Mhaieiyu

Arc 1, Chapter 14

Devils Dress All the Same

Two combatants—both warriors to some, but only one a hero to any—stood silently, blades drawn and taunting their beloved opponent with their glistening chrome. To face each other in this way neither of them had ever wished. Eclipse, her intentions decided yet unclear both to he and her, had hoped for this intervention to have come smoother. Regardless of the circumstances, she had decided ahead of time that if this battle did come, it would not end in lethality — not if she could forbid it. She would make use of her quick wits and agility, and usurp her childhood friend-turned-enemy's composure to then dash away with Emris for the lights of freedom.

Eclipse was confident in herself for this. She was, and yet, standing face-to-face with him, she found her confidence slacking. Foolish to assume that he would show weakness as the time of reckoning came, the renewed exile found her assumptions denied by the fierceness in his gaze. He was determined to fend his keep, and their assets, with set-aside emotions; unburdened by his naivety and forgotten childishness.

Raising his blade to the heavens, Ezequiel slashed down at the air in a ferociously dull sweep, demonstrating the strength of his resolve as he pointed the long sword's acute tip in her throat's direction. In response, Eclipse furrowed her brows, her posture still showing hesitation. Weakness.

"If I hurt you during this, I want to apologise in advance. It's not my goal to——"

"Silence, fox. Your weaselling infuriates me," Ezequiel cut.

With this, the Keeper drew back for a moment, before bolting forward the next, hacking at the empty space that had just harboured the trickster woman. She weaved around the length of his weapon, her smoothness remarkable, before swinging a leg over his; he dodging even within the split-second time she gave. Her counterattacks were effective, but he had known her long enough now. Chopping towards her again, she parried the attack with her claws, sending sparks flying as the two weapons collided. With eight blades on her fingers and speed that surpassed the Keeper's, the two's spar became one-sided, even if Eclipse's battle was more internal than physical. And yet, with each swipe of his rapier atop the dangerously short cliff they stood upon, his wrath was far from ineffective; she having to take more and more chances with her evasions.

Ezequiel was unrelenting. By the time she had parried his first slash, he had already come down with another. Such was a luxury granted by the swiftness of the needle-like sword.

Steel met steel as they exchanged blows, with Eclipse showing a clear lack of action, instead passively reacting to his mercilessness with her own techniques. He was no simple swordsman. He too had tricks in the form of attention-robbing items such as stink bombs, sand pouches and an assortment of throwing knives.

And yet, as he expended each of his resources, he didn't seem to even tire her. If anything, she showed less and less motivation to fight for each assault, feeling a deeper part of her was wounded and stabbed for every strike of their irons. To leave home like this? She would never be satisfied, no matter how far she scoured the seas in her search. To have to come back here, just to seek peace? Could she use that as an excuse not to have to say goodbye for good, too?

With an agitated groan, Ezequiel produced his last knife along with a pouch, throwing them sequentially. The knife spun through the air as she absent-mindedly clawed and cast it off into the sea of green below while simultaneously cutting open the sac, drowning her vision in sand. In the same instant she heard the knife clang away, the sword had been raised once again, giving her no time to react as she clumsily raised her claws. The blade's impact threw her off-balance near the edge of the cliff, before being promptly kicked in the chest, her feet skidding uselessly against the ground beneath her as she fell off, stones crumbling and plummeting down below. She caught herself from the fall just short of a hair, her right cestus digging deep into the stone. Hastily, she sank the rest of her claws into the rough with middling success, stopping her frantic manoeuvres as Ezequiel stepped by atop her, inhibiting her access to safety as he once again pointed the blade's end towards her and poked her forehead, drawing blood.

He wore a dull expression as he looked down at her, his complexion relaxed yet scornful. He mustn't show her weakness, as she foolishly had. With a crisp, unpermissive voice, the Keeper declared his victory.

"That's enough, exile. Leave these grounds immediately or face retribution."

Hearing this was impactful. More so than she thought she was prepared for, like a mother bird kicking her offspring from the nest. An awfully cruel yet exhilarating feeling. Watching her gorgeous surroundings as she hung, she noticed that her claw's grip was starting to loosen. Perhaps, if the world was more patient, she could excuse her choices on a lack of time. She looked back up at him, her tone lightening up with her usual playfulness. At the very least he didn't wish her dead. The thought alone would suffice.

"It's kind of hard to right now," Eclipse said.

"Hk—" Ezequiel recoiled, reasserting himself. "You can climb these walls. Just use your claws."

"But my arms are tired, Qui!" the exile teased. The Keeper growled, a second from showing his displeasure through force when she interjected. With a lowered head, she muttered, "Besides..." Sneering derisively, she glanced back up at him with newly-found vigour. "I came here with a chore. I don't like leaving things half done."

His jaw hung as he exchanged a glare with the newly confident fox-of-a-woman. Chattering his teeth in frustration, with squinted eyes he damned her name. "You! You're still going to risk yourself for him?! Who is this man, Eclipse! Why does he mean so much to you!?"

With a surprisingly strong swing, she pulled herself up to the ledge moments before her claws would give way, her hazelnut hair gliding against his rapier's edge as she threw herself back onto her feet with a brilliantly executed flip. He couldn't react. Ezequiel stared back in disbelief as he straightened up to meet her gaze. He hated that she seemed so full of herself; so full of her wisdom. And yet, he had nothing to refute her with. If she deflected him so nonchalantly before, he couldn’t imagine fighting her when she meant to kill. His own determination would serve to his detriment alone, he was old enough to understand that much.

"His name is Emris," she introduced the unconscious man resting a few feet away, unscathed by the battle. It would've been pointless to attack him, with his properties in mind. With a foxy grin, she proceeded. "He's about as useful as a body bag filled with sand, but he's my only ticket into the outside. I wish to venture beyond what my eyes can see. Didn't you want that once, Lelte Hurno?"

"Enough! Clear off now, exaus!” he demanded, hacking his sabre as a warning.

"Don't you remember thinking of how far the world might stretch? To find a ship, and see the fullest vastness of the world? You were once infatuated with the Celestials, weren't you? You were jealous of their wings... Such a blissful Moldele you were——"

Releasing a raging war cry, Ezequiel dashed forward, clashing once again in a furious flurry of swipes — each outdone by the impossibly perceptive woman. Thusly, even among the clatter, she pressed on.

"Don't you remember believing there was hope outside of our own? One so unfathomable that even the Marco Maturna could not possibly prepare our eyes and ears for it?"

Memories of childhood naivety—the pure ambitions of an infant—surged within Ezequiel's core as he uselessly tried to resist it. By focusing his mind so much on not listening or thinking of her words, he ironically found his concentration stapled to the thoughts she brought, lagging his assault as he became increasingly sluggish. Seizing this opportunity, Eclipse managed to push his sword far enough away from his torso for her to tackle him down, sending the pair rolling near the boundaries before being halted by the woman's iron claw. Before he could recover from his stunned state, two deadly sharp artificial nails skewered the floor by his neck, missing his skin by an inch.

At her mercy, the Keeper rose his hands to the sides of his head in defeat quick as muscle memory, his head still too far in the nostalgic clouds for him to realise what defeat would mean. In his dazed state, his motor skills reacted in an almost reflexive way; his body knowing well when to call it quits during training. As his senses soon returned to him, he could do nothing but look up at the victor with a disappointed frown. Even if he dared oppose her, his tools had been spent, and his rapier was far from arm's reach. With nothing more to say, he remained silent.

"It seems my winning streak's still strong, Young Qui. You've definitely grown, I can say that much," she said.

Eclipse’s lack of spirit from earlier had entirely diminished somehow. He never understood how she worked. Her ways were mysterious even to the Kingdom below. Eclipse could tell, at least, that most of the tension had been uplifted. He was dejected over his loss, but he was no sore loser. To him, she was no stranger, nor unjustifiable in nature. Eclipse was a childhood friend and the older sibling he would've always wanted. To see her smiling in her scraped state, worn from exercise and the roughness of the stone, he couldn't deny that she deserved the bliss of victory as friend and foe. That said...

"You would stoop so low... as to best me through my fondest memories?" Ezequiel finally spoke, still flabbergasted by her approach. Perhaps her victory wasn't entirely honest, but it did merit respect from the man nevertheless. Much to her silent promise, not a single gash or cut had been made upon his body. At least not by her.

"You did say so earlier, didn't you? You should never have listened to my weasellings," Eclipse teased, removing a hand from her unused claw to push his hair aside, revealing the sweat of his efforts on his forehead. Smiling, she nodded. "That said, distracting you wasn't my only goal. I need you to understand that I have a reason to step towards the great open world. It's been my dream since I was a wee pup..."

"You're speaking like a Marco Maturna yourself..." he managed to shoot back, cracking a faint smile before being slapped in the face.

"Don't be rude, my boy," she scolded, showing her vixen’s smile.

Removing the sharps that bound him to the floor, Eclipse helped her pseudo-sibling rise to his feet, noticing the grim expression on his face. Seeing her now, he understood that their ambitions were in kind if only drastically misaligned. He understood his actions weren't uncalled for. That his goals simply had to overlap her own, and that he mustn't abandon himself just for the sake of a friend. That said, he couldn't mask his concern for her. Not anymore.

Watching as she retrieved her gauntlet and walked over to Emris, Ezequiel offered no resistance. Instead, he asked, "You really think you'll survive in the New World? Even as war is afoot…?"

"Ah, ‘New World’... It has a ring to it, don't you think?" she said with a blissful sigh, looking past his worries.

"Harna..."

She picked up the body once more, quickening her step as she noticed the day's rays creep into the sky. Her opening would soon close; she had no time to spare. Looking back one last time, she saw Ezequiel breathe deeply to suppress his emotions.

"I pray our next encounter will result in a less humiliating defeat... Take care in the outside. I hope you find what you were looking for. Mhaieiyu, Marco Harna."

With a grin, Eclipse bid farewell to the first of her kin.

As she sunk her claws into the stone, she gave the place she once called home one last glance. She couldn't afford to dwell on the matter any longer. If she did, the sun would soon rise, and the routine guards would give her no time to create distance. Sinking her second set of claws, her feet anchored to the sloped walls, separating from the ground in a quick, decisive motion. She mustn't fret on it now. Seconds were counting down.

Reaching the ground would be no easy feat but she had to prevail. The pact had been sealed, and even lacking regret, she couldn't stop herself from worrying. What would await her, beyond the great horizon? How would she be treated among the ones that most despised her previous kind? Would she be accepted? Shot down, figuratively and literally? Would she even get to glimpse at the future she set out to see?

It took twenty minutes to scale her way down, which was no less impressive, considering the risky manoeuvres she had to make to compensate for the extra weight. Usually, prisoners were delivered unconscious, with couples of men and women assisting in the climb. And yet now she took the burden alone, facing the jaggedness of her only platform in as speedy and delicately a way as she could. The village's edge soon lay beneath her, but even here she was at risk. With the middle-aged man on her back—the only possession that gave her a chance at surviving the near future—she couldn't dream of outrunning the fiends that patrolled vigilantly through these same woods. It would be moments from now before she'd be seen. Chameleons speedily rummaged through the treetops surrounding the lush settlement, and their words would reach the whole Kingdom in seconds.

Dropping a few feet to the earth with a final detachment of her hooks, Eclipse hit the ground with an 'umph', twisting her feet to begin the sprint. And so, with a moment's rest, she began her mad dash to a dirtier, more ruthless civilization. One where laws were stricter than she would ever grow used to and equally worthless at maintaining peace. Though the thought still confused her, such a place would hopefully become her new and only safe haven. The rush in her blood made her faster on her heels than she imagined; almost indifferent toward the eighty kilos crushing her frame.

Countless trees skimmed her by as her feet dug noisily into the soils. Under these trees was a static veil of grey. Eclipse knew well the colours of the shadows, and even among the small cracks of light, her keen eyes picked up on the rapid streaks of darkness that communed just above her. As she imagined, she was being tracked. Looking up, she noticed the advancing Chameleons flinging effortlessly from branch to branch as they kept up with her, their speed surpassing hers. They weren't just following her. They were pooling together further ahead.

As soon as she realised the potential foil to her haphazardly plan, Eclipse began slipping between different trees, disorienting her finite destination. Even with Emris draped over her back, her speed was far from laughable. The adrenaline she once felt as a younger lass spilt into her veins, giving her the strength to push on well past her physical boundaries. The thought of leaving forever bit at her heart, but the exile was well past the point of return, and not once did the idea of giving in pervade her mind. Not anymore.

No matter how hard she tried her exit narrowed more for each hit of her heels. Eclipse knew she'd have to dig, and tear, and chew through the proverbial wall to freedom. She closed her eyes and embraced her senses. In the calmness of her mind, she felt at peace. Her legs were beginning to burn, but they kept moving. Her feet, even without her eyes to guide them, lead her through the forest's imperfect anatomy; skipping over rocks, puddles and exposed roots, dodging sticks, bushes and wood trunks. And then, when the warmth of light seeped through the black of her vision, she opened her eyes. Sun peeked through those last few fragments of vegetation.

This was it. The forest's edge. And before those precious rays of sunlight stood a great many numbers of different men and women. People from the village, some of which she recognised, but none of them true. A handful of the walling line of Dwellers were exact copies of each other, only requiring the anatomy of a human to efficiently fight, and seeing no need to maintain believable structure. This was the true nature of the Chameleons. To copy the physical attributes and appearances of those they've seen, even forging false clothes of skin that perfectly matched that of the original person. An imitator, through and through.

The lot stood shoulder to shoulder, their hands lacking any weapons. Instead, they bore natural fangs and talons that betrayed their otherwise perfect visage, outfitting them with the tools they needed to survive. Chameleons were not naturally creatures of battle but they did make fearsome hunters and, if in their niche, they could become effective combatants if necessary. “Yes…” she thought. “This is what lacked back then.” Despite the clear and present danger, she continued to run forward, drawing her artificial claws from her gauntlets once more. “A risk this great... How exhilarating.”

To manage her weapons even as limbs dangled by her armpits would prove a challenge and she was elated to see just how much her abilities could impress her this time. With resolve motivating each of her advancing steps, she crouched down and lunged toward the Chameleon horde.

Seeing the first of her assailants draw near, she quickly raised a set of irons to deflect an incoming slash, countering it with a quick whir of her second set which tore straight through the creature's chest and neck effortlessly and released bluish-green life juices from its unmatched body, killing it efficiently and quickly. Barbarities such as that of the Syndicate or the Crimsoneers wouldn't be tolerated; not by Eclipse. If she was to kill, especially her kin, then humanity would be ensured. Such was fruit of the compassion she still felt.

The exile moved on to the next pair, this time lobbing the unconscious body into the air before dashing forth, overwhelming them with her quick-toed pace. By the time she was burdened again, she had already killed three of the Cryptids, seemingly in no worse shape either. And yet, the ensemble began to disperse as a single line of the Forest Hunters remained her only visible obstruction. Likely an intentional ploy to keep her within.

Understanding their facade, Eclipse dropped her betrayal’s recompense, Emris, upon the earth, watching as the Chameleons zipped around and through the shrouds of the canopies. The blurs of their movements being all she could discern them by, Eclipse had no way of predicting who would strike first. And so, as if to spit on every ounce of rational thinking applicable, she closed her eyes and waited, resting on a knee. Her senses, paramount to all but one of her abandoned creed, would guard her against harm better than any common eyes could.

As the Hunters shot about around her, one Chameleon darted towards her from a tree, approaching at arrow-like speeds. In that minuscule opening, she managed to raise a hand and deflect his attack with some resistance. Before she could do more, it vanished from sight.

This process would repeat several times, she claiming a few lives as well as failing to perceive some of their advances and taking damage silently; stifling her winces and groans as they cut into her. Bit by bit, the numbers that zoomed through the trees grew less in volume as some acknowledged her capacities and chose to retreat instead. The entire time, they had not once managed to rob her of the man that lay by her feet. Eclipse knew their intentions and understood their impulsiveness. She knew they cared less for her escape and more so for Emris' recapture. As such, she stood firm by him. She did feel somewhat peeved that their reason for resisting had little to do with her.

As the Hunters began to understand their efforts did nought but destroy their ranks, their numbers soon dwindled to nothing as even the most stubborn studs gave way under her overwhelming presence. The lack of action gave her the moment's rest she needed, feeling fatigue plague her arms and abdomen. Even if she was tired she couldn't afford to stick around. Reinforcements would soon come, and she'd be hopeless to fend off the more combat-oriented troops, never mind the likes of Minnota or, Goddess forbid, Zylith herself.

Clenching her teeth at her aching, she threw the man back onto her shoulders and ran towards the now clear exit. The light that crept into the forest was dazzlingly bright, which gave it a heavenly appearance.

When she finally parted from the forest, she was exposed to the outside, her eyes scalding at the sudden exposure to light. Few trees dotted the expanse of land that surrounded the city, so the Dwellers' advantage would no longer become feasible. Even still she knew they could catch up to her. So she ran. She ran far, as fast as her legs could take her without looking back.

"Holy... Matur... I made it," she heaved, her voice cracking as she finally slowed down. She had managed something inconceivable. After almost three hours of fighting, climbing and dashing around like her life depended on it, which it did, she had finally found refuge; ironically in the repulsive streets of the Hub's bordering cities. Falling to the ground, dropping the veteran in the process, she took a moment to rest. Reasonable enough. Her leg muscles felt as if they were on fire and her back ached from the constant weight pushing on her spine.

"I better look... great after this... phew!" she jested to herself, earning a few looks from passerby. Looking at the person she worked so hard to rescue as he slept like a baby, Eclipse had to mentally remind herself why she went to such great lengths to save somebody she barely knew. For a moment she had to ask herself whether she had gone mad.

"Alright, you troublemaker," she said, giving the area a quick scan for orientation. In her time of being an exile, she had taken the liberty of navigating, exploring and getting to know the vast majority of the city purely out of interest. If she wanted to just survive, she would've just found some small clearing with animals to then spent her days in a hut. But why do only that? It's worth taking a few risks if it means understanding the world a bit more. That's what she believed, anyway.

Another great foil in her plan was how she was to arrive at the Facility. The ex-Dweller wasn’t at liberty to waltz in there without an invitation, and she didn’t make herself look too trustworthy with a high-ranking officer on her back. While she prided herself on how collected she remained in awry situations, she couldn't help but become nervous. The Syndies might be reasonable and take her in for saving a valuable ally, or they might just take the spoils and gun her down for security. The ebony woman wasn’t the type to let her life lie on a coin flip. But flip it she would.

Whilst cutting through the mundane concrete city she chose to traverse the dimmer, lesser-known shortcuts; typically those of suspicious alleyways. It was risky, but this time of day was safest for these kinds of cross-cuts and even in her state she deemed herself capable of handling a few hoodlums if threatened.

Eclipse had walked past a few people on her way, some of which didn't look like law-abiding citizens. Then again, she was carrying a body caked in blood. That said, aside from a few awkward glares, her walk was uninterrupted — save for a single incident in which she had crossed a gang of four, of which one was particularly young-looking, with hair that hung by his left thigh.

As she passed him by, the shark-toothed smile of the boy widened and he turned to her, slouching in his heavy jacket.

"Ay, girly." He pointed a short finger towards Emris. "You kill him?"

Turning to him, she smirked devilishly. "Mhm, I'm looking to eat him when I get home."

Her words, nonchalant as they were, turned the boy's long, curled smile into a stupefied scowl, his teeth still protruding from his lips. This reaction was exactly what she was looking for, sniggering quietly to herself as she walked away.

Shaking his head, ‘Pride’ called out, "Ey! I'm serious, is he dead?"

"'Prolly!" she shouted back, turning the corner with more spunk than he’d ever seen.

"...Ah, would'a liked a fight."

"Ay, Pride, that was totally one o' them Brigs, weren't it?" one of the gangsters asked, leaning against a wall. "I know I've done seen him before."

"...Yeah, dude killed a few of mine. Kept healin', so I didn't bother."

"Healin'? So he is the Guardian..."

"Th' hell are ya sayin', Luce?" the crime lord said.

"I'm sayin'," she started, spitting the cigarette out of her mouth. "If that's 'im, he ain't dead."

"Ain't dead, huh?"

"Ain't likely."

"Can ya kill 'im?" he wondered, toying with one of his knives.

"Oh, you can kill anyone, cinnamon. Ya just gotta find what makes 'im tick."

With a look of youthful determination plastered on his face, ‘Pride’s signature grin stretched long across his complexion. "What makes 'im tick, ah? Suuure."

Raising a brow, a buff mobster with heinously large arms scratched his head. "I know d'look in dem eyes, Pride. You schemin' somin' fierce. Whatcha gettin' out of it?"

Turning to the hulking man with that hellish smile of his, his grey eyes loomed from within his hoodie. "That guy’s called Emris. Found out yesterday he's one of Alpha's favourite dogs. I bet Jasper'll gimme a raise if I bring 'im his head."

Scoffing, the last of the four, a scrawny young man with glasses murmured, "Oph, you's lookin' for trouble, fuckin' with the Guardian like that."

"You simpin' for 'im or somin', Tez?" the brute known as Bruce asked.

"Nah. He's been in some mad wars, brothers."

"Sister," Lucy raised a gloved hand scoldingly.

"Shut it, Luce."

Placing a cautious, brick-sized hand on the boy's shoulders, Bruce asked, "You still doin' it, Mums?"

Swatting his hand off, the lad hissed, "It's 'Pride', fuckhead. And sure. I'm feeling like huntin' legends lately."

♦ ♥ ♣ ♠

Standing before the massive establishment, Eclipse felt like collapsing right then and there. Her nerves had cooled down by now, replaced by the tiredness that plagued every inch of her body. Managing to come close enough to the door for several soldiers to come out to investigate, she finally rolled Emris' body off her for the last time before collapsing on the pavement, unconscious.

In just a minute, a multitude of guards had surrounded the pair of knock-outs, left to wonder what could've possibly taken place for such a strange event to take place the relieved Alpha; the latter of which stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Och... I knew something strange was afoot. Dare I say, Emris makes his presence known, especially at night. To be met with silence... A worrisome wart I must've seemed," Alpha admitted, chuffing at his paranoid episodes. He wouldn't show such humble frets to his underlings, but he wasn't lying. In fact, Emris often met him at least once during the day unless he had gone to another country during his missions and antics. But even then he would've been informed.

"I'm quite certain the person who delivered him is a Dweller... Just what has happened? And at a time like this, when he's most needed..."

"Aye, it's irking me and my curiosity, to say the least," the Head of Men said with a dramatic huff. He couldn't pin the blame entirely on the Brigadier, but he understood that this must've spurred in part due to his lack of rational thinking. The kingly man folded his arms in thought. "Corvus and Erica are still Goddess-knows-where, too. And to think that just tomorrow night all hell is to break loose."

Looking up at Alpha with an air of concern, Fely held his hands to his chest. "Do you still think we have a chance?"

Looking down at the doctor, Alpha smiled, closing his eyes. "As this organisation's proud ruler, I'm inclined to say we're destined to win. But if our odds be so low with Yanksee…”

"It seems we might face Hell itself for the very first time in centuries," Fely finished his statement, sighing to himself.