The messy blonde haired man smiled when Jade jumped back.
”What’s the matter, did I shock you?” the figure asked with a smirk before they jumped straight at Jade again, attempting to do the same thing for a second time.
Jade had gotten her bearings and dodged this time and putting a shield spell up then attacking with water and earth incantations
The scientist made quite an unreadable expression except for his clear frown. It was a slightly slanted one though.
”I can’t tell if you were being sarcastic, but I don’t like the attitude you’re giving to a stranger. Unlike your friend here, you aren’t so… you know what, sorry, forget it” the scientist massaged his temples before he gestured an opened hand towards the door.
”I wouldn’t want to waste any more of your time. If anything about any of the Knights strikes you as confusing or perhaps interesting, you’re welcome to come talk to me anytime. I’m rarely out of the lab so you’ll most likely find every time you stop by” the scientist stated before putting his hands together in a clap-like way.
”The name’s Chris, by the way” he said before picking up the crow mask and leather hat from the table and putting them on.
"If you were about to call me impatient or rude, after you've been around for a few billion years you start to just not like lot of people," Gelion finished Chris' earlier statement. Kye glared at Gelion with a side look, but his head moved just enough for Gelion to know exactly what he was doing. "I'm just sayin', I'm not the nicest person in the universe."
"Noted," Kye's cold one worded answer was all Gelion needed to hear before disappearing. Kye then turned to Chris. "I apologize for his rudeness. He says it is because of how long he has been around, when really he just has a hard time understanding somethings, like emotions. He never admits that, but he never had to feel emotions before. I make him use his emotions though. So he is, still learning. My name is Kye by the way. Thank you for your help I hope to meet you again later on."
(Just putting this out, Serena’s more innocent here than I initially wanted her to be… but I like this)
The foxes guided Hinata out of the research building where Kori would bump against a coated figure.
”Hey, sorry” the icy fox said to the coated and hooded figure.
From Hinata’s angle, she would see that the figure had sharp, menacing, and glittering garnet-colored eyes. They looked as if they just killed someone before passing by, judging from the bloodstains on their cloak. They eyed Kori again but slowly stepped away without saying a sorry or even a word. His actions, though, left the foxes speechless.
The electric mage transformed himself into a current-like form, phasing through the water.
”Conductors? Not ideal to fight me actually” the mage said as they managed to get a grasp on Loki, but not yet coursing levels of voltage into her.
Chris nodded before he went out the door and travelled deeper into the laboratory.
He got out something from his coat, something that looked like a bloody knife.
Kye would’ve seen this from where he was standing.
(Leave the Lab?)
(Silently follow the scientist?)
(Explore the Lab?)
Hinata raised an eyebrow at the person, seeing their eyes and not liking this. She glanced at the bloodstains, seeing how fresh they looked.
W-Well then, Kagami muttered quietly, never one for blood.
Well, they haven't tried to kill us, so that's nice.
The thing that peeved Hinata most about the situation was the lack of etiquette. A simple sorry would have sufficed, but noo, they just had to be deep and brooding. Hinata was about to make a remark on this when she saw how Kori and Kasai were reacting to the situation.
"Everything good?" she said, keeping her calm demeanor.
The foxes looked at the cloaked figure who walked away one last time before turning to Hinata.
”Yeah—“ Kori said before looking down ”—…yeah…” he answered softly.
The fire fox shook a bit but nodded after. They seemed nervous.
Chris nodded before he went out the door and travelled deeper into the laboratory.
He got out something from his coat, something that looked like a bloody knife.
Kye would’ve seen this from where he was standing.(Leave the Lab?)
(Silently follow the scientist?)
(Explore the Lab?)
Kye had to do a double take when he saw the bloody knife. His curiosity sparked and ignited causing him to take a few steps after the knight.
Don't you go after that dude!
Why not?
Why not??!! He was holding a bloody knife!! That doesn't raise red flags?!
I mean, it does… but…
I hate it when you say but.
But, if I follow him I might be able to learn more about him. And besides, he locked the door behind us, so if we get caught I can use that excuse.
…I fucking hate you right now.
I know, we are going now.
He started silently down the hall after Chris, grateful for his soft leather boots making no sound on the hard floors.
As Kye would travel deeper into the lab behind the scientist, he would have seen some weird things. The hallway changed color from a soft white to a clean black without him knowing when, the hallway seemed longer with every turn he made, the temperature dropped slowly but frequently, and the scientist who was in front of him was flipping the knife he had in his hand in the air as he walked down the hall. His other hand was in the lab coat’s pocket.
Soon, the scientist stopped and opened the door straight in front of him, not closing it fully. The room was dark, it was hard to see what was going on inside without heading in.
(Enter the room?)
(Leave the scientist?)
Kye moved silently towards the door, pausing briefly just outside of it, to listen to anything going on inside. he kept close to the shadows, a comfortable place for him. A place that he spent most of his days, something that he welcomed. An easy place for him to hide without fear of being found unless he wanted to be found. Or by some other reason.
Putting shield up because I don't trust this situation.
Yeah, that is probably wise. Pity the shield part only keeps me from getting stabbed or cut. Punches still hurt.
Which is why I always tell you to put up the full thing in an actual fight. Otherwise you'd be hurt a lot worse.
After the dragons… I honestly can not see how it could get worse.
From where Kye was, the sight of the Knight with someone on a bed can be seen with ease. The scientist looked down at the figure for a bit before holding the knife tightly with their right hand and stabbing the person’s heart to which the person reaction was just a simple flinch with low amounts of fresh blood stuck to the knife.
”Trial 22, subject does not respond fully to pain though the added vessels seem to be working just fine…” the scientist made a quick note to themself as they looked down at their watch.
”Three more hours until the next trial…” Chris murmured before he grabbed a clean cloth, wiping the knife clean. He then slipped the knife back into his lab coat and left the room.
(Follow the scientist?)
(Examine the ‘person’ on the bed?)
The foxes looked at the cloaked figure who walked away one last time before turning to Hinata.
”Yeah—“ Kori said before looking down ”—…yeah…” he answered softly.
The fire fox shook a bit but nodded after. They seemed nervous.
Bull, Tatsuo said.
Shush. Hinata looked at the two fox brothers, placing a hand lightly on their shoulders.
"What's wrong?" She rephrased gently, not liking seeing them like this at all.
”Th-That man… I feel like I’ve seen him before somewhere…” Kasai struggled to speak what he wanted to.
”If I remember correctly… Matthew told us about a person with sharp, dark pink eyes… not sure if it’s that man but if so—“ Kori added before turning to face Hinata fully.
”—he’s a multidimensional wanted person”
Hinata pursed her lips, slowly processing this new information.
"I see," she said. If that person had indeed been wanted by several dimensions, and she hadn't caught onto it… this wouldn't be good. She glanced in the direction the man had disappeared to.
You're not as sharp as you used to be.
Neither are you, Hinata retorted. Tatsuo gave an undignified huff, but stayed quiet.
The two foxes returned to their fox forms, each one standing on one of Hinata’s shoulders.
”I don’t know, I don’t feel like we should follow him…” Kasai suggested.
”But if we don’t, how can we make sure that he’s not doing anything wrong?” Kori countered.
(Agree with Kasai?)
(Agree with Kori?)
Hinata put her hands in her pockets, listening to what Kasai and Kori said.
"He could be dangerous," she started, "And following him could lead to complications. However- if he really is the wanted man, letting him go could be even more disastrous." She sighed a bit. If she had let a wanted man just walk away from her, it could definitely hurt her position. That in turn could lead to many, many complications for a lot of people.
The electric mage transformed himself into a current-like form, phasing through the water.
”Conductors? Not ideal to fight me actually” the mage said as they managed to get a grasp on Loki, but not yet coursing levels of voltage into her.
Jade had pulled herself from his grip and used an Earth spell next "I wasn't trying to halt you that time but this time I am" she had infused the electricity that she had taken from his touch and infused it into the spell
From where Kye was, the sight of the Knight with someone on a bed can be seen with ease. The scientist looked down at the figure for a bit before holding the knife tightly with their right hand and stabbing the person’s heart to which the person reaction was just a simple flinch with low amounts of fresh blood stuck to the knife.
”Trial 22, subject does not respond fully to pain though the added vessels seem to be working just fine…” the scientist made a quick note to themself as they looked down at their watch.
”Three more hours until the next trial…” Chris murmured before he grabbed a clean cloth, wiping the knife clean. He then slipped the knife back into his lab coat and left the room.(Follow the scientist?)
(Examine the ‘person’ on the bed?)
(I feel like this is going to lead to disaster for Kye.)
Kye waited until he was sure Chris had gone before slipping out of his place in the shadows. He was hesitant to approach the figure. He never did good with dead people.
I would leave while you're still undetected.
I am going to find out what is going on here.
He moved closer to the figure examining them but keeping arms length away.
”Let’s follow him then” Kori said as he turned to his wolf form, walking in front of the group. He was quite confident in his stance and posture. His body though? It was shaking. Perhaps from the fears that seeped themselves in his fur.
The mage, upon seeing this, used his voltage to condense one another, causing a line of electricity that was strong enough to cut through the rocks. Despite that though, the mage cursed silently and jumped away, opening the way for Jade to walk through.
(I think you’re just too afraid…)
As Kye got closer, the figure opened his eyes. He then slowly sat upright, his right arm’s human-like skin faded away and revealed a mechanical one which acted similarly to that of a human. Half of his face, the right side specifically, started doing the same thing.
The humanoid figure looked at Kye a bit with their natural green colored eye on their left side and a mechanical red eye on their right. They soon reached up to touch their face, breathing relatively heavily while doing so. They seemed a bit shocked when they looked at their mechanical arm and seeing that it could move like a human’s.
Aisen was taken aback by her response. His eyes were raising with confusion but soon nodded.
”In that case, I apologize, I must’ve confused you with someone I know” He soon walked towards his brother.(Leave it this way?)
(Tell the truth?)
“I-it's fine," she mumbled, backing out the door, watching him with wary eyes. At least he hadn't realized that it really was her… she sighed, turning to Matthew. "What else is there to see?" She was aching to get away from the two.
Matthew opened his mouth a bit before turning to Adara.
”Oh uh… would you like to go see the Research Building? I can introduce you to one of my close friends” he stated when the brothers called him.
”See you at 6, same place right Matt?” Aisen asked as he folded down his headgear.
”Yep, see you two soon” the man answered as the younger brother summoned two clouds of aura which created a pair of wings for both the brothers. They soon took flight and were out of sight in no time.
Hinata followed after, seeing just how this was affecting Kori. She knew Matthew had told the two fox brothers to protect her, but she knew she'd be more than ready to beat the hell out of anyone who dared to touch either of them. She sped up slightly to walk next to him, not saying anything but sticking close.
Adara glared after them, her jaw clenched tightly, before she smoothed her expression. "Sure. That sounds fun. What is a Research Building, anyway? We didn't have any on my world."
As they walked into the laboratory, the cloaked figure could be seen looking down at something. It was a corpse, one of the ten minor scientists who worked with Serena and Chris. The figure stepped on the corpse’s head and squashed it to a pulp without hesitation and the action was effortless to a scary degree.
”Hmm… it’s basically a place where you test things out and record them. Usually done with science, mathematics, or you know, psychological behavior recording” Matthew answered as he started towards the building.
(Ask about the friend?)
(Ask more about this “psychological behavior recording”?)
Hinata bit back a noise, one of pain. The man's actions were quite simple, no force used. Obviously comfortable killing, something Hinata loathed. Her hands left her pockets, one going to grip the hilt of Tatsuo while the other went to her hip, a disgusted look on her face.
The cloaked figure turned to their right before fully turning around. Upon seeing the group, the figure asked quite simply:
”What do you need from me…”
As Kori was already in his wolf form, Kasai followed and stood in front of Hinata. They both grind their teeth to the figure.
”… are you here—“ the figure eyed the foxes as they stepped on the corpse behind him, exploding the whole body of the corpse just by touching his foot on it ”—to attack me…?”
Hinata looked at the figure as they did this, quickly assessing the situation. If this really did escalate into a fight, things would get ugly fast.
"No," She said, stepping forward between the two brothers, giving them both a look to cool it. "Just curious."
The mage, upon seeing this, used his voltage to condense one another, causing a line of electricity that was strong enough to cut through the rocks. Despite that though, the mage cursed silently and jumped away, opening the way for Jade to walk through.
Jade continued her path and actually ran towards the end as fast as she could but she tripped slightly and got back up even though she new what was at stake
(I think you’re just too afraid…)
As Kye got closer, the figure opened his eyes. He then slowly sat upright, his right arm’s human-like skin faded away and revealed a mechanical one which acted similarly to that of a human. Half of his face, the right side specifically, started doing the same thing.
The humanoid figure looked at Kye a bit with their natural green colored eye on their left side and a mechanical red eye on their right. They soon reached up to touch their face, breathing relatively heavily while doing so. They seemed a bit shocked when they looked at their mechanical arm and seeing that it could move like a human’s.
(Knowing you, I'm not afraid enough.)
Kye took a small step back when the figure sat up. He had only half expected it to happen so when the figure sat up he didn't was a bit surprised but not surprised enough to cause panic.
Is it sad that I kind of expected that?
Kid… Were you expecting Kara to suddenly be alive after you'd killed her? Twice? No! Where you expecting the Demon King to be alive after you cut his head off? No! Were you expecting Tolkalee to come walking into your house after he'd been literally ripped apart? NO!! Why would you be surprised by something like this?
True, I guess. Why is my life so full of… horrible things?
Because you're special.
Comforting.
Kye looked the figure up and down before taking a small step forward. "Sir? Are you alright?"
She blinked. "I don't know what half those words mean, but okay. Who's the friend? They smart?"
The figure eyed the group one by one before making a step towards them.
”If you’ve got no business with me, move.” the tone of the figurine was commanding as if they’re used to situations like this, where people aren’t satisfying him.
The next hallway Jade would find was one with several ten corpses laying around with some sort of string tied to them.
They looked like they were decapitated then tied back together with those strings.
The figure turned to Kye then slowly shook his head. They opened their mouth like they wanted to say something to the man but he couldn’t produce a single sound. The man twisted his neck a bit, where the human voice chord would be.
”Hello… test… test…” a robotic noise came from the man. He twisted it a bit once more.
”Hello… test… test…” this time the voice was human-like. The man seemed satisfied…
The sounds of items dropping to the floor came from the door behind Kye. The scientist, Chris, came back and dropped the item he brought when he saw the figurine on the bed.
”Very. He’s respected by most of the Labyrinth actually” Matthew stated as they got closer to the building.
”He’s also quite… attractive to some degrees though he usually wears a mask” the man said with a shrug.
A muscle in Hinata's cheek feathered a little, jaw clenching. She wasn't one who took getting command very well. Still, if she said anything about it there probably end up in a fight, and while she knew Kori and Kasai were good fighters this was a bath she didn't want them in.
"Com'on, guys," she said to the brothers, turning with just a touch of attitude. "We have places to go."