YAY! Chapter 2 is now cleaned up. Enjoy!
Caravan Road – Early Morning
A long road wound like a serpent between two imposing mountains, the well-worn footpath extending as far as the eye could see in both directions. There were boulders lining the steep slopes on either side, many of them shimmering with a thin layer of ice as a dreary rainstorm sent half-frozen droplets to pelt the earth. It was always far more treacherous to travel during the winter months, since one never knew when a rockslide or sudden storm could spell trouble. Those that dared to travel it rarely did so without protection, as well, for it was common knowledge that the local bandits were fond of preying upon travelers.
A family of four trudged along, their pace easily kept by the small group of mercenaries that had been paid to keep them safe during the crossing. One stood over the group at a startling seven feet tall, with long brown dreadlocks accented by a white streak going down one lock of hair. His eyes were a striking blue, furrowed in a gaze that would freeze lava. His body was toned and rather average, but no one who looked at him could doubt the physical strength he possessed as he led the group through the narrow passage. A machine gun was slung across his back, a revolver strapped against his upper leg while a large knife bounced in its sheath on the other side of his hip. He wore what at one time was probably a nondescript tank top, tears and bullet holes having added up over time to render it little more than scraps of cloth barely holding together. A dark green bullet vest was zipped over top, the myriad of pouches bulging with ammunition and dehydrated nutritional bars for the trip. His pants were surplus military in make, the legs tucked into blood stained mud-brown boots, the pockets similarly packed with necessities.
On the left side of the family, a slender woman around five and a half feet walked with a large and heavily-modified war hammer strapped to her back. She had blonde hair that hung down nearly to her waist in a thick braid. A single violet eye kept vigilant watch on the slopes, the other scarred shut. A pair of sawed-off shotguns dangled from her hip holsters for easy access as one thin hand traced along the shaft of the hammer. She wore a filthy red jacket over a cream colored shirt which had seen far better days. A black belt held up green pants much like the first man wore, one leg displaying a ragged hole over her knee from general wear and tear. Her boots were simple, fastened by leather straps that complimented the plain brown they displayed. Whatever color they were before, it's likely it had been worn off long ago.
A shorter male, a smidge under six feet tall with black short hair, wandered lazily at the rear of the party with his hands tucked into his pockets as if he had no concern for any trouble they might face. He carried with him a twin set of short swords crossed against his back, modified to add an elemental kick to the blades with a tug of triggers added to the grips. A set of revolvers hung in shoulder harnesses on either side of his broad chest. He wore a long jacket with flaps that reached roughly his lower thighs over an unbuttoned, faded yellow striped top and the plain off-white t-shirt beneath. His boots were short, looking more akin to running shoes, but the worn down soles spoke of their heavy usage in the unpredictable terrain. A cigarette hung from his lips as he looked off to the side and frowned. "Yo, how much further we got, Tyco?" He questioned loudly, calling across the family they had been hired to guard.
The tallest of the group replied back with a deep, drawn-out groan, "Don't call me Tyco," as he pulled a single toothpick from one of his pockets. The toothpick had become a habit that replaced his smoking some years ago, and his two compatriots knew he was getting agitated whenever it rested between his lips. The man in the back gave a cocky smirk.
"All the girls call you 'Tyco'. Choo choo," he teased as one hand pumped at the air like he had pulled on the horn of a train.
"You don't look much like a lady," the tallest male growled in reply. The woman gave a quick roll of her eye and shot a glare back at the shorter man. "You can tease him when the jobs done, Ace. Leave it alone."
"Ohh...jealous? Maybe you should call 'im Tyco." Ace snickered as he picked up pace to keep up with the group.
"Maybe I should just shoot you in the frigg'n face." She hissed back.
"No need t'be like that, purdy lady. You can call me Tyco anytime." Ace grinned as he spit the cigarette off to the side, letting the butt sizzle futilely against the ice on the gravel. "Don't be hatin', Sai-girl!" She looked back at Ace with an exhausted stare, followed soon by a glare from the man ahead of them.
"Is there a reason you insist on calling him Tyco?" Sai questioned. The retort made Ace stop dead in his tracks, looking both disgusted and a bit lost for words. "Wha-? I...NO! Oh feck no! Do I look...? Do you think...? NO!" Ace picked up pace to follow after the rest of them with one hand planted against the back of his neck. The man up front gave a wide smile in response. "Then call me Tyler. You should be thankful, Ace. I bring all the g-..." As Tyler spoke, a glimpse of movement at the edges of the steep gorge caught his eye. He slowed his pace slightly and began to look at the high peaks.
The family had remained quiet. It was a mother, father and two young boys. They had done their best to ignore the generally inane and sometimes raunchy conversation from the mercenaries, but at Tyler's sudden alertness, they all quickly huddled closer together to give the mercenaries plenty of space to react.
As they rounded one of many bends in the trail, there stood the young girl, 'Chirp', with nothing more than rags for clothing, a cloth roughly tied over her mouth to ward off the acidic bite of the thin air. She looked half-frozen and frightened as she stared at the mercenaries with a pained expression. The group stopped, the two parents reaching out and pulling their children closer to them. A look of confusion crossed their faces one at a time, but the cold, suspicious gaze of the mercenaries gave Chirp an uneasy feeling. She shifted a bit to the right before she started to walk towards Tyler, her eyes set solid upon the ground. As she drew closer, Tyler raised a hand for her to stop and met her halfway.
"They said...you can't come without paying." She whispered after licking her dry and chapped lips.
"Hmph." Tyler replied as he narrowed his eyes and gave the girl a once-over, one hand resting against his hip while the other slipped around the grip on his revolver. "You're the messenger? Bit odd for a kid to be sent out for man-talk."
"Man-talk?" Ace chimed in with a loud laugh, "That kid's prolly gotta bomb strapped t'her somewhere. Oughtta jus' shoot the brat a-..."
Sai turned and raised a single shotgun towards Ace's crotch as he drawled on, sneering, "Keep talkin', Ace."
"...Ah. Ah heh heh...Yeah, we should TOTALLY take 'er with us. After all, she's pretty helpless out here, Tyc—er. Tyler!"
There was a deep, contemplative rumble from Tyler's throat as he mulled over the scenario. "You here willingly, kid?" He questioned. Chirp gave a hesitant glance up towards the edges of the peaks as she took another step forward. She seemed all the more ill at ease as time went on, and despite the hardened look she was getting from Tyler, she recognized a hint of compassion hidden beneath it. She opened her mouth to answer, only to be cut short as bandits began to gather around the hills above.
Among them was a single, red haired male with filthy dreadlocks resting around his face, "We expect two hundred thousand from each of you. Or else everyone dies, including the girl." His slender hand waved towards Chirp with an unsettling grin.
Tyler turned his gaze away from the girl to follow the sound of the voice, as did everyone else. The mercenaries knew better than to let their guards down, particularly in this type of spot. They'd draw together in a loose circle to get a better position as more bandits appeared, preparing for the worst.
"Are you bloody kidding me?" Sai spat softly, eye flicking between the bandits. Ace gave a helpless sigh as he gripped the swords from his back and pinched down on the triggers slightly, psyching himself up for the fight. "Ain't no frigg'n way. Hope you got a plan, Tyler, or we're all junked."
Chirp couldn't help but notice the family beyond Tyler. The boys peeked out from behind the shoulders of their frantic parents as they prayed, looking towards her with wide, frightened eyes. They didn't understand what was going on, and the sight brought back painful memories.
Tyler focused on the red haired man as he shoved the back of his knuckles against the bottom of his chin, scratching at the itchy five o'clock shadow that had grown there. With a bit of a sigh, he replied, "How can we know you're not just gonna jack us for the cash and kill us anyway?"
"You have my word. Or not. It doesn't particularly matter, it's a win-win for us and a lose-lose for you." The red haired man spoke, his smile ever broader with malicious intent in his gaze.
"Right." Tyler's eyebrow twitched as he raised his hand back towards Ace, palm up.
"What? Hey I worked good'n hard fer this damn money! No way in hell I'm givin' my share up!" Ace said abruptly as he slapped the pommel of his blade against his chest. "Jes' throw them Sai, and we'll-..." Ace wasn't the brightest in the group, and that was made all the more obvious as Sai suddenly appeared directly in front of Ace, her knee snapping upward and connecting solidly against his groin. A squeak of pain exited Ace, who pinched his thighs together shakily and he struggled to maintain his footing – and dignity.
"Next time.. I remove it." Sai said with a raspy snarl. She'd turn and grab hold of the massive hammer, swinging it around and pounding the head against the ground in front of her, "Want to play?" She questioned flatly as she stared up towards the red haired man. "Let's see how pretty you are when I finish stripping the flesh off your bones." A smile grew across Sai's features, her eye sparkling with excitement and a destructive craving to destroy every single bandit that had appeared. The look was enough to cause some of the bandits to hesitate, glancing uncertainly between each other.
As Sai drew the attention of the bandits, Tyler's attention was once again drawn to the young girl in front of him. The way Sai handled herself left Chirp awestruck as she watched events unfold in front of her. A familiar voice approached from behind her, the scent of a recent meal lingering in the air around him making it obvious to her who it was. "Oi, Chirp." Logan stopped slightly behind and to the left of her as Tyler leveled a glare at him.
"Chirp?" He questioned.
Logan returned the glare, though it was rather ineffective owing to the fact that his eyes were hidden. Ignoring the question, Logan asked, "This guy bothering you?"
Tyler's eyebrows wrinkled together further at the protective tone in the other man's voice. "You her papa or something?"
Logan reached forward to settle a hand upon Chirp's thin shoulder, saying nothing. Tyler shifted his weight slightly onto his right foot in response, shoulders hunching slightly.
As everyone else seemed to be busy squaring off, Ace glanced over at the family that was still huddled tightly together. The mother was sobbing silently while the two boys looked about ready to join her. The father was the only one who seemed to be keeping his cool, which suited Ace just fine. He slowly wobbled his way forward, both hands cupped over his now tender lower parts. He raised one quivering blade towards the red haired man and squeaked, "You...messed with th' wrong folks, a-hole." The bandits seemed more amused at the empty threat than anything, several different jeers and muffled laughs drifting down.
The laughter drew Tyler's attention for a moment, but it was soon focused back on Logan as he sized the smaller man up. Chirp was stuck in the middle and felt increasingly uncomfortable as the two men seemed intent on trying to stare each other down. "Uh...?" She mumbled, only to be cut off by the two men as they began to talk over each other.
"She's dying, you shit. Look at her!" Tyler barked at Logan, only to find Logan invading his personal space with a finger jamming forward to prod roughly into Tyler's chest. "She's always been this small! We take *good* care of her!"
"Says who!?" Tyler questioned sharply, clearly unimpressed.
"Says me!" Logan responded huffily in turn.
"You? You're a JOKE! I bet she's never even seen what's behind the mask!"
"She-" Logan paused, caught somewhat caught off-guard by the response. He'd narrow his eyes behind the mask as he reached a hand up to pluck it off his face. Logan was an easily forgotten individual with the mask on, as he looked basically alike with every other bandit. Once he peeled it off, however, his rather unique looks were exposed for all to see. His eyes were silver, captivating in their intensity with locks of light brown fringe framing his face. The laughter stopped, replaced by a flood of gasps as Logan ran a hand through his hair and glared at Tyler. "I take damn good care of her," he insisted.
Tyler just smirked, and without warning sent a fist forward towards the now exposed bandit's face. Logan was again caught by surprise, the blow launching him back several feet before he hit the cold ground, the back of his shirt tearing with a loud rip.
As Tyler threw the first punch, the other bandits began to flood down the slopes towards the family in the center. Ace and Sai turned and rushed towards the charge, barely managing to stop the first onslaught of bandits from tearing the defenseless foursome to shreds. "How low," Sai commented sharply as she swung the hammer from right side to the left, sending several bandits sailing through the air with blood splattering across rock and hammer alike. Ace gave a groan as he spun the twin blades around his palm and coated them with elemental energy. "Come'n get it, bitches!" he quipped, his lips twisting upwards into a cheeky grin as he covered Sai's flanks.
Logan pulled himself up into a sitting position and began to probe the rapidly-swelling injury with a grunt as Chirp was jolted into action, quickly wrapping her arms around Tyler's waist while her tiny legs twisted around his in a vain effort to keep the giant at bay. "You bully!" She shrieked, before sinking her teeth into the vest covering Tyler's stomach. "You hurt Logan!" Tyler's eyes jerked down in wide-eyed surprise before he reached down and gripped the back of Chirp's shirt. "Hey, stop that!"
Tyler easily pried Chirp free from his waist and abruptly dumped her to the side as Logan regained his footing and stormed over, the two men falling into an argument over who would take better care of the girl. "You're just a boy!" Tyler growled, his face practically pinned to Logan's. In response, Logan reached a hand up, grabbing tight onto Tyler's vest. "I'm a MAN. I'll prove it!" he retorted angrily.
Tyler grabbed onto Logan's shirt tightly, the two suddenly pitting themselves in a fight for dominance. Compared to Tyler, Logan was relatively smaller at a bit over six feet tall, but he was proving he was more than just some random bandit. His knuckles popped audibly as he tightened his hold onto Tyler's vest, digging determinedly into the thick material. Tyler's hold was also quite solid, muscles rippling as he locked onto Logan's jacket. The sound of their feet could be heard over the battle nearby as they scraped across the gravel, jockeying for position. Tyler suddenly threw his weight into Logan, forcing the smaller man back into a nearby boulder with a meaty thud. Logan gasped as the air was nearly forced out of his lungs, trembling under the taller man's leverage before finding purchase. With a growl, Logan curled a leg around Tyler's knee and shoved, over-balancing the larger man and reversing their positions, eliciting a pained swear from the giant.
By this point, the other mercenaries, the family, and even the remaining bandits had all stopped what they were doing in surprise. Logan, despite his spry build, was proving quite the challenge for Tyler. Sai scratched at the back of her neck with a light frown before she shrugged and raised the hammer to rest across her shoulders, flatly stating, "Welp."
Her attention was suddenly caught by the fact that Chirp had maneuvered herself close to Sai. She looked over the younger girl with a curious expression before turning to regard the red haired male up atop the edge of the steep cliff side. "What's he want with you?" she asked, catching Chirp's attention she realized the one-eyed woman was speaking to her. Chirp didn't say anything in response, instead scooting closer to Sai as she frowned at the two men still locked in a hand-to-hand confrontation.
The bandits had retreated up the slopes, perching along the various boulders and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle while chanting, "LOGAN! LOGAN! LOGAN! LOGAN!" Ace approached Sai and Chirp from behind. He looked down, idly scratching at his cheek with a thoughtful frown, before asking the older woman, "What are we gonna do wit' her? Looks like Tyler got all attached 'n sh-..." Ace paused and looked around before muttering, "Oi, where's th' family?"
Sai stopped paying attention to the melee to look around quickly, "You've got to be feckin' joking..." She hissed, before pointed ahead at four rapidly dwindling dots further up the roadway, "There. They left without paying!" Sai whined. "Now we're really junked for a meal! DAMNIT!"
"I can catch 'em." Ace had begun to trot off after them, but he was stopped by the sensation of small hands clinging to his jacket. He'd look back at Chirp, who blinked with wide eyes, and suppressed a groan. "Fubbercups. Don't be like that, jus'…Lemme go." He poked Chirp's forehead a couple times, then tried to gently tug her off of his coat, traces of wrinkles appearing around his mouth as he frowned. Soon enough, he sighed and slumped his shoulders, casting a final glace up the road. "Shit pickles."
"Looks like he's not the only one attached," Sai commented as she turned, drawing the large hammer off her shoulder as she approached the gathering of bandits. "HEY!" She shouted as her gaze shifted up to the red haired man. His figure loomed atop a ledge, his piercing gaze turning to coldly regard the lone female.
"There are so few women that travel these roads...Maybe we will take you instead of the money?" His suave tone carried along the corridor of rock and snow with a malicious grin. Sai glared in response, her eye alight with the rage she suddenly felt at the man's suggestion.
"Who the feck are you?" She asked sharply, shifting the hammer back to her shoulder with her grip rising along the handle to rest near to the base of the large pallet.
"Who am I? My dear, I am an angel. You may call me Mercury," he replied as he dramatically combed his long fingers through the red dread locks around his face. A cruel smile replaced his earlier expression, overshadowed by a glow that radiated out from behind him. Chirp had never heard the man's name, but upon his formal introduction she seemed to pale slightly. She uncurled her fingers from Ace's jacket and looked up at Mercury as he stood over them, her eyes squinting slightly to witness the dramatic glow cast out from behind the wire thin man.
Ace huffed, and waved off Mercury with one of his blades. "Hmph. I ain't impressed! Who names their kid MERCURY?" Ace rested his hand against his hip, waving one sword around in emphasis before barking out a short laugh. "I mean c'mon! Yer soundin' like a pussy-ass bish instead o' some bandit bigshot."
Mercury felt the crease of wrinkles on his forehead as his mouth twisted into a deep frown at Ace's comment, the glow behind him intensifying dramatically as his fingers stretched out. A sickly-looking light began to radiate out from his fingers, his eyes illuminating a strange purple. Behind Sai and Ace came a sudden gasp for breath. As they turned, they saw Chirp's form floating above the ground. Her arms spread with her legs dangled limply as she defied gravity, her head rolling from side to side. Her lips trembled as first her eyes, then her entire body started to take on the same purple glow.
Tyler's attention was drawn to the sudden silence from Ace and Sai, and turned to gawk at the sight, only to be reminded of the fight he was in by a solid punch to the chin from Logan. Logan, too, froze as he noticed what was going on, his lips parting in surprise, "Ch-Chirp?" Tyler cupped his chin with a light grunt before grabbing hold of Logan's collar, dragging him along towards the girl. Tyler didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes grew cold as they shifted up to Mercury above.
"STOP THAT!" Sai shouted as she swung the hammer downward into the ground directly in front of her, using the weapon as a make-shift vaulting pole. She flew upwards toward Mercury, the hammer digi-structing in midair into a rocket launcher. She aimed it at the man as she began to drop down at him, but she hesitated as she watched purple nubs tear from his back and slowly begun to transform into strange wing-like perches. His smile grew all the more sinister seeing Sai so near as he snapped his free hand forward. Like a claw, it extended out beyond the reach of his arm and latched firmly around her throat, jostling her aim and sending the cluster of five rockets past him into the gathering of bandits nearby. The perches on his back started to spread out like plucked wings, bit by bit forming the leathery surface that were becoming full-sized wings very similar to that of a large bat. Across the tops were tufts of feathers, red and black in tone, replaced by scales closer in to his back. He just smiled as he drew Sai in, his fingertips digging into her neck and drawing five pinpricks of blood.
"SAI!" Ace shouted, forcing Tyler to rip his gaze off of Chirp to the other immediate problem they faced. Ace seemed to lose his cool in an instant as he raced up the sharp slope, screams following closely as his blades whirled in front of him and either dropped the bandits where they stood or sent them tumbling down the rocky mountainside. His determination wasn't missed by Mercury, who tightened his grip and elicited a gurgled cry from Sai as a warning, which only seemed to spur Ace into a faster frenzy. At the same time, Tyler's calm movement carried him forward to the edge of the path, giving little more than a small huff at the piled bodies left behind by Ace's rampage. He drew the revolver from his hip and took aim at Mercury; one eye squinted down the sight intently to get just the right angle with a slow squeeze of the trigger.
As Mercury drew Sai closer, his arm would seem to lock back into its proper place, keeping her lingering over the edge of the steep incline. "I'll leave the choice to you, my dear. The girl, or you."
Sai's eyes started to close as her hands struggled to grip at the sleeve of the man's outstretched arm. Abruptly, she felt the sleeve go taut before a faint ripping sound reached her ears, Mercury dropping away from her. Had she – died? Was this the end? The echo of a distant cry caught her attention, someone calling her name as she floated aimlessly...
The impact of a body colliding with her drew Sai back from her reverie. She was too startled to even blink as a pair of sinewy arms wrapped around her before they met the ground, causing Ace to let out a loud groan. Sai arched her neck and stared at her rescuer for several seconds before he loosened his hold and unceremoniously dumped her beside him. "Damn it, woman," he whined, "nookie time later, chop chop..."
Back on the edge high above, Mercury growled as he clutched the bloody nub of what used to be his hand. Tyler exhaled softly as he drew the hammer of the revolver back again, remaining focused on the red-haired bandit leader.
Logan ran to Chirp, but each attempt to get to her resulted in energy lancing out from the small girl, sending the bandit skidding across the ground with his hair on end. She struggled to breathe, barely able to focus through the agonizing pain. Logan turned quickly towards Mercury with wild eyes and yelled, "Let her go! You're killing her!"
As Sai climbed to her feet, she winced and lightly cupped her neck, slender fingers massaging the marks left behind by Mercury. She glanced between Chirp and the bandit leader quickly before murmuring, "Ace, see if you can't distract the remaining bandits."
Ace gave her a weary look, "Y'aren't plann'n t'do what I think yer plann'n t'do...are ya?" Sai simply gave him a glance, drawing a worn-down sigh from the mercenary as he idly twirled his blades. "...I was afraid o' that."
Sai stepped towards the younger woman as Ace rushed the remaining bandits, her fingers trailing the length of her slender neck. With a deep breath, Sai clapped her hands together once and dropped down to one knee, her lips soundlessly forming words as the wounds on her neck began to glow. The world around her started to warp, the very essence of reality beginning to distort as she began the ritual. Her skin took on a sickly black hue as shapeless spirits began to coalesce around her, drawn to her blood offering. Their wordless shrieks threatened to break her concentration, but Sai grimly carried on, bending them to her will.
Ace drew himself up and flourished his blades, before thrusting them back behind him and impaling an approaching bandit. Seeing the immediate area was clear, he spared a moment to glance behind him and frowned as he saw Sai. "Feckin' witch," he muttered under his breath, "ya better not kill yerself fer the brat."
Tyler took a step away from the steep incline as he slid the revolver into its hip holster and pulled the machine gun off his back, flicking the safety off with a practiced motion and taking aim at Mercury. With a hiss, the red-haired bandit extended his wings fully and squeezed his remaining hand into a fist, causing audible gurgling sounds from Chirp to swiftly follow as Sai's ritual continued. The mercenary clenched his jaw and began to feather the trigger, sending short, accurate bursts cutting through the air. Bullets deflected from Mercury's central body and extended arm with flashes of sparks, as if the bandit leader was covered by a shield. Frowning slightly, Tyler dropped the empty magazine from his machine gun and replaced it in one fluid motion, eyes flicking briefly to catch the dark energy radiating from Sai. However, when his gaze returned to where mercury had been standing, the mercenary found nothing but empty air. He quickly pivoted, sweeping the hilltop on both sides, but there was no sign of the bandit leader.
The surviving bandits from the ambush began to slink off, shortly leaving no one around but the three mercenaries, Logan, and Chirp. The young girl gurgled pitifully as she started to drift downward slowly, her feet eventually making contact with the ground. Logan was horrified as he watched, not able to tear his eyes from her. "Dammit dammit dammit, Chirp, c'mon, come back to us, kiddo," he babbled to himself, worry evident in his eyes. Sai rose to her feet and began to step forward, her hands parting to leave a strange black substance stringing between her fingertips and palms. Jolts of electricity began to flash between the two women as they drew closer, causing Sai to wince ever so slightly each time. Eventually she made it to the small girl, drawing Chirp snugly against her. Closing her eyes, Sai rested one of her hands against Chirp's forehead while the other came to rest over her heart. Dark essence swelled around the two, locking the pair together in a storm of energy. Sai began to chant to herself, each sound casting strange, archaic symbols in the air around the pair. Ace and Logan looked on with worry and shock, while Tyler turned his back on the proceedings and continued to glare towards the ledge he last saw Mercury on.
Ace muttered near Logan, "I'mma kill ya if she dies, yanno." Logan simply scowled in response as he pushed brown locks of hair from his young features, following the ritual intently. Bit by bit, the dark energy would begin to fade, along with the purple glow that had previously consumed Chirp. As it cleared, they could make out Sai standing quietly with her back to the men, Chirp cradled limply in her arms. Abruptly, the young girl would gasp painfully as she sucked in air, causing Ace and Logan to jerk in surprise. "Chirp?" "Sai?" they asked hesitantly. Sai turned to face the two men, looking pale as she let out a short, painful cough, blood spilling down her chin and spattering on Chirp's unconscious frame.
"SAI!" Ace shouted as he rushed forward. As he neared, a wave of energy sent him flying back, throwing him into a nearby boulder. Logan and Tyler froze, eyes following the thin man before Logan furrowed his brow. "What...what did you do to her?" he said, dumbfounded.
Tyler didn't respond, only giving Sai a tired gaze as he returned the machine gun to its place on his back. Sai simply dropped to her knees, too drained to speak, before unceremoniously flopping face-first into the frozen path. Logan quickly ran over, followed closely by a clearly unhappy Ace.
"Shit-feck-sonuvabish!" Ace cursed loudly, cradling the unconscious form of Sai in his arms as Logan tended to Chirp. With a heavy sigh, the bandit looked at the others with a dangerous glimmer in his eyes.
"Won't do you any good," Tyler warned, stroking his chin in thought. "You're better off taking her away from here. Somewhere she'll be safe."
"Feck'n brat did this t' her!" Ace announced angrily, twisting his body to glare daggers at Logan and Chirp "She'd be fine if not fer th' kid!"
Tyler reached behind his back as he plodded slowly towards Logan. The bandit tensed noticeably, his gaze all the more hardened by the approach as he gripped Chirp securely in his arms. The giant mercenary shook his head as he pulled a slender tube with a needle capped at the end from the belt of his pants. He extended it towards Logan, allowing the illumination of pink to cast a faint hue across his palm. "She's still injured."
Logan hesitated for several moments, surprised at the mercenary's generosity, before nodding and accepting the tube. He chomped down on the cap and pulled the needle free, carefully inserting the tip into Chirp's arm. With a few faint coughs, the serum seemed to work its magic and dragged her from unconsciousness. Behind the group, Ace protested, "Where th' feck is Sai's?! Yer gonna give th' li'l rat that shit instead o' her? She's one of OURS, man!"
Tyler's gaze settled on Ace, eyes blazing with a fierceness that was enough to cow Ace. Ace huffed and went to speak again, but was quickly cut off by Tyler raising his hand. "So are they, for now. I want to know what that Mercury fellow wants with the girl."
"WHAT!?" Ace fumed, throwing his arms outwards. "Since when didja become our feck'n leader?!"
The mercenary simply snorted at the theatrics and looked askance at Logan, waiting for his response.
In awe, Logan stared up at the giant of a man and gave a short, sharp nod. "...Right-o."
