Forum Thread

Walking along the road, with few other options for action Nick leads the group with the zannie closely following. My knife! I have to get my knife back! Those idiots must've taken it when I was unconscious! Well I know what I'm doing when we eventually catch up to them! "Hey, Silver!" The zannie says in a strange tone. Nick turns his head to see a sharp branch being swung directly at it. He ducks then sends a punch flying in the direction of the crude weapon shattering it into three smaller pieces. He looks at the zannie holding part of what was left of the branch, her jaw hung open in awe, her eyes narrowed in fear, and her hands clenched tightly around the piece of wood. "Not falling for the same trick twice, if you don't trust me or like me, why are you following me if I i offer no benefit, you and your family are free to walk away from the direction the van was coming from." The zannie, taking a second to recompose herself "Because the van just came from a black market where do you think we're going to end up if we go the way it came?" "Well first off, we are now standing in the Amazon which means they drove quite a bit from that black market and likely were headed to Mercado de la Muerte, a bigger black market that sells Unnaturals for higher prices." She sighs and turns around grabbing one of the children's hands. "Adios!" Nick says in a cheerful tone as he turns back the direction he was headed and starts jogging to avoid anything being swung at his head.

He hummed a jovial tune, as he walked merrily along his way, as if he hadn't just burned a perfectly good duffel bag.

And the body parts, but those were less important. Who cared, anyway? it was just a bunch of criminals. He thought he had done the city a favor, by cleaning up it's streets.

Gosh, it was a wonderful day!

He swung his arms as he walked, carefully avoiding the curious gazes of those who gawked at his bright purple hair, or his wonderfully multi-colored jacket. or the guns at his side... nah. it couldn't be those.

He spotted a few regulars- he himself was a regular around these parts- but didn't greet them.

To be completely honest, he wasn't sure about his plan for the day.

he continued humming, weaving through the crowds skillfully, avoiding contact with one and all- who knows what these people could do with just a moment of contact?

But as he walked, stumbled upon a rather interesting scene. A man, surrounded by an odd bunch wielding guns.

Awesome! Ferb, I think I know what we're going to do today.

he took a couple steps towards the scene, smiling brightly.

"Woah, what's goin' on here? Are we having a standoff, like one of those bad western films? Is someone gonna kick over a table?"

Kei chuckled, his hands in the pockets of his brightly colored jacket that just screamed "Kill me!"

He was rather well known around these parts- with a getup like his, it was impossible not to be. He was rather famous for being an absolute madman, first and foremost, and he quite liked that reputation. It was part of the reason he kept his multicolored outfit perfect and clean.

---

"Good, no one should be mean but if they are I'll kick them. Nice people deserve nice things." Ibaraki humphed, eagerly taking Celine's hand as Ibaball was tucked safely close. While specifics with what the new woman was talking about went right over the young child's head there was the united experience of being an unnatural who never quite belonged in both worlds.

The scene the two made was quite adorable, with Ibaraki's small legs working overtime to keep up with Celine's longer steps no matter how slow they went. Despite this, a determined look made a home on Ibaraki's face and stubbornly kept pace with the Zannie. "Zannies are fun though, you always know where all the fun is, where the danger is, at least you guys are useful... I just know how to hit things really hard... But I'm not too sad about it. Its just funny that we get sold for so much for so little."

---

Celine let out a small giggle, watching Ibaraki’s tiny legs move speedily as he tried to keep up. She deliberately slowed her pace, bending her knees slightly so Ibaraki wouldn’t have to stretch to reach her hand. “Thanks, cutie. I’m sure you’ll be very good at kicking kneecaps.” She gives a nonchalant shrug “I wouldn’t call fighting fun. And we have our weaknesses too.”

Internally, Celine was mildly horrified that the young Oni found pain or danger fun, or that he knew Unaturals were being sold, but hid it quite well With another warm smile, she helped the Oni up onto a stool and brought out an Ibaball-sized washbasin, conveniently shaped like a mini bathtub. “Come on, cutie. Let’s get Ibaball cleaned up.” Celine opens up a small cupboard above her head, displaying an array of colorful vials and bottles with various pictures that detailed their various scents. However she managed to fit all that in there was a miracle in itself. “Which soap would you like, cutie?”

---

---

Hmm... So apparently this whole fiasco did attract more attention than Daavit would've thought. Clearly Jacket Man, his new supervillain alias, thought the same, looking at the newcomers with annoyance and disgust. In the time it took for people to gather, Jacket Man had gotten within 6 feet of the now vulnerable Unicorn, who held his hands cautiously in the air. Oh no, 6 feet? That's gotta be a broken societal rule or something, wouldn't want anyone being infected with his uh... Jacket-yness? Anyways, the stand-off only got more tense, nobody fired but the fingers grew ever so tighter on the triggers and good ol' Mr. Jacket Man grew ever so closer to his prisoner. Sadly, the intruders had something to say about it before anything interesting could happen, what a shame.

God the tension was suffocating, but so was that metaphorical choke-hold he was put in by his old buddy chum pals, and all the trapped dealer could do his give out a nervous chuckle as his eyes wandered. Most of these people he had never even heard of before, mostly because his little vacations to the Death Market were almost nonexistent, but there was one person he recognized. Shocking, really, considering he didn't see Andrea as the type to involve herself with something like this, at least not from what he's seen.

"...Ooookaaayyyy... Happy reunion I guess? Hope you don't mind that I brought some gue-"

Boom.

---

On her way to the edge of the market, Kafka had come across a fairly large van that had definitely not been there before. It seemed to have just arrived, given how she could sense a small group on their way to their demise within the streets of that godawful place. If she had the heart, time, or cares to give, she probably would've tried to intercept them but right now, she didn't really bother. The clock was ticking anyways and it was catching up to her, whether she liked it or not.

Next stop, those "storage buildings," as they would like to call it, where sellers held their merchandise prisoner to make deals outside of the market during off-hours, and essentially became their "HQ." She always hated these buildings, a little memento of her experience of simply being alive. With that hatred, she stormed into one of said buildings and began her little journey. Well, of course she didn't exactly storm in, this was more of a stealth mission for heaven's sake, but you get the point. It wouldn't be as simple as simply walking through this time, these buildings weren't available to the public and were, more often than not, pretty hidden and out of the market's sight.

After her work was complete, she left without a trace and moved onto the next one. Then the next, then the next, so on and so forth. And with a final act, Kafka simply...

Walked away. Walked for a few minutes, clicking her tongue to a certain rhythm along the way. Then suddenly...

With a raise of her hand and a devilish smirk, she pinned her thumb and middle finger together before the final, resonating click was made. The final sound that would be heard would be the snap of her fingers, before an explosion of lights and sounds began to erupt.

Small bombs began to explode, not big enough to level the market in one fell swoop, but enough to cause damage. Who knows, might even kill people in the process, not her problem though. She looked back at the rapidly collapsing market with the same smirk, watching it all go down in flames and the chaos ensue. But most of all...

The pain. Hundreds of people were hit pretty bad, and my god it exhilarating for a zannie such as herself. The slow-burn torture of a single person was enough to thoroughly satisfy the hunger and thrill for pain, but hundreds? It was almost too much, honestly.

That's why Kafka decided to end her own personal fun early by limiting her dopamine levels, keeping the increasingly overwhelming thrill to a tolerable amount so she'd be able to finish her job properly.

And by that I mean Kafka went straight to the danger, right back into the market.

(By now everyone should at least be aware of the incident, whether it be by hearing the news in some way or another or being involved with it. Trying to get everyone involved so we don't leave anyone out lol)

---

---

Explosions. Some sort of small bombs were going off. Emika sneered in anger. Some Unnaturals had to be behind this. Uncaring for the safety or well-being of her catch, she quickly snatched up a few tools; a crossbow with ammo, a couple daggers, and a blowgun with sleep darts. She was going to get the Unnaturals herself, since no one else seemed interested...

---

Eris watched as small bombs began to detonate about the Market. This was good. It wasn't a part of the plan, but she could use this. She darted about, avoiding the explosives and finding as many cages as she could, carefully using magic to break the Unnaturals out...

---

Nightrekra cackled in delight as the carnage that was taking the Market down occurred. So much better!!!

Judging from the brief flicker of recognition and something else in Daavit’s eyes, Andrea smirked, coming to a conclusion that this genius that was Daavit was mildly entertaining. Of course the sounds of a hundred guns clicking and pointed at one poor guy would raise an alarm She thought to herself, a smile gracing her lips as she took another drag of her cigar. Andrea returned the look of annoyance and disgust with a serene smile of her own, lips tugged upwards into a near-devilish smirk. She rolled her eyes as the ‘Jacket Man’ stepped closer, his eyes trained on Daavit. …Seriously, did that Unicorn not bring any other weapons with him? Geez She watched as the grip on the armed men’s guns got ever so tighter, letting out and audible scoff. But on a wholly unimportant note- that guy did have a nice jacket, a classic Tom Ford jacket. Judging by the stitching and design, she figured it was around four thousand dollars, give or take. Interesting. She really should steal that jacket

The tension in the air was thick, it hung over others like a heavy cloud of fog. “Good heavens, Daavit. Whatever have you landed yourself in?” She drawls out, her voice practically dripping with venom, though little of it was directed at Daavit himself. “Look, whatever business you have to settle with him, dude-with-the-cool-jacket, I beg of you to get the hell out of here. I’d hate to get my fingers dirty, let alone get involved in this…….tomfoolery, but I simply can’t have you ruining business here, hmm? The Mercado de la Muerte is a place for the exchange of goods, not this….what do you call it? Unnecessary violence.” She purrs out. Adding on in a slightly miffed tone “Whatever did our favorite market dealer do to you, anyways? Why the need for excessive gun use? And so many men? He’s just one guy, it’s a little excessive, don’t you think?”

...Ooookaaayyyy... Happy reunion I guess? Hope you don't mind that I brought some gue-
“Daavit, darling, of course I mind. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be here wasting time. You’re disrupting business, as a fellow dealer you know perfectly well that’s not good, hmm? See, and I had just spotted my next prey, too. I was about to sell a fairly decent pink dolphin when I was so rudely interrupted~ I even had my buyer drooling over me, ready to do what I want, and someone just had to ruin it~” She pouts, frown as fake as the nail extensions she wore. Andrea barely flinched at the explosion that followed, unconcerned about whatever the hell just blew up. She glances over, and sighs “I guess my assistant is dead. Pity. I liked him. No matter, I’m sure there’s others out there” Andrea didn’t even sound the slightest bit upset, in fact, there seemed to be a slight hint of glee in her voice.

---

When the Mercado de la Muerte began exploding, Natalia clicked her tongue in annoyance and swiftly headed over to see what the commotion was. Daavit, Lăcrămioara….and two others she didn’t recognise (Kei and Aurora). And of course, her favorite human in the world, Andrea. She sauntered up to stand beside Andrea, naturally leaning her head against her shoulder. “My fellow black market dealer, Scylla. Pleasure to meet you. Or that was what I would have said if you didn’t decide to piss off a bunch of men and ruin my day. What the hell is going on here?” Natalia simpers, her voice sickly-sweet. “I suggest you give me a reason to help you, or I scavenge your dead body once he’s done with you. I hear powdered unicorn bone is in high demand, hm?” She flashed her long, yellowed fangs at Daavit as she smiled, barely bothering to maintain her humanoid appearance.

Pandora heared the explosion. Someone needed some medical help for sure. She needs to get there. She rushed through the corridors taking her bag full of medicines and many aid kits for every case if there were more injured people. She , Unfortunately , didn't closed the computer and her research about her mother was on the monitor which was reavealing what she is. She is an Unnatural... She got out of the building ,to the source of the explosion. The first reason was her curiousity and the second...well...it's wanting to help whoever was injured...

---

After a long walk down the road in the thickness 9f the Amazon Nick finds his first signs of civilization, excluding the road itself of course. A man with his broken down pickup truck. Nick walks up to the man who's head being underneath the hood of the truck focused on solving his problem. "Hey, I've been walking quite a..." Startled the man bangs his head on the top of his truck hood, then quickly yanks his head out from underneath it and prepares to throw a punch, after a quick evaluation the man realizes Nick doesn't have any intention to harm the man and the man calms down and goes back to work on his truck. "What's it yuh need partner?" The man says with an old U.S. midwestern accent. "A ride" Nick says being a little nervous and trying to hide it. A U.S. dealer? There must be some big deals going on at the Mercado de la Muerte to attract a dealer from such a country. That's assuming he's head to Mercado de la Muerte and he is a dealer. "Alright, once I get this hunk of junk gets working again I'll take you as far as I can without detouring myself, of course I think we're heading to the same place based on where we are." He says while turning his head towards Nick with a smile and one eyebrow raised. "Mercado de la Muerte?" "Yep, got some illegal drugs in the bed of my truck right now, feel free to take a look tell me if yur interested in buyin any of it." "No thanks, I'm not interested in buying, I'm actually a dealer myself but I got screwed over on my material, that's my reason I'm heading there, so i can try to recover it." Nick says half lying. recover my knife that is he admits to himself in his head. Suddenly a loud pop sound comes from the truck and the motor roars to life. "There we go! Now we can get on moving my supply! Hop in the truck we'll be there real soon!" The man shouts flaunting his obvious joy in a childish way.

At the mention of Ibaball, Ibaraki's face lit up and scrambled to try and see what there were to choose from, all thought about any previous conversation gone with just that one question. The reveal of the soap cabinet was like opening a magic shop as wide golden eyes watched the glitter swirl around in liquids and gloss, each one decorated with elaborate images. A feast for the eyes indeed but one in particular caught the young child's eye. It was wine-red that seemed viscus and sat heavily at the bottom of the bottle, displaying the image of a hollow skull with a broken crown hovering over its head the scrawl under the label declaring the product to be "Tragic Soap Opera". Dramatic, to be sure, but given its aesthetics it was strangely alluring. Staring at wonder at the bottle, Ibaraki turned to Celine with glittering eyes. "Can we use that one? Please? T-that Soap O... Oprah? Operah?" Stumbling over the syllables of an unfamiliar word, Ibaraki nonetheless looked so enthusiastically excited about mere soap.

---

Lăcrămioara jolted at the sudden loud noise so explosive that the vampire genuinely flinched as his head instinctively snapped towards the source with wide eyes. Cold blue that so rarely held any spark of life narrowed into hungry slits as he honed into the source of the explosion. The screams of the market goers seemed distant to the ringing of sensitive ears, bodies pushing him slightly as he kept his firm vigil behind Mr. Dude-with-the-cool-jacket to keep them all caged in under the vampire's hungry gaze. But right now, that piercing gaze was directed somewhere else, the brief twitch of the nose hounding after liquid gold that spilled out from the explosion.

Blood

His mouth salivated at the very thought of it, his meal denied for so long flooding in abundance from a source that just begged to be glutted on, excess calling for him as Lăcrămioara followed the phantom strings that pulled him towards his lust of everything he embodied in his undead heart. But that damnable cord tightening around his neck was his sole executioner and reminder to reign in those desires. Of course, he was still in his prime, a vampire whose crown of white sat proudly atop his bloodied strands and sank deep into those roots. A feeble tether that wrapped around a delicate neck could be snapped with a simple hook of the finger, especially one made by mortal hands grasping and unnatural magicks but that was simply what it was. A reminder. Of his ownership. That though his muzzle may bend and yield, it would never break. And so he turned his gaze to the newcomer who came on the heels of an oh so familiar face, pushing all bloodlust into a box to be sealed away.

"Andrea, my favourite black market dealer in the world! Don't tell Master though, I assure you that would be quite a blow to an ego that is in sore need of some humility. Where's that little shadow of yours, my most wonderful and favourite hand for hire who definitely doesn't steal every single assignment I've ever been on and ruins all the fun?" Making an exaggerated motion of looking everywhere, Lăcrămioara seemed almost surprised when Natalia made her appearance, sliding into the empty space beside the infamous dealer, two sides of the same wicked coin so wonderfully paired together that the vampire rarely thought about one without the other trailing not that far behind. "Oh wonderful, hello Natalia, dearie. I so missed you and luckily for all of us here, I also have a fun little deal of you'd be so kind as to humor a little vampie. See, I have a new assignment and I would be so very grateful if none of you interfered with that one since it's been forever since I got to stretch my legs last. I mean seriously, this is the first time these two weeks that I've been out of my cozy little home! Cut my undead heart some slack and let me have one night of wild, passionate homicide. In exchange, I help you with this little mess here, whatever you want I'll do. Except for die, but you knew that already with brains so much bigger than mine that stopped even working, five minutes post mortem. I'll even powder the bone for you! How tedious I'm sure but you can go right back to your hawking and gawking without a speck of blood on your beautiful rose. If you're a little hesitant, which I don't blame since Master doesn't have the best track record of doing anything remotely fun, I'll even throw in a fledgling if you agree, one less than a hundred years old and docile until it's not. I heard those are all the rage with cagefight betters nowadays." A silver tongue that never stopped, rolling with sweet sachrine promises and bargens that only held his best interest at heart. Really, these two women really were some of his favourite people to strike seemingly meaningless chatter with as they traded with the only non-tangable price there was in this world. Information.

---

"...damn, my guy really turned this place into a flee market. get it? Flee? Flea? Flea martket->black market? No? Alright."

He laughed at his own joke, clapping cheerfully. Kei was talking to himself, really, because there wasn't exactly anybody listening to him. Did he care? Not really.

His boredom was slightly lifted, though.

"That joke really bombed, huh?"

He glanced around, searching for some sort of reaction. When he was met with nothing, he sighed.

"Geez, tough crowd. Not the right time for those kinds of jokes, huh?"

He took a step towards the scene, pulling his gun out of its' holster. He pulled the slide back, then loaded the gun. He pushed the slide back into place, before pointing it at the jacketed men.

While Kei could respect the jacket-y-ness, and no matter how many bomb jokes he made, he wasn't a huge fan of people blowing up the black market. Where else would he sell Unnatural(and human) organs?

---

After a short truck ride Nick finally arrives at Mercado de la Muerte. It's even more populated than the past few times he's been to this market. A scent hangs in the air like a heavy dog. No one else seems to notice it though, upon first smelling this scent Nick grows hungry and can't help but drool a little. Wiping his mouth Nick hops out of the truck waving the man goodbye and looking for the origin of the familiar scent, the scent of blood. After searching for a short while he finds someone who is selling organs, blood, and similar other items. Nick decides it's not worth the risk of being caught again to buy a bag of blood so turns away just to have the barrel of a handgun pointed at his face. "I knew you wouldn't wander far, but straight back into our hands? Now that's convenient." The woman who previously struck him with a bat says while making a point to put the gun up to his forehead. Nick noticing his knife and holster attached to herself, quickly unholsters the knife while ducking down to get out of the way of the barrel of the gun, the woman firing and missing by only a few centimeters steps back quickly but not quickly enough. Nick slashes at her leg before she could get out of arms reach then he pounces at the gun. Put of shock the woman drops the gun and Nick ends up slamming into her stomach instead. Nick surprised himself slashes at her again with the knife this time getting her in the stomach, he gets up grabbing the gun off the floor and notices the smell got exponentially more thick. He could almost taste it. He turns to see that the woman's misfire had hit one of the blood bags and blood was pouring out everywhere. Nick starts drooling again but before he loses control of himself he runs over to the lady, unclips the holster off her and runs away. She should be fine but I wish she wouldn't. After running a good distance Nick finds himself near another interesting situation

“I’m flattered, Lăcrămioara~ And it’s not my fault they keep ruining your fun, I hear you’re a tad bit slower than them.” Andrea purrs, sweeping into an exaggerated bow. Friends were not something market dealers had, per se, but it was nice to have a few acquaintances like Lăcrămioara and Daavit around. Perhaps it was precisely that mild, borderline insanity that they were all hanging by that made them such good friends. Not that Andrea minded. It was, as Andreas put it, beautiful blend of terror, morbidness and disgust that made them fit together like an oh so horrible medley.
(or perhaps it is the fault of the writers behind the character who know nothing but angst)

“Hey there, Lăcrămioara~ No need for pleasantries, aren’t we good friends?” Natalia replies, the grin stretching her mouth wider than humanly possible. She doesn’t take long to mull over his proposition, humming thoughtfully. “Whatever do you mean, Fangs? I have never interfered with any of your assignments~ That’s simply too rude of me, do I look like that kind of person? Buuut, it is a tempting offer, seeing as I may or may not have killed off my last assistant for being so ridiculously incompetent at simple, menial tasks of labor. Though I’m surprised a skilled……craftsman like you would trouble yourself with such menial tasks.” She is, suffice to say, intrigued by Lăcrămioara’s offer. “Well now you’ve got me hooked, Fangs~ Fledglings of Unnaturals are horribly popular nowadays. And you’re in luck- I’ve been craving to break a new toy into submission for a while now~” Natalia was narcissistic at best, and Lăcrămioara damn well knew it. Not that she minded, though, the vampire singing praises of her was pure music to her ears. After all, honeyed words should only be reciprocated, right? Put Andrea, Natalia and Lăcrămioara together and they’d sway anyone to their command in mere minutes. Throw in Daavit? And you had the perfect definition of evil. They were notable names for a reason. Each rose to the top with their own unique qualities, bonded by their shared apathy towards others. Hell had better hope they never united as one force, else they bask in the ruins of the world.


An interesting choice. And one of Celine’s personal favourites, despite its cheesy name. Although mildly concerning that the young Oni just had to pick the most graphic and questionable looking bottle. “Of course we can, cutie! Quite the genius you are, picking one of my favourites too.” Celine giggled at the young Oni’s attempt at pronunciation, sparkling eyes staring back into golden ones. Could the Oni get any more adorable? Celine picks the bottle from the shelf, swirling the red liquid inside before adding a little to the water. She gently placed Ibaball inside the miniature bubble bath, which now smelled like roses and a hint of lavender. Gentle hands cleaned Ibaball up, skilfully getting off the grubby stains. The pair were (thankfully), safe and oblivious to the danger brewing back at the Mercado de la Muerte. Funny, here they were worrying about soap, whilst literal chaos was blooming back at the market. Still, Ibaball was very important.

Gasping almost theatrically, Lăcrămioara swooned with a cackle that grated on the ears almost hyena-like in its undulating scratchiness. "I knew you were my favourites for a reason, oh dear me! When have you known me to dabble in anything but fun? I'm old now dearie, arthritis can't catch me if I pound it to dust first!" Wiggling fingers that didn't look a day over 20, Lăcrămioara grinned a little too wide for any comfort as the fangs that Natalia seemed so happy to name him after flashed dangerously. To the vampire, their relationship was one of convenient conversation where questions weren't asked and they played the part of being something other than what they were, normal. What a beautiful lie they lay themselves upon, a mess of decete and apathy that meshed together into a morbid work of art. "But really, why question this little win-win deal I've got going on, I just reeeeealllyy wanna beat someone up! After all, a tiff between vampies isn't exactly pretty so it'll be fun punting fledgling egos down a few pegs~" Giggling at the thought of inflicting grievous bodily harm, he almost looked like a pining maiden swooning over his beau if not for the glint of madness that replaced any shine in his eyes, roving over everyone present.

"So, we have a deal, yes?"

---

Staring at the bubbles that frothed up as the waters darkened with the dirts that sloughed off matted fur, Ibaraki poked at one in wonder. The iridescent colours seemed mesmerising and briefly the thought of putting such pretty things in a curious mouth crossed the child's mind. It would taste very nice, Ibaraki theorised though that wild thought was quickly banished away as the water took on a darker red color from the accumulated dirts. It matched the soap color with its rusty hues, squishing out of the deformed plush as delicate scents filled the air. It was peaceful, a rarity that Ibaraki knew to cherish even in a mind that forgot as soon as it remembered. "Miss Celine... Do you think Ibaball will ever be clean? Ibaball got really really dirty..." The oni muttered, popping another bubble without looking at the addressed. An undeniably odd question from an equally odd child that seemed to hold much more than its spoken value

---

“You got yourself a deal, Fangs. Though control your murderous thoughts when it comes to my spoils, hmm? I much prefer them alive and kicking.” Natalia replies smirk now too wide it broke the ‘skin’ of her face, severing her human appearance into two.

Andrea hums, quietly watching the scene, before wrapping a gentle arm around Natalia and turning her away. The two seemed to be discussing something, having finished discussion with the vampire.

“Of course Ibaball can be cleaned, cutie. Just leave it to soak for a bit~” Celine answers cheerily, taking a now clean Ibaball out from the tub. “Come on, we should dry Ibaball”

A man holding a gun to a child's head yelling and screaming inaudible words is what's grabbed Nick's attention now. He tried to ignore it like many other people around him but he finds it hard. I'm a monster, I lack emotions, I'm a monster, I lack emotions. He repeats to himself in his mind to prevent him from doing something stupid. Not being able to help himself he walks by the man holding the gun, just a little to closely, after walking about 5 feet away from the stranger, the words the man were screaming before seem to have lost their meaning, whatever it was, and he just seems to be screaming in agony now. Reaching behind his back the man rests his hand on something but before the man could reveal what it is the man collapses his hand losing it's placing on the object. Blood puddles the area around him and the child looks down at the man with an emotionless face. Nick walks back making sure to make a point to step over the corpse. After all, he didn't just retrieve his beloved knife from maniac with a bat just to lose it again to a different inhumane maniac with a gun. The child, at last showing some emotion, confused, removes the man's jacket to figure out what he had grasped onto before he died only to see a deep wound on the left side of his back likely going right through the man's heart. Not a bullet hole, but one of a small blade.

Turning his back from the dead man, Nick started walking away realizing he is in the middle of the market with no sense of direction to guide him out. I guess I could head in a random direction and find my own way out. Stopping for a brief moment to look around he feels his left sleeve get tugged on. Looking down he sees it's the kid from before, "What do you want?" Nick asks. "I'm an orphan, I need a guardian, someone to protect and nurture me. After doing a quick analysis on you I figure you would be the perfect person." They respond in a confident informative way. "Nah kid, I haven't the ability to raise a kid nor the want, go bug someone else." "You are strong, smart, an expert in your specialization, and a caring person, if that doesn't say you're parent material, I don't know what does. Besides I could help you out with whatever you need." Again in a confident informative way, Nick slightly annoyed responds "I said no, I am not taking care of a little worm." The kid looks deeply into Nicks eyes. "Alright, I'm just going to have to follow you around then, eventually you'll take me in." Nick defeated ignores the kid and continues to try to make his way out of the market. After about 20 minutes of walking the kid is still following and Nick is unable to find his way out of the market. "What are you even looking for? You're obviously lost just ask me and I might be able to help." the kid says. "Fine, I'm trying to find my way out of the market" "Oh, well just head this way." The kid points and starts walking I could just ditch the kid right now, but if I do it could be a while before I find my way out of the market again if I don't follow. Nick follows.

Title: Someone else post!

I don't want to continue posting unless someone else is posting as well, it gets kinda awkward when it's just me. Besides I don't want the community to die

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After brushing past a couple people Nick is able to see what looks to be where the bunches of people are. He pats his pockets to make sure he has everything. Of course my wallet is missing, but I have my knife. All that matters is keeping good care of Red's knife. He finally pushes himself out of the crowd, then he trips and falls, as he closes his eyes waiting for the impact of the floor time seems to slow down, it feels like forever before his arms, raised to protect his face, feel the rough dirt and rocks of the Amazon's floor. He is on a slope, the unexpected terrain startling him a little, starts to roll down the hill. Before he reaches the bottom he digs one of his hands into the ground and slows to a halt midway down. He looks around and is unable to spot the child. Shrugging he loosens his grip to slide more slowly to the bottom. Once he reaches the bottom he hears a voice from above "Hey, big person! Did you forget about me already?" Nick looks up to see the kid sitting on a high branch in the tree. The kid jumps off the branch and lands on a branch lower down. They jump again about 20 feet from the ground and instead of landing on a branch like previously they pull out a small knife and slam it into the tree trunk slowing their fall. A knife? Interesting The kid nearly stopped about 10 feet up slams their foot into the trunk yanking the knife out and falling all the way down to the ground right on their feet, an audible cracking sound is heard and the kid's eyes start to water up. That sounded painful, dang it, now I have to take care of this kid or suffer from a bad case of conscience Walking over to the kid without a word and picking them up then starts walking along the hill.