Manticore Hunting

[Zane Haskill]

Zane walked through the desert with a solemn look on his face. On his black coat was not the normal circle pin that the Annulus wore, but instead a VDF badge. He pulled the scythe from his back as he neared the fort. He was greeted by three Wolf-Like Viruses. He swung his scythe, cutting through the lead one easily. He spun the scythe around himself, cutting through the other two. In the air above him was a large swarm of Raven-Viruses, all flying as one. He grinned slightly, Holding a hand up. The sky over the group of Flying Viruses darkened, and a rumbling sound echoed from it. A Dense black cloud formed and rumbled again, rain soon pouring from it at a high pace. Zane held up his other hand, and grinned as the falling water turned to sharp shards of Ice. Soon later, the cloud of Airborne viruses vanished, and a large portion of the ones on the ground thinned out as well. Zane dispelled both of the abilities, and grinned. Sofia Blakke and Elizabeth Holly were to thank for that mass wipe out.

Zane spun his Scythe leisurely as he walked, Cutting down small groups of Viruses still remaining. He knew that the Manticores he was sent to hunt were still alive, the shards would have been NOTHING to them. He heard a Growling, which caused him to grin. He turned and looked directly into the face of his first enemy. He cut through the things head with the scythe, causing it to rear back. The Chip, he knew, was in between the third and fourth rib on the left side, but he wasnt going for the kill, not yet. He spun along its side and brought his scythe through the things Tail, cutting it off effortlessly before spinning and putting the point of his scythe into the things side, causing it to vanish. The tail, however, remained. Zane grinned. "One down. Two to go." He chuckled and poked the Tail with the end of his scythe.

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

Sofia grinned satisfactorily, watching as the form lynx-like Virus she'd shot flickered and finally vanished, as if it'd never been there. She'd connected easily with the chip. But she didn't have much time to relax, another of the feline Viruses came at her from behind, the Claw spinning just in time to avoid taking the hit - she smacked it hard with her pronged tail as she did so. In that moment, while the creature was stunned, she quickly called upon her Green Hand ability. It was difficult to use in the desert, where there wasn't much in the way of greenery, but she saw a cactus that she could use near the Virus. Under her control, the plant grew and outstretched like a vine, its spiny arms grabbing control of the Virus as it howled it pain. Making the elongated cactus squeeze it tight, Sofia peppered the trapped Virus with bullets until the thing finally dissipated with a last shriek. This time she had time to briefly enjoy her victory. There didn't seem to be any Viruses left in the immediate area, but the VDF member was sure that there would be more as she drew closer to the fort. Like Valli, it'd been a Virus hotspot recently, and Anti-Virus wanted them gone.

But before she could do anything else, the bright desert sky suddenly darkened, letting out a rumble of thunder. She blinked in surprise, looking up. ...A thunderstorm? The sudden change of weather was reminiscent of her Forecast ability, but she hadn't used it. Odd. Glancing off into the distance, though, she thought see saw the rain glisten into ice as it fell, followed by the sound of multiple shrieks.

There was definitely some sort of conflict going on! Taking off into the direction that the storm had appeared in as it faded, she quickly caught sight of a fellow Claw man and VDF member that she knew as Andrew Partridge. That's right, he'd been sent out here, too. She arrived just in time to see a large Virus fade away, nothing remaining except its decapitated tail. "Not bad, Andrew."

[/color] She smiled, walking up towards her teammate. She looked down somewhat disdainfully at the dead tail, though. "But must you do that with the tail? It's gross."[/color] She stated simply, her nose slightly wrinkled. That man could be a bit odd, sometimes.[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

Andrew spun his Scythe around and stopped it just before it hit the other VDF member. "PAH. They sent a fricken babysitter? I told them I could handle this." He grumbled, pulling the scythe away and holding it over his shoulder. He grinned slightly as Sofia showed her dislike of his trophy. "Awe, come on Sofia. I've gotta take a trophy. Im turning them into armor, after all." he said with a grin. He knew it would help out in the long run, especially with the big picture in mind. He grinned, and then spun on his heels, hearing a growling behind them. Another pair of Manticores lumbered from a nook in the wall, and growled at the Claws that were disturbing their peace. They were a good bit bigger than the first one that he felled.

"Their distortion is the heat around us itself. Be careful." He said, backing up slightly, only to hear more growls from behind him. Minor viruses, but still, if they were left unchecked, there could be a problem. "Take the crew behind us. I'll take the Manticores..." He said with a grumble. He darted forward, jumping over the Manticore's snapping Jaws, swinging and cutting through ones Tail. The other attempted to strike at him, and he slid sideways, off the things back. The manticore struck itself with it's tail, splitting it's own chip. "NO! SUNUVABITCH!" He growled, moving forward and attempting to cut through its tail, but it dissipated too quick. He grumbled and felt the extreme pressure hit his back, throwing himself into the nook the Manticores had come from. It growled into the nook once, and then turned, looking at Sofia with a hungry glare.

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

Sofia sighed in irritated at the other Claw's reaction to her greeting. "I was sent here as well merely because the higher ups wanted this job done as soon as possible. The more people exterminating the Viruses, the sooner this task will be complete. But I am your superior in terms of membership length, so I suggest you show me some respect."

[/color] Her voice was serious, but there was a slight playful tint to her words at the last comment. She gave him a light bop on the head with the side of her gun, giving a slight giggle - she found his irritation slightly amusing, in spite of herself. He was fun to taunt a bit.

The man didn't seem to fazed by her comment about the tail, though, grinning as he commented that he was planning to make armor out of his trophies. She just rolled her eyes, not saying anything else. It's not that it was a bad idea, she had to admit internally. It was just...

But before either of them could say anything else, a growling sounded nearby, the girl immediately tensing. Two large, manticore-like Viruses had appeared, lumbering out from a nook in the wall with anger blazing in their eyes. "I am well aware of that. Don't forget to watch yourself, as well."[/color] The Claw commented as her fellow soldier mentioned their distortion. But she stuck with his plan as more, minor Viruses emerged from behind them, the girl turning to take those out first.

For minor Viruses like these, there was nothing to it. Making sure that her gun was reloaded, she dotted them with bullets, aiming for chip locations that seemed to be common, such as their chests, stomachs, and lungs, until they all finally disappeared. Easy enough.

She whirled back, though, as she heard her teammate growl out an irritated curse. She turned to see him trying to slice off its tail before it dissipated, but he didn't make the cut in time, the tail dissipating as he did the same into the nook the Viruses had emerged from.

"What the heck are you doing?! Letting yourself get distracted over something as dumb as a trophy - how foolish. Our primary objective is always the Virus' destruction."[/color] Sofia yelled out angrily. Great. Now he'd left the thing to her. She barely had time to finish her attempted lecture before the thing turned instead to her, glaring at her with hungry eyes.

Ducking low, she dodged beneath its claw as it attempted a swipe, doing another agile back-flip to get out of the way as it followed up the attack by lunging at her with open fangs. It only ate sand though, the girl luring it back towards another cactus as it gave another fang-first lunge.

As soon as it was close enough, she took control of the plant, stretching it's spiny arms until they were big enough to grab the creature's feet. It shrieked as the cactus' spikes dug into the skin of it's ankles, the overgrown, puppeteered plant holding it in place. Not wasting a moment, Sofia finished it off in her usual manner, peppering it with bullets until the huge Virus finally dissipated.

Letting the plant return to normal as her foe faded, the girl gave an exasperated sigh, glancing around for her fellow Claw and Anti-Virus teammate. It would only be a matter of time before more Viruses showed up.
[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

Zane stepped out from the nook in the wall, rubbing his head. "Damnit..." He muttered, looking at Sofia. "Good job..." He muttered, putting the manticore tail next to the first one he gathered. He looked around, seeing that more Viruses were gathering around them. "Well, Here we go again..." He muttered, picking his scythe up off the ground and spinning it in his hand. He lunged toward the group and crouched low, sweeping the scythe around his body a couple times. Most of the viruses faded from sight. "How many more do you think there are?" He asked as he cut through the last of this group. He ignored Sofia's scolding, for now. He knew, even if he listened, she'd yell at him more later on... He grumbled, he was part of the VDF and knew she was his superior, but he didn't want to hear the overly explained 'you messed up, next time could be your last, yadda yadda yadda...'

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

Her teammate emerged from the gap in the wall, muttering. Sofia sighed a bit. "Thank you. I'm glad you're safe, but make sure to stay focused on the task at hand. Otherwise you'll only put yourself and others in greater danger than necessary."

[/color] She commented, beginning to attempt a lecture again. She couldn't help herself. She wasn't especially far up in terms of superiority herself, so she actually rather enjoyed working with someone who was newer to the organization than herself. She absently noticed the other Claw putting the tail he had managed to collect next to the one he'd acquired previously. She decided not to say anything more, though.

The small moment of peace didn't last long, more Viruses beginning to gather around the two Claws almost instantly. The girl nodded at her teammate's words, quickly re-loading her gun and beginning to dwindle down the new group of Viruses as the man did the same with his scythe. Minor ones like this were easy, but she wondered how long they'd keep coming.

Apparently she wasn't the only one wondering. "I don't know..."[/color] She answered honestly, as the last of the current horde they were facing faded out. "Let's head closer to the building, and see what we find there."[/color] Fort Defray was well known as a rough hangout for Beasts. She wondered if anyone of them were still inside, or if the Viruses had completely taken over that area, too.[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

"Lets go." He said, moving toward the building swiftly. He cut through any of the viruses in his way as they neared the entrance of the Fort. This many viruses around, he was pretty sure the Beasts have been cleared out. They're territorial, so would they allow the Viruses around their home? He shrugged off the thought, maybe the Beasts are keeping the inside of their home safe? He wasn't sure. He almost hoped that there weren't any beasts inside, because they wouldn't allow the claws in for very long, if they didn't kill the pair of them on site...

He turned, making sure Sofia was still with him as he cut through a few more viruses. This was still a lot easier than it should be to require a babysitter... "Level with me, Sofia. This was a simple enough Job. The swarms of Viruses are... nothing. Was there another reason behind them sending you? You say 'To get the job don as soon as possible,' but I feel theres more to it." He said with a sigh, he was probably just being paranoid, but hey, it never hurt to ask, right?

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

Sofia nodded as the boy started heading in the direction of the fort. They encountered a few more minor Viruses on the way there, but the two Anti-Virus members cut through them easily. They hadn't seen any Beasts yet, but that didn't mean there weren't any here. This area had been a home for many, and the girl wondered what had become of most of them. Had they fled or suffered other fates? Or were there still Beasts here, trying to protect what was left of their home? They'd probably see soon enough. Beasts could be hard to deal with - they would have to be ready for anything as they neared the building.

The Claw blinked, though, at her companion's next words. She sighed, hesitating a moment. The other Claw was more perceptive than she'd taken him for. "There have been reports of someone just like you working with Annulus. We don't know if they're anything more than rumors, at this point."

[/color] She glanced up at the boy, gaging his reaction. "It's true that our organizations aren't really enemies at this point, but as I'm sure you know, the VDF doesn't approve of some of Annulus' actions."[/color] In reality, the new organization was largely a mystery to them, and lesser level members such as Sofia weren't told much of what little they did know. But any sort of new group or power was viewed as a threat, and the organization was highly apprehensive about the newcomers. If the rumors are true, some of the higher ups are worried about your motives for working with us as well as them. I was also sent to watch you, and see what I could confirm or find out." She hadn't really been supposed to mention this to him - until the rumors were confirmed or denied, there was likely to always be someone else discretely sent out to watch him. But for whatever reason, she felt the need to ask him about it, herself.[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

"That self righteous group of scientists? The upper-ranks think Im working with those quacks? PAH! I wouldn't be caught dead with a group of Virus Sympathizers." Andrew said, a growl in his voice. He turned and looked at Sofia angrily, his hand tightly gripping the handle of his Scythe. He looked into her eyes, and calmed down a bit. "If it wasn't for the fact it would be a waste of beauty in this godforsaken place, Id cut you down where you stand for the accusations..." He said, turning and starting to work his way toward the door.

He stood outside of the door, waiting for the other VDF member to join his side before entering the door. A howl echoed as the pair moved in, and in a matter of a few seconds they were surrounded. Not by viruses, however. A small group of Beasts. One dropped in behind them to cover their escape from the Fort. "What have we here? Are you two Lost?" One asked, another snarled hungrily. The group closed in on the pair of claws, when a sharp whistle echoed through the fort.

"Back off. These two are mine." The voice of a female came through. The crew backed up a bit, allowing the other beast through. The light illuminated Sophias grinning face. "Sofia Blakke. What brings you to my doorstep? Brining us a snack?" She asked, brushing a hand over Andrews face, dragging her claws softly against his skin. "Now. Why are you here? We don't take kindly to strangers invading our home. I dunno how much longer I can keep these four from attacking you." She warned, almost jokingly.

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

The other Claw sounded genuinely surprised at her words, an anger in his voice at the accusation. Sofia didn't react much to his gaze, but she sighed slightly again as he finished speaking. "I'd like to see you try."

[/color] She stated confidently at his slight threat, but then she looked down a bit. "But look, I don't really believe the rumors, myself. And it seems like you're telling the truth, to me."[/color] Even though he'd had a large, irritated reaction, it hadn't necessarily seemed alarmed or defensive. It'd seemed genuine. "I'll be sure to tell the higher ups that I don't believe that you're involved."[/color]

They reached the door shortly afterwards, the two Claws greeted by a howl as soon as they stepped inside. In nothing but a matter of moments a group of Beast's appeared, blocking their exit. Sofia quickly tensed, glancing around the find that they'd been surrounded. She grimaced in a mixture of anxiety and anger. The Beasts let out growls and verbal jabs as they moved in closer, their gazes hungry and threatening.

A sharp whistle suddenly sounded, though, directing the attention of both the girl and the other Beasts in its direction as a female, wolf-like Beast came towards them. A slightly familiar grin was visible on the woman's face, illuminated just enough to be seen by the light coming in from under the door.

The soldier tensed as the Beast spoke her name, running her hand down the face of her companion. "We were sent by the VDF to help exterminate Viruses in the area. We also wanted to see what condition the fort itself and its inhabitants were in - we don't mean you any harm. We're simply doing our job. Surely you don't have any problems with that?"[/color] The Claw stated simply, raising an eyebrow. She kept one hand remaining on her gun in case things went sour. They were greatly outnumbered, though, and these Beasts somehow felt like more of a threat the Viruses they'd been facing outside.[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

"I have no problem with the VDF doing their job. I do have problems with them traipsing into my house unannounced, and uninvited." She said, examining the pair of them. "Come, hun, take your hand off your gun. I'm a wolf, and theres two cheetahs, a Jackal, and a Hawk around you. We're all fast enough to move before your bullet leaves the gun." She said with an amused tone.

"Control over Shadows, Illusions. Sophia Flynn." Andrew said, looking at Sofia. "With the amount of shadows in here, I dont think we should try anything." He said. Control over shadows could come in handy in the long run. He stared at the Beast for a few minutes as he used his own ability to snatch her Shadow-control.

"I assure you, our home is free of Viruses. We sent the younger, weaker Beasts to the alleyways near Clocktower, and Maverick. Those of us that could fight stayed back. Not a single virus has given us any problems, except those damned Lion things. They took four of our soldiers. Not our best, mind you, but four that we're never getting back." Sophia said with a snarl, looking away from the group. "But that's the past, we're dealing with now. We'll give you one chance to leave quietly, or else you'll have to deal with the Beasts around you, including myself."

As Sophia finished speaking, a loud screeching was heard outside. She looked at one of the viruses and nodded toward the door. He stepped out of the doorway and looked around, He jumped back and narrowly avoided a large claw. "Theres HUGE lizard-looking Viruses out there. They look like they brought friends too." The Beast said.

Andrew looked at Sofia with a grin. "Looks like our job isnt done yet. Lets go!" He said happily. Pulling his scythe from his back and moving toward the Exit. He heard footsteps behind him, expecting his Superior, but when he looked back he saw the Beast Girl, Sophia. She had a stern look on her face, and he figured she was going to help defend her home. He didn't mind, another pair of hands may be useful.

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

Sofia gritted her teeth at the Beast woman's words, still keeping a sweaty palm on her gun despite the fact that she knew the woman's words were probably right. She hated this - she hated feeling over powered! Her fingers refused to leave surface of her gun, but she glanced over at the other Claw in surprise as he spoke. How did he knew all that? But now wasn't the time to question it. Giving a frustrated, angry sigh, she finally removed her hand from her weapon, crossing her arms as she looked up at the Beasts.

She listened as Sophia spoke, though. It sounded like they'd had a few losses, but for the most part the Beasts had been doing fine against the Viruses themselves. When she told them to leave, the girl opened her mouth to speak, but there was suddenly a loud screech from outside that stole her attention. Apparently, large, reptilian Viruses had gathered outside.

She nodded at her companion, grinning slightly herself. Taking just a moment to reload her gun to its fullest capacity, she saw the wolf woman follow her teammate outside as well. Apparently she was still set on defending her home. She knew that she was strong, though, in such a situation having her on their side wouldn't hurt. She rushed out after the two of them, ready to fight.

[Zane Haskill]

Andrew cut through a few minor viruses, then looked up at the Lizard-like viruses. There were four of them, which shouldn't be too easy to take out. "Shoulder, Neck, Head, Spine." He said, not really to anyone, but loud enough it could be heard. He ran forward, sweeping his scythe infront of himself as he did, cutting down the minor viruses in his path.

Sophia growled, a swarm of viruses around her. She did her best, cutting through them with her claws. One jumped at her from behind, and she was caught off guard. As it tackled her to the ground, it slashed at her neck, and just as quick as she was tackled, the thing was gone. Sophia hopped up to see Victus, The Jackal beast that was helping protect. The two Smiled at each other and nodded. She noticed the other three were fighting as well. "You two. Hit the Lizards. We can take the little Viruses." She called out, looking at Sofia.

[SOFIA BLAKKE]

They were facing a total of four of the large, reptilian Viruses, and another swarm of minor ones. Shoulder, Neck, Head, Spine." Sofia heard the other Claw mumble. She blinked, not knowing what he meant. Were those the locations of the chips? She wasn't sure, but first things first - they needed to get rid of the minor Viruses. Before she joined Andrew in taking down a few, the wolf Beast looked in her direction, saying that her and her group would handle the smaller ones. She nodded. "Alright"

[/color]

Sofia glanced around until she spotted a Virus near to desert growth. Perfect! Following her usual tactic, she grew and wrapped the plant around one of the Virus' legs, dodging it's fangs with a quick leap as it tried to bring its head down on her and then dodging a sweeping claw. She took a slight scrape on her shoulder, making her wince, but she had no time to let it bother her. She moved farther away, out of the constricted Virus' reach as she dotted it with bullets, aiming for the points her companion had mentioned until the thing finally flickered and disappeared with a wail.

One down, three to go. Satisfied, she glanced off to see how her teammate and the Beasts were doing with the others.[/size][/blockquote]

[Zane Haskill]

Zane charged toward a pair of the bigger viruses, swiftly, his scythe gripped tightly in his hand. The shadows from the fort moved outward and made a pair of circular ledges. He jumped up onto one, then the next, and finally onto the Viruses back. He cut through It's back, then jumped to the next, clipping it's chip as well. He hopped down landing back in the sands. He looked toward the final larger virus. He swung his scythe downward, a blade of shadow erupting from it. The blade cascaded through the air swiftly, barely missing the chip in the things neck. A pair of smaller viruses, about to lung at him, screeched in pain and he looked over to see a pair of Leopard like Beasts. The twin's looked at him with a smile, which he returned, and they went back to their fighting.

The beasts were effortlessly taking out the swarm of smaller viruses. The leopards seemed to push off one another as they fought, using each other to their advantage. The Falcon let out a screech every few seconds, causing some pain to the viruses as he cut through them with his sword, or shot them with his gun. Sophia and Victus stood back to back, the two seemed to fight flawlessly side by side. A smile on both of their faces, enjoying the fight. "26." Victus said with a laugh. Sophia growled in return. "25..." She muttered, apparently the two were having a contest.