Kicking the last person into the warp, the woman looked down at them with her golden eyes as their body drifts down through the warp, falling into the sky.
"That should be the last of them, right Kouga?"
Shining the golden light from her eyes on the ceiling, she looks to the corner of the room. Looking at a man blending in with the room sitting upside down, cracking his neck as his white eyes met her gaze.
"Could you not expose me like that Najah. I like to keep a low profile when I can."
With a soft smile and a bat of her eyes, Najah looks around.
"Expose? It's only us here, no need to be so shy around other Crusaders… right Captain?"
Swiping his left hand across his face, a thin film of white material covered his eyes, leaving no trace of them in site making him appear completely hidden again as his voice echoed throughout the room.
"Najah, lets focus on the task at hand, please keep your eyes on the top potentials in this scan. It's my first task as Captain given directly by the Frozen Phoenix to make sure things go smoothly so please don't make me look bad."
Rolling her eyes as she walks off from the warp, Najah crosses her arms.
"Are you saying you don't believe in me Captain? How rude!"
Clearly flustered by his tone, Kouga springs to defense.
"What! No I… I didn't mean it like that."
With a alluring look in her eyes, Najah goats him to react again.
"Really? How did you mean it then?"
With a nervous gulp, an anxious Kouga scrambles to reply.
"I mean that… I… trust you."
Smiling as she puts her hands on her hips, Najah teases the captain.
"Hmmm? What was that? I don't think I heard you?"
Clearly flustered by the question, he turns his head away.
"Najah! Your always messing with me!"
Giggling while covering her mouth, Najah can't help but enjoy the look in his eyes.
"You just make it so fun to do! The way you respond is the best."
Straightening his poster, he once again fades away.
"Just make sure no one dies Najah, I'll be back soon. An if anything gets out of control wait on standby for the others. I let them know to come here straight when they arrive and their almost back from their purge so it shouldn't be too long on your own."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Najah shoos him away.
"Yeah, yeah! I can handle this Kouga! Its just another scan."
Flipping her hair as her yellow skin glows under the green light, Najah turns to sit once again in the center of the room, watching them slowly awaken as they fall through the sky.
"Its cute your so worried about me Kouga but don't worry…"
Releasing hundreds of strings in all directions as she turns her attention to the rifts scattered across the sky.
"I don't die easy so neither will they… besides it won't be a problem since most of them will take my way out before they even hit the ground. So those who remain will be the only ones we need to keep around."
With a concerned look, Kouga opens a small rift and takes a step inside.
"Just don't go scaring any of them half to death. Pass or fail their still the same survivors that we swore to protect."
Waving her hand as her eyes begin to glow bright again, she blows Kouga a kiss as she sees a blue crack on the ceiling fading away.
"Of course Kouga! I'll make sure our squad looks good as I always do."
Survival is the only way to pass the test. Now let's see who does it best.
Thousands of survivors awakened to surging streams of water rocketing through the air, ripping Samosas clean in two that were to slow to get away while the others flew past them on their way to the ground. Drawing in all their attention as their remains popped right before their eyes and they can do nothing but listen to the symphony of the dead just before they hit the ground.
"Wh-WHAT! THEY- SHE NEVER SAID WE'D DIE!"
Each and every last one of the survivors who stepped up, were greeted with their first bitter taste of the Mad Lands that await below. An if they still have the gall to go forth and fight… now's their time to show.
"Time to get up everybody! Welcome to your first scan and for may of you judging from many of you reactions— your last! But honestly I can't say I blame you, the Mad Lands are even rough for me. Its the home to scary Devions and even scarier Bio Life deeper inside. The nicest parts of these lands you'll find are the hill tops in the clearings but to even get to those you have to get through the Burning Blue. But enough about my experience, this is a story for you. An things only get worst the further you go inside. So before it gets too hectic for me to pull you all back in one piece, who wants to go back inside?"
"These lands are one of the many unforgiving Dead Zones that swallow survivors up to never be seen again and one of the many things that stop us from restoring our old way of life. It's our daily fight no matter who fails too pull through. So if you can't handle this much the Crusaders just might not be for you and there's no shame in that. Nobody wants to die."
"So if it's too much for you now that you know what's at stake, I suggest you quit now while your still intact before you hit the ground. I have given you all a life line to return back just in case I cannot reach you in time. You'll know how to use it when the time is right but if for any reason it fails and you still have some fight in you, please do your best to stay alive so at the very least we can bring you back in one piece."
"That'll be all for now so if your sure your done, scream to the top of your lungs and I'll take you back right now before your out of reach."
In an instance the dazed and the conscious paused for a moment, just one moment as they looked to each other with anxious eyes, waiting for who would scream first and who would stay. But before they could finishing their game of chicken the first scream came from below rippling across the sky and drowning out their cries. An it's only in that moment that true fear fills their eyes as the realization began to set in.
One after another without daring to look down, without a second thought passing through their head, the brief silence thousands was broken by screams one after another pleading for their life. An without encountering a single one face to face, ninety percent of them had been driven away. While those who made up their mind we're to busy looking at the black vines towering up for the three tops, climbing through the sky. Despite the threat in front of them, they didn't run, they didn't despair, not one of them showed even the slightest hint of dread. No, despite the odds they had a look of joy instead.
"How's it going so far with the new recruits Najah?"
Sipping from the glass balancing on her hand, Najah shakes the liquid inside splashing it around yet keeping every drop inside.
"The ones who remain are not right in the head. They don't think the same as the others do but can that one difference keep them alive for as long as they plan on sticking around? From the looks of it this nut job wants to go underground."
Reaching into a bottle neck bag with a latch underneath, a small hand pulls out a dark hilt, holding it firmly in their left hand before turning in on it's side.
"Calm down."
Yawning as she aims the hilt to the ground a white light builds in her hand.
"Your all acting like you didn't know how bad it was out here already."
Cutting through the chaos, a white burst rippling across the sky, splitting apart into hundreds of mouths tearing through every vine in sight. Rubbing her eyes as her white hair blows back into the wind, she looks towards the warp.
"If you were just gonna run home why even bother to showing up, you had like twelve flips to decide? Well either way your hear now so hurry up and make yourselves useful or go back inside."
Rushing toward her while she's off guard a vine snaps to the side, bending into different angles as it spread itself across the sky, racing toward the tiny woman to stab her in the back. The vine split into four parts that coiled around one another, ready to punch right through her chest.
"You never listen to me!"
But before it could even attempt to graze her, a brown man with smooth skin and spiky blue hair tore through the wind and blew the vines apart. Scattering its remains across the sky as they both lock eyes, falling through the air side by side.
"I told you don't look away during a fight unless you've already won Izami! Do you want to end up dead?!"
Grabbing hold of the vines with his orange gloves, the clear orbs lining his knuckles begin to generate blue particles and run them down micro tubing to a large orb that's pitch black inside. He begins whirling the vines around his hands, restricting their movement as he presses the gloves flat finger tips against one another, holding them in place with a mischievous smile on his face.
"You already know exactly what I'm going to say so might as well do it now."
Rolling her eyes, Izami spins the hilt in her hand, twisting it to turn up straight. Transforming it into a cryptic sleeve shaped like a figure eight, fully covering her left arm and half of her chest. Turning what was once white to black, Izami's left eye changes into a dazzling pattern of lines shaping leaves across her eyes as she locks onto her target. Never letting it leave her sight.
"Fine Itami. But I'll wait on standby anyways just to make sure you don't end up dead."
Without even turning his head, Itami nods his head in agreement, letting the vines drag him down as they try to pull away.
"Don't worry I'll be fine! Besides— it's a brothers job to be more than just tough talk! An I'm an aspiring Theasist so I need this experience to prove my theory too!"
With utter confusing spread across her face, Izami shakes her head.
"Huh? What are you on about?"
Spinning around in a circle as it tries to shake him off, Itami holds it firm as he tries glide at itss pace.
"Nothing, nothing just focus on getting down safe I'll join you soon."
With a serious look, Izami stares Itami in the face.
"You promise?"
Shaking his arms to match the direction of its pull, Itami smiles to put her mind at ease.
"Yes, I promise. I'll even make you some Soaking Sops later, so come onnn fix your face! You know I'm a lot more than just my handsome face."
The further down he goes the more his words begin to sound like mumbles under his breath as they get further and further apart. Giving him time to act on his own as it attempts to encircle him with vines to cut off his head.
I'll keep my promise Izami, right after I put this thing in its place.
"Trying to constrict me really? If that's all you got then you might not be that smart after all! You know she can still hit you from here?"
Izami sticks two fingers out and sits her thumb on top of the trigger as a trigger she aims her left arm to the ground, straightening it out like a sniper chambering a round. An in an instance she release a strong wave of dense animus through her palm sending shock waves up the rest of her hand, pushing her back high into the sky to enjoy the show as the massive burst of animus breaks the vines apart.
"If you scratch my brother— you'll die twice. So you better play nice."
She's a terrifying ally and enemy, no matter where you lie your head. If you end up on her bad side, Izami The Indomitable will have your head.
Tightly constricting his movements, the vines held Izami's hands down tightly covering his gloves. Trying to stick their intruding teeth through them into his skin. But they we're cracked and pushed away no matter how deep they tried to go. Now realizing with every click of his finger tips they crumbed to the ground.
"Since your going for the kill you won't mind if I do the same?"
Creeping down the vines a fuzzy coat of purple spread all around them as they begin to shatter, falling straight to the ground.
"It's best not to get too antsy or you'll break apart. We'll I guess you did that already huh? So no point in stopping you now. Oh well, guess I can't hope for too intelligent life this early in but do me a favor and introduce me to your more… sophisticated kin."
Looking at the vines forcibly break apart down below, his expression changed as his eyes grew brighter, shining like a radiant horizon at the down of a new born star.
"You think you have the right to run after going for my sister's head?
Still this is interesting… its not just mindless and it can even plan a strategist escape. I take back what I said, this thing just gave me new hope for this place.
Placing his right palm down as he clicked his left hand's fingers together, he created a purple gun, lined up perfectly with the flare from Rava-Nine.
"You've got nowhere to run I already know your face. But I know this alone won't end you so I look forward to the chase."
Any creature this instinctively defensive's real body must be weak that's the only reason you'd flinch when attacking from afar.
Surrounded by the chilling steam coming off of his body, Itami fires a shot that turned the air and everything go down into a solid colliding right into the ground. Freezing all the vines and shattering them in an instance, crushing them into fine dust that blocks out the sky.
Coating a figure in dust as it falls through dust with a hand over its face, crawling back to its feet as it crashes into the ground, looking up into Itami's eyes as he sit atop the remains of the frozen pillar and shouts out to the sky.
"See its a good thing it ran Izami and I'll you why! If it can run away that means it can feel pain! And my theory is that pain only grows more intense the closer we get to its source and force it to find new ways to stay alive!"
Leaping off of the mound of ice, Itami picks up the frozen remains of a vine, shatters it in his hands. But as they scatter across the ground, they land into a faint trail of blood leading to the trees deeper inside. Carrying a presence like roaming eyes, filled with disdain. A presence that made Itami laugh like a mad man with one hand covering half his face.
"Now I'm dying to know what you have as a heart! Your proof that living evolution is still far from dead and if I'm right I'll start up a new wave with Bio Life!"
Looking at him like he's crazy a man, Tyson rises from the ground holding onto his head as he stares Itami down with malice in his eye.
"You think too highly of yourself! Lowly survivors shouldn't have ambitions so big!"
Tapping onto the side of his head, Itami's earrings begin to glimmer as a raspy, annoyed voice begins to echo inside his head.
"HUH? What do you want? Are we already there?"
Itami doesn't even meet Tyson's eyes as he addresses the voice and walks right by him, treating him like a bug buzzing in his ear.
"Yeah we made it and there's much to be found. For now we'll wait for Izami's update then we'll head in and make our way underground."
But out the corner of his eye, something large comes flying at his head, leaving marks across the ground.
"That's what happens when you address a stella like that!"
Wow that's crazy! Can he even fight back? It was quite a cowardly move but it seemed like a lethal attack.