After discussing the plan with everyone, we decided to split into two groups. Our group, which consisted of Hella, Hecate, Crache, and I, while the other was the cunning hares, with Nekomata.
The plan was to have us cause a major distraction, minus the killing. This caused some whining from Hella, since she was getting tired to deal with ethereals.
While the cunning hares, Nekomata, and Belle would sneak past all of us in order to find Perlman.
With the plan now made, it was time for us to strike, however, the location we were about to find them in, was a tunnel.
I wasn't worried about us, since Crache herself was now detained with my shackles, I was worried for our enemies.
Is it odd for me to pity them? No, not really, since they are about to encounter something that no one has ever seen.
As soon as we saw the tunnel in our sights, we saw multiple guards in front of what looked like stone barricades.
"So, is that where the CEO of Vision is at?" Crache asked, while a large shadow blade began to rise from her padded jacket.
"Yes, but you can't kill them." I said to Crache, hearing this, the blade soon returned to her shadow, and she shrugged.
"Okay, moving on with… what just happened, are you sure you guys will be okay? That place looks pretty secure." Nicole said.
"We'll be fine, we've faced things far worse than this." Hella yawned, while also tapping her shoulder with her metal pipe.
"Okay, just remember to head back when it becomes too much." Belle said and soon left with the cunning hares.
"Hella, you're up." Hella smiled at my words and soon walked out from our spot, and soon began to cry with crocodile tears.
"Wahhhhh, mama, papa, I'm scared!" She wailed with ease, pretending to use the metal pipe as a crutch.
Hearing her crying, the guards that were blocking the front entrance soon rushed towards her.
All wearing the same armor that we saw from the time we were forced to escape from the hollow.
"Hey there little girl, where are your parents?" One of the guards asked, kneeling down to her level.
"I-I was getting ice cream with my m-mama and p-papa, a-and this big meanie snatching me in their arms, a-and soon took me in the hollow." She said and slid down to her knees, wiping her tears.
"Okay, okay, there's no need to cry now, we have a spot on where you can stay, then we can look for your parents while you stay there." Two of the guards began to lead Hella away, while subtly turning to us with a smug grin.
"Should we tell the boss about this?" One of the guards asked.
"Nah, he's too busy inflating his ego." Replied the second guard.
"Too bad it's the only thing that can grow." The guards began to laugh, only for their shadows to rise and punch them with enough force to knock them out.
"That was stupid, why are adult laughing at a guy who's short?" She asked me, while Hecate and I walked towards her.
"He's actually short as a five year old child." I said, Crache then turned towards me with one of her brows raised.
"Really?" I nodded my head to her question.
"Huh, never mind then." Soon we heard Hella coming back, and in both hands were the two guards in each and, and she soon tossed both of them in front of us.
"Hmph, turns out one of these guys was feeling guilty about leaving people to die." She said and soon stood next to us.
"So, we sending in small and edgy here?" Hella pointed at Crache, who had Hella's shadow stab her.
"Ow, it was just a joke!" She said while rubbing her arm, Crache didn't respond, she began to walk towards the entrance to the tunnel.
"Can't take a damn joke." She hissed and walked behind Crache, I only sighed at what happened, but soon made my way inside with Hecate in tow.
"Crache, flank them from behind, and wait until I call you." Crache nodded her head and soon made her way to shadows.
The second her foot touched it, she disappeared from our eyes, Hella only sighed at the sight.
"I swear, she's like a ghost when she does that." She shuddered, even I had to admit, it was still disturbing.
"That's why most of the staff carry a flashlight in the day, making sure she's not hiding in the shadows, literally." I muttered, Hella herself nodded at my words.
The three of us continued forward, making sure we didn't make excessive noise,, soon we could see a small light plastic ahead, with guards and wooden containers up ahead.
"Hella, catch their attention." I whispered and cocked the chamber of my gun.
Hella smiled at my order and soon walked forward, dragging her pipe across the loose gravel, she then raised it and slammed it on the metal rail, catching the attention of the guards.
"Stop, Identify yourselves, or we will shoot!" One of the guards shouted at us, and soon raised their guns.
"My name, is Eros Voss, I am the chief of the MBCC, surrender yourselves, and no one will get hurt." I announced, the guards in front of us took a step back.
However, seeing that it was only the three of us, one of them took a step forward.
"Y-you don't scare us!" One of the guards shouted, seeing this, the rest of the group soon did the same.
"I see, I gave you the chance to surrender, Crache, if you could." Black tentacle soon sprouted from the side, wrapping itself on one of the guards legs.
The guard didn't have the chance to react from the sudden grasp, and was soon tossed deeper into the tunnel.
Their screams were loud at first, but soon became muffled, until the screaming stopped.
Seeing one of their companions being dragged away, they began to fire at the shadow tentacle, however it already retreated.
Only for another to form and wrap itself around the waste of another, and soon picked them up, using them as a sort of weapon.
Smacking all of them to the side once done, the tentacle began slamming the guard on the ground multiple times.
"Crache, that's enough, we have more to deal with." The second I said that, more guards began to rush towards us, ask with their weapons raised.
They all began to fire towards us, the muzzles began to flash small specks of flames.
"Hecate." Was all I said, and nightmare soon slammed a large slab of concrete in front of us, blocking the bullets that's was about to hit us.
"What hell is that!?" One of the guards shouted and pointed at nightmare, it screamed at them from above and soon began to fl towards them.
Even as the guards tried to shoot at it, it was able to weave through and extend its hand, slamming the guard in front of it to the ground.
"Shoot it, shoot it!" All the guards began to fire at nightmare, but the bullets only bounced off its skin, it roared once again and swing its arm, swatting away the guards that were in front of it.
"Don't forget me!" Hella shouted from above, slamming her metal pipe on one of the guards heads.
Luckily, they had a helmet to pretext themselves from the blow, but it wasn't enough to protect them from her strength.
"Ahh, another one!" A few of the guards turned their focus to Hella, but they didn't have enough time to fire, the only thing they saw was a metal pipe aimed at their heads.
"Rghaaaaa!" One of the guards yelled from behind and slammed the butt of there gun on the back of Hella's head, causing her to stumble forward.
Everyone stopped when Hella stumbled from the attack, but she didn't fall. Instead, she was able to keep standing.
She slowly raised her hand to touch where she was struck, and pulled back, seeing red staining her hands.
"Oh no." I said and saw her trembling, not from fear, but from rage, pure unbridle rage.
"You… you hurt me, you mother fucker!" Hella shouted and slammed the guard that struck her.
Not only sending the guard flying, but causing the clothes to slip off their body as well.
She began to go on a rampage, swinging her pipe left and right, knocking every guard out of the way.
"Run, she's a monster!" The guards began to retreat from the commotion, but a large shadow blocked their way, and soon slammed on top of them.
Moving back, the guards were imbedded onto the ground, groaning in pain from the impact.
"Crache." I called out to her, she then walked out with the same indifference look on her face.
"What? I didn't kill them." I only sighed and walked towards her, patting her head with my hand.
"Fine, I'll let it slide this once" She shrugged once again and soon made her way to shadows, blending in once more.
"Let's go." Hecate and Hella nodded, and soon the three of us continued to walk deeper, ahead of us, guards continued to pour towards us, like water down running down the drain.
I always made sure to keep myself hidden from the shooting, but I peaked out once in a while to see their positions.
"Hecate, knock out the lights for Crache." The light bulbs soon began to break, one after another, extending the shadows and forcing the guards to move back.
The only thing they had to see, were small flashlights that were under the barrels of their gun.
"Crache, take them out!" Crache then took the chance to jump in the center of the group and the shadow soon appeared behind her.
This time, instead of a blade, it was a large claw. The claw soon grabbed a hand full of the guards, and began to toss them towards the wall.
Once the claw was released, Crache made a mad dash towards the shadows, and soon disappeared.
"Shit, they got a fourth one, fire at them!" A few of the guards then split off from the main group and began to look for Crache, trying to aim their lights to where she was.
However, Crache was someone hard to find, with her small frame and umbrakinesis, she was a force to be reckoned with.
"Chief, I'm going in for another run." She then reappeared behind the squad that was firing at nothing and used her shadow blade to slice at their guns.
Once done, she began to run through the group, dodging and weaving through their grasps with ease, while simultaneously slicing the barrels on each gun.
Most of, if not all of their guns were now rendered useless as soon as she fled back into the shadows.
The barrels all began to clatter onto the floor, while the guards were slow to realize on what just happened.
They all began to focus their attention on their guns, they didn't notice the four of us in front of them.
"Now that I have your attention, will you surrender?" I asked, all of them room stared back at us, all of them began to pull out knives, or batons.
However, I thought I saw one of the guards holding what looked like a small syringe one that was filled with mania.
"Crache!" I shouted and pointed at the guard with the syringe, but she was too late.
The guard pierced his skin with the syringe, and the mania began to flow into his body.
The guard then knelt over, hugging his body in pain. While the rest of the guards began to move away from him.
The suit he was wearing began to expand, bubbling, and the guard screamed, he raised his head up and his arms extended to the side.
Followed by the sound of the cloth ripping, soon, the person had mania crystals grow in out of their body.
Their limbs were now glowing red, and their body soon began to look more muscular.
"Yeah, that's right, we have these thi-" Before the guard could finish speaking, they were swatted to the side, and was then turned into paste when they slammed onto the wall.
"Bob no! Dammit Walter, he was on our-" The upper part of their head disappeared in an instant, and in the infected mans hand, was the upper part of the head.
The man named Walter only had a smile on his face, with the teethe being exposed.
"Don't tell me what to do." He said, and crushed the head in his hands, the rest of the guards began to scream, catching his attention.
"So noisy!" He screamed and reached out to one of the guards, only for a shadow claw to stab its arm.
He didn't flinch at the attack, only staring at the claw stabbing its arm, and was about to grab it.
"Oh no you don't!" Hella shouted and whacked the infected person in the jaw, letting the claw to pull back and sink back in the shadows.
"Hecate, get nightmare to catch their attention." I said while running towards the guards that were too scared to move.
"You wont get away!" The corrupter shouted, only top be pushed back by nightmare.
"T-they said that this would enhance us, not turn us into… this!" One of the guards was hugging themselves in fear.
'So, they are weaponizing the mania, using it as some sort of serum to enhance themselves.' I thought and could only shake my head.
"That is no longer your friend, that is a corrupter, go, get the rest of your companions and run!" I said and began to pull them up.
"H-here, take this, they gave us the same thing to all of us." The guard said and handed me a syringe, one that was also filled with mania.
Grabbing it, I saw the mania in a liquid state. The mania glowing inside as I held it in my hands.
I soon pulled out my W-engine, and saw the crystal flashing, and the mania in the syringe was doing the same.
"Get the rest of your squad, we'll talk once we deal with this." I said and began to push the mania out, the liquid began to flow into the crystal.
"Go, now!" I shouted, and watched as the guard stumbled back and began to run towards their companions, pulling them out of the tunnel.
Once they left, I threw the syringe to the side and stared at the now glowing crystal.
"Hecate, Hella, Crache, you are free to kill." I raised my eyes, while the glowing mania danced across my face.
"Aw fuck yeah, I was getting annoyed on holding back!" She said and soon dodged a strike from the corrupter.
Only to raise her pipe and slam it onto the arm, a crack was heard, but the man didn't flinch once again.
"That tickles!" The corrupter laughed and raised its arm with ease, curling and uncurling their fingers.
This one has more defense, we need to find the core." Hecate said, launching her attacks at the corrupter.
The attacks landed and caused it to shake its head, groaning in pain from the attacks.
"Head, hurting!" Said the corrupter, holding its head with its hands.
As it knelt forward, I saw what looked like a golden sphere on its back, being protected by the crystals that sprouted from its body.
"Core sighted, Crach, destroy the crystals on its back!" I said and began to shoot at it, drawing its attention onto me.
"Intruder, must kill!" It said and began to run towards me, I walked backwards and continued to fire, watching it get closer and closer.
"Crache?! Now would be a good time!" I shouted while swapping magazines.
It soon reached me, with its arm raised, I didn't flinch, only staring at the corrupter with my gun raised.
Soon, Crached dropped in from above, the claw had its fingers closed together, thrusting it down and piercing through the crystals.
As soon as the core was destroyed, the corrupter wailed, not as a human, but as a monster.
It soon knelt down on the floor, with its entire body being tense. Seeing this, nightmare soon pushed it onto its back, and held it in place.
"Put it out of its misery." I said and walked passed both of them hearing the high pitch scream, before seeing the purple color adorn the walls.
"Hecate, go get the rest of those syringes." I said with authority, causing her to look at me with nervousness, seeing that the people who made this made my blood boil.
I continued to walk down the tunnel, and soon arrived at the location on where the so called CEO of Vision was overseeing the demolition.
I raised my arm and had the mania form, blasting the gates open, where I saw the cunning hares, and Perlman, with a few guards on the ground.
"Oh, Eros, we were just about to… call… you." I walked passed them and soon saw the short man in front of me.
On top of him, was Nekomata holding him down. But after seeing my eyes, she moved back, giving me the chance to spin him around and pick him up by the collar.
"Who gave you this?" I asked and showed him the syringe in my hand, he only took one glance and soon focused back to me.
"I have no idea what this is, do you know who I am?" He deflected my question, seeing this, I began to calm down, not letting my anger get the best of me.
"Someone you will not know." I said and soon saw Hella and Crache walk in with multiple syringes.
"Here they are Chief, all fifty five." She said with a mock salut, seeing this, Perlman soon turned pale at the sight, and I soon turned towards him.
"So, do you want to talk now?"
[Awww snap, the bellman is caught, and now has to deal with chief, how will he get him to talk? Will he know who made them, or will it be something else? Send those power stones to show support, and I'll see you guys next time. Bye Bye!]