened.
"You really scared us, but Lin over here rescued you"
Kneeling, even with his ink filled shoes.
"In spite of... whatever you might fear" He started, trying to be coherent, showing he cared was hard "At least most of us are there if you need it, don't doubt it. And we know what to do now, so you don't have to fear" Looking at the group, he got up and started walking out.
"I am gonna check on a teacher, perhaps Armada or the Docs can tell more about this chaos" He announced. "I trust you guys to keep the Legion in place?" He asked Liam and Alexa mainly. "Thank you for all the help, by the way. Probably would have been doomed if not for you"
Wake me up at your own risk.
The Cafeteria
Suddenly, a throng of teachers burst into the cafeteria. Several familiar faces were among them. In liu of the Saint or Interceptor, Armada was leading the crowd, with Bozo, Flora (now wearing a dress), and Dr.Reinbach at her side.
Reinbach looked at the robots, holding up some sort of fancy handheld device as he scanned them en-masse. "Very interesting. The designs actually seem to be similar in some ways to my own, and yet very different in others. Food for thought. In the meantime though..." He whipped out a wrench and a screwdriver, intent on figuring out just what made these things tick. "SCIENCE!"
Bozo floated up to Mikhael, looking over his new appearance with a doozy of a raised eyebrow. "Tell me, son. You ever heard of Goreshed the Defiler? Because I think you two'll be seeing a lot of each other."
As for Armada, she briefly looked at Omega to make sure she was okay, but didn't do anything more than that. It wasn't that she didn't care for her; far from it. But as things were, she was the closest thing there was to a leader. And if her suspicions were correct, some serious shenanigans had gone down in her absence.
"So. Anyone want to tell me just what happened here?" She then looked to the other teachers. "And where's the Saint? He should've been over here before any of us."
edited 25th Mar '18 6:21:15 PM by kkhohoho
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
"Uh, nothing, just our regular robot attack of the day." Rosalinda replied. "We, uh, nabbed some perpetrators." She pointed at the woman still struggling in her grip.
Where there's life, there's hope.
Breath of the Sun
Cafeteria
"Riiiight." Mikael eyed the woman on the ground bemusedly. Then the cavalry arrived - minus Saint, who he supposed was somewhere else helping his other classmates - and Bozo floated up to him. Mikael frowned. "Goreshred. Really. What, does he lead a support group for demons?"
He paused, reaching a hand up to fiddle with his locket nervously.
"Because that might actually... be helpful. Yeah." He stared down at his new demonic form, as though suddenly aware of how monstrous he truly looked. "Incidentally, Doctor Bozo, I think I've managed to curb my demonic urges, but if you could double check to make sure I won't go insane and kill someone, or anything like that - or perhaps help me learn how to transform back into a human form, if that's even possible - I'd appreciate it."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Surrounded by weirdoes
"Huh, Miss Flora" Sam started "There is a plant down there that's way bigger than it should be and it doesn't look friendly" He tossed Sovereign to the floor in front of the teachers and pointed down the hole.
"Was that always there?" He asked.
"Also, there should be a huge amount of people running to see the nurse, it got pretty bad"
Wake me up at your own risk.
Three potted cactus in a trench coat.
Hallway
Ever's smile vanished from her face and a sad look took over as Ever stared into the deadened eyes of the other plant girl. She had left before Ever could do what she needed to. No matter the ability, its use could be prevented. Ever's father probably knew of some method to stop such teleportations, if only she could ask. Well... perhaps she could find a way. The girl would be back, Ever was certain of that. When she returns, Ever would be ready to make sure she stays within reach. But that was then, this is now. Ever had things to do.Ever looked to Oliver. "The fighting seems to have died down in the cafeteria. If you can reach the nurse alone, I'm going to search for wounded nearby."
Argue everything you can argue. Doubt everything you believe. Ask every question you have. Argue, doubt and ask. Through this we learn.
Oliver nodded and looked to Rebecca.
"Nevermind then, I think I'm good."
He started to leave, but turned back toward Ever. "Thanks. I mean it. I don't think I would've survived without your help. I'll shout if someone tries to kill me." With that, he left for Nurse Hello's office.
edited 25th Mar '18 10:11:27 PM by BismuthOmega
The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one.
AKA Nixer
Cafeteria
Lucy listened intently as Sam tried to comfort her, and realised two things:
One, he was right, this didn't have to just be her burden to bear, and two...
...Hei had saved her.
He had risked his life to pull her out of whatever that cocoon was, not even knowing for sure that it wasn't her doing.
She owed him her life.
Glancing over to him, she blushed, shuffling up shyly. Heart hammering in her chest, she looked up into his eyes.
"H-Hei..."
She swallowed, looking down and seemingly having an internal battle, before suddenly snapping out of it, swiftly leaning towards him and lightly pecking him on the cheek.
She shot back as if struck by lightning, face turned what could only be described as an undiscovered shade of red.
"...Th-Th-Thank y-you..." she stammered faintly, completely unable to bring herself to look at him. After a few seconds, the teachers finally arrived, breaking the awkward silence to her immense relief. She quickly walked towards them, trying to hide her intense blush under her hood with little success.
"T-The Saint? He didn't sh-show up..." she said confusedly, before her eyes widened in horror. "O-Oh no... d-do you think he's alright?"
Stopthinkingaboutitstopthinkingaboutitstopthinkingaboutit...
edited 27th Mar '18 11:10:12 AM by Enirboreh
bork
The Cafeteria — A HERRING!
"Honestly, I'm impressed you've lasted this long," said Bozo. "Most would've started feasting on everyone's entrails within a 5 miles radius by now. In any case, I believe you'll be able to last for a while longer, but we should probably get you proper treatment before long. You may be a demon, but we don't want you acting like one."
He took out a bottle of whiskey from under his coat and took a swig, almost as if he didn't care whether or not one was supposed to be [Drinking on Duty drinking on the job. "As for appearing human, that is something I can teach you. However, outside of my courses, that sort of thing doesn't come cheap. If you wish me to teach you such a spell, then you shall have to pay the price. Oh, it's nothing all that difficult, believe me. All you must is do brave the acidic mountains of Mt.Baldiwog, slay the one million foot tall Gharglegooky of the Tenth Plain, tear out the hearts of one million Dark Fiends, and chop down the mighty World Tree Ygraddsial WIIIIITH... A HERRING! Or just mow my lawn. That works too."
edited 26th Mar '18 5:07:28 PM by kkhohoho
Schrodinger's Human
Cafeteria:
Teachers arrived at the place, signifying that the end of this battle. Still spilling oil from her severed arm, Alexa approached Lucy to check on her. "Warning: Critical Oil Shortage. Commencing Emergency Shutdown in 10 seconds." The box containing these words appeared right in front of her.
"Lucy... are.. you..." Alexandra muttered before collapsing while facing the floor. The sound of heavy metal falling could be heard.
Everything that lives is designed to end.
Outside Saint's Office
"Hello...?"
It was at this brief interlude that Caleb realized he didn't really know what was going on. An attack, sure but all the specifics were up in the air. He hovered in place for a moment before Harmony mentally nudged him.
The office... If the others are in trouble, he can help!
Caleb took a deep breath and tried to push open the door, entering the room.
Where am I? What's going on?
Hallway
Several things happened which Rebecca felt deserved an adequate reaction, but she was too shocked or dumbfounded by them to even speak. Vicky opened a hole in the ground without touching it, which she shouldn’t have been able to do. Ever set her opponent on fire before the other plant girl’s body went limp. But what took the cake was the *thing* Matten had just brought. Rebecca finally found her voice again.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THAT?!”
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Hallway
"Oh," Matten curtsied to the captain while Wuggles slung Victoria over his shoulder by mental command. "His name is Wuggles or Mr. Melty. I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards Wuggles."
"I thought you might need a ride to the lounge or the front office. Wherever those teacher types are gathered. If not, I suppose he could practice running on his wheel."
To Wuggles she added, "Your position needs a little more 'downward dog'. Captain Pollutrix needs a better view of her seat. And do a little more wagging. She needs to know that you're happy to help."
The wagging should be easy. Eventually, Wuggles would notice his new tail and the new curvature of his spine, perfect for walking on all fours.
edited 27th Mar '18 9:24:11 AM by CenturyEye
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Cafeteria
Hei froze, silver eyes wide as his face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. Lucy had kissed him. Kissed him! His mind buzzed with frazzled nervousness. Should he just faint? Kiss her back? Scream?
Thankfully, Alexa's impromptu shutdown broke him out of his cycle of embarrassment. "Ah! W-we need to get you to the doct- wait, no. Mechanic!" Hei stuttered. "H-hold on, I think I have a few t-tools in my bag that can help..." Several tentacles were already rummaging through his bag as he was speaking, pulling out wrenches, wire cutters, duct tape, and a portable welding torch.
edited 27th Mar '18 11:33:25 AM by svenorzokarkoff
AKA Nixer
Cafeteria
Lucy let out a gasp when Alexa called out to her before collapsing, rushing over and kneeling down to check on her.
"A-Alexa?"
Once again, she tried to avoid meeting eye contact with Hei in case the event that had just occurred interrupted the safety of their classmate.
Definitely not because she was embarrassed. Not at all.
edited 27th Mar '18 1:19:48 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Breath of the Sun
Cafeteria
"Well. Mowing your lawn doesn't sound particularly hard..." Mikael looked wary, however. Then something occurred to him. "Wait, don't you live in a bottle of booze or something? How do you even have a lawn?"
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the cyborg collapse, and considered going over to help, but decided he probably couldn't help. Plus Bozo now had him worried about trying to kill anyone, and he didn't want his locket to fail at a critical moment.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Saint's Office
Saint folded his arms, glared at Leon as if to dare him to even try such a thing. "And just what statement would that be?"
"Simple," said Leon. "That no matter what this world's heroes do, no matter how safe they think they are, they're anything but. That no-one is safe. And when we finally make our mark, they won't even bother to put up a resistance. Because they know there won't be a point."
For all of Leon's grandstanding, one word, in particular, stood out to Saint. "'We'? You never refer to yourself and the Legion as 'we'. They're nothing more than a means to an end as far as you're concerned."
"Who said I was talking about the Legion? But I think that's enough for now. In any case, let's get to business, shall we?"
Outside Saint's Office
Before Caleb so much as even touched the door, Saint came crashing straight through it. The sound of concrete being blasted apart could be heard even as far as the cafeteria, not that Saint cared. All he cared about just now was that he had been hit in his weak spot; straight below the heart. He clutched his chest, struggling to get back up.
Not that it mattered much. Leon leaped straight through the opening in the wall, kicking him in the same spot again and again and keeping him down. "Darkheart may not have been able to tell exactly where you were most vulnerable, Saint, but I that didn't stop me from making an educated guess. And I think I guessed right." He held out a black gauntlet, charging up a white blast of energy coming straight at the center of his palm. All he had to do was fire it at Saint's brain and that would be that. He was giddy at the sheer thought of it. So much so that he didn't even notice Caleb standing there in the hallway. That would quite possibly be a hell of a mistake.
Oliver made his way to Nurse Hello's office, or, at least, he hoped it was her office. It did have her name outside the door. He knocked on the door and entered, looking for the intimidatingly attractive woman.
The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one.
Three potted cactus in a trench coat.
Cafeteria
Ever hadn't even entered the cafeteria before she dashed off. Seeing Hei, Lucy and Flora gave her a devilishly wonderful idea. She was off to the dorms to retrieve the photo of Hei. She could help herself, Lucy, and especially Hei if she could garner Flora's assistance. Argue everything you can argue. Doubt everything you believe. Ask every question you have. Argue, doubt and ask. Through this we learn.
Liam was kind of overwhelmed by everything that had happened - he met the user of Sovereign in battle, kind of accidentally took down one of the Lethal Legion, and then Sam took down the Sovereign guy. Liam just stood there, looking more than a little bit spaced out.
He tried to just get a breath and control himself, but that was obviously not working. He wasn't bleeding, and he wasn't traumatized to the point of breaking, but this had just...all come out of nowhere.
To put it bluntly, the young man was in a shocked state. He almost didn't know if this was a dream or not.
Sovereign and Regalia...what would they create...?
Two halves of a whole...
Where did that come from?
Rejoin the halves, Liam.
Huh?
Liam...
He was jolted awake and looked around at the teachers, "I-I'm fine, sorry, sorry...sorry...that...that freaky dark kid showed up...outta nowhere, and just...wham, he was skewering someone and..." Liam let out a breath.
But his thoughts weren't still.
I need to go down there and...
Cafeteria
As soon as the threads were cut, Lucy's eyes snapped back forward.
Immediately, the mass along with the twisting pillar came crashing down, kicking up a large wave of ink which splashed the cafeteria, eventually settling into a pool of around half an inch high. Hanging limply, Lucy didn't seem to react to anything until Hei tipped her head to the side, to which she started violently hacking up ink onto the floor.
Lucy?
Pale and shaking, unable to even speak, she collapsed into Hei, uncaring of the fact she was stained with ink.
Can you hear me?
"I-I-I k-killed... I-I..." she stammered brokenly, before breaking down into heavy sobs, clinging onto the umbrakinetic like he was her lifeline.
It's not your fault... OK? It wasn't you...
...
It's not your fault...
edited 25th Mar '18 2:47:26 PM by Enirboreh
bork