Chapter Two

[Quantum Rain]

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As the forum auto-splits topics every 50 pages, the next topics will be named further chapters accordingly. This is chapter two, guys, KEEP IT UP!

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Reeds just kept on whistling as guards and crew cleared out of his path. Eventually, he stopped at a door, the label addressing it as 'Science Lab 2A.' He smiled as he opened the door and Lae saw that the science lab was not small by any means. It was massive, in fact, taking up at least five rooms and two floors entirely on its own. It also seemed to host a massive range of equipment, some of which were entirely foreign to him. With all of the technology, equipment, and stores here, one could only wonder what Reeds' intention was with this lab.

He rolled the cart up next to two others and then proceeded to rummage around for a datapad. "Sit down, my fine lab rat." He said friendly still as he finally found his desired object, turning it own and turning toward Lae, a mischievous grin on his face.

[Wynn]

The man was beyond normal, this much was certain, but he was just as insane as the kid. Despite wearing casual clothing, he was flying down towards him, blades at either end. His expression seemed to be of exquisite joy, but his eyes were entirely focused on his prey. Running away? Well that's not fun at all...

Lae activated the pouch, and formed a hang glider with it. He continued to dive downward for a moment, and began to pull up gently. In a few short moments, he was shooting only slightly downward, but straight forward. He stole a glance at the man, who would still be falling. He raised one hand, and gave a salute with two fingers. "Adios, amigo." He would then fly over the city wall and continue out.

[Quantum Rain]

Give the boy credit for intelligence, but... He thought, one blade retracting as he aimed at the glider. Two can play at that game. A grappling hook, or at least what looked like one, flew forward from the wrist guard, piercing through the glider, as Lae would feel a sudden jerk back away from the wall. He was barely inches from it then, and he was being forcefully pulled from it as the demon glided closer and closer thanks to the grapple.

[Wynn]

Give the boy credit for intelligence, but... He thought, one blade retracting as he aimed at the glider. Two can play at that game. A grappling hook, or at least what looked like one, flew forward from the wrist guard, piercing through the glider, as Lae would feel a sudden jerk back away from the wall. He was barely inches from it then, and he was being forcefully pulled from it as the demon glided closer and closer thanks to the grapple.

The moment Lae felt the glider get hooked, he let go of it and dove forward. He continued over the wall, and used the nano leather pouch at the last moment to create an airbag beneath him. He would slam into it, pop it, bounce up and hit the ground hard. He was sore, but alive. He quickly jumped up and ran. He looked at the pouch. Only enough charge for a small item. Damn, better save it for an absolute last ditch emergency. Lae thought. He was tempted to get his weapons out of his backpack, but knew that would only prove the man right. For now, all the man can prove is the kid ran, and as long as he didn't make a serious attempt to fight back, he could say that the man was the one attacking him.

[Quantum Rain]

As Lae was running, a shadowed beam, shrouded by the night, suddenly shot out in front of him as the escorts chased after the kid, appearing out of no where. The commander laughed at the kid's sorry attempts as he sprinted after him, having recovered and jumped over the wall with little effort. I would imagine that he just ran into my personal guard about now... So bastard child, what will you do now?

[Wynn]

As Lae was running, a shadowed beam, shrouded by the night, suddenly shot out in front of him as the escorts chased after the kid, appearing out of no where. The commander laughed at the kid's sorry attempts as he sprinted after him, having recovered and jumped over the wall with little effort. I would imagine that he just ran into my personal guard about now... So bastard child, what will you do now?

Speaking of which... Lae thought, continuing from his previous thought. Lae immediately jumped for cover behind a tree. "The [censored] do i do now?" Lae swore to himself. He had to get out of here. He peeked at the guards around the tree, then ducked back. If i cant use my gear of choice, Lae thought. I'm gonna have to use stealth...somehow... He looked around, trying to think of the best way out. He decided it would be best to use more than just shadow. He went into the branches of the evergreens, and crawled slowly. Even with a decent light, he would be extremely difficult to spot. He crawled from one cover of branches, into the next without even really exposing himself.

[Quantum Rain]

The escorts kept moving, every now and then they stopped and looked around. Otherwise, they kept forward still, a vaguely similar direction as Lae was traveling. How they were capable of such is unknown, but such is what he saw, however, they didn't see him yet, which is a plus.

Hm, so the kid can stealth. Not bad, but he'll need to be able to do more. The commander thought as he kept running, the trees flying past him, and the cold biting his bare arms, but he ignored that. The cold didn't matter as long as he kept mobile, he thought, but then again, humans are so fragile... He brought out his two blades again as he stepped up the pace.

[Wynn]

The escorts kept moving, every now and then they stopped and looked around. Otherwise, they kept forward still, a vaguely similar direction as Lae was traveling. How they were capable of such is unknown, but such is what he saw, however, they didn't see him yet, which is a plus.

Hm, so the kid can stealth. Not bad, but he'll need to be able to do more. The commander thought as he kept running, the trees flying past him, and the cold biting his bare arms, but he ignored that. The cold didn't matter as long as he kept mobile, he thought, but then again, humans are so fragile... He brought out his two blades again as he stepped up the pace.

Lae stopped at the edge of a patch of trees. [censored], this is going to be tricky. Lae thought. He carefully crawled into a semi-bare spot and got up to a low-crouching position. Unless they really looked carefully, they would not notice him. He saw a gulley a little ways away. That's probably my best bet, but my timing will have to be absolutely perfect. He began alternating between watching the commander and the escorts. He had to get them right as they both turned their attention elsewhere... and were out of earshot of his mad dash for cover.

[Quantum Rain]

The commander stopped suddenly, scanning the area. Let's see... a, b, or c? Let's have the kid decide. He said, walking steadily forward as he continued to look about. The escorts ignored the commander's presence as just another helping hand, and continued their walking search for Lae. The question was if the commander would see Lae or if the escorts would discover him at this point.

[Wynn]

The commander stopped suddenly, scanning the area. Let's see... a, b, or c? Let's have the kid decide. He said, walking steadily forward as he continued to look about. The escorts ignored the commander's presence as just another helping hand, and continued their walking search for Lae. The question was if the commander would see Lae or if the escorts would discover him at this point.

Lae waited a moment more. The commander walked past his hiding place, and the soldiers all the soldiers were facing away or out of direct line-of-sight. This is my chance. Lae thought. He watched the commander's footsteps, then got up and walked forward, matching his pace exactly, while holding his breath. He was within four strides of the man when he started walking, so this was nerve-racking to say the least. He was prepared to charge him, should he decide to turn around. Once he was satisfied he was out of earshot, he ran for the gully, and dove in. He peeked up one eye over the edge to see if they had seen him.

[Quantum Rain]

This is when things got odd. The escorts were still searching, unsure of where Lae went still, and incapable of seeing or hearing him yet, but still knowing the general direction he was headed... but was stood out the most was the lack of the commander's presence, as if he suddenly disappeared.

[Wynn]

This is when things got odd. The escorts were still searching, unsure of where Lae went still, and incapable of seeing or hearing him yet, but still knowing the general direction he was headed... but was stood out the most was the lack of the commander's presence, as if he suddenly disappeared.

"[censored]..." Lae swore under his breath. He knew that the commander either A, spotted him and is getting ready to ambush him; or B, simply walked out of line-of-sight. However, Lae assumed the first. He crouch walked down the gulley, walking backwards at times, then forwards, then sideways, and even upwards. He scanned every inch of his surroundings as he moved. He peeked up over the edges multiple times, but never stopped moving quietly.

[Quantum Rain]

Still no sign of the commander could be seen among the sparse natural landscape. The escorts continued moving forward, scanning still. They kept pace with Lae despite not knowing where he was.

The commander had to laugh inside at the kid's sudden reaction. I'm surprised you can't see me, kiddo. He thought with a sly grin. Though in his current state, he couldn't attack Lae, still, it was amusing.

[Wynn]

Still no sign of the commander could be seen among the sparse natural landscape. The escorts continued moving forward, scanning still. They kept pace with Lae despite not knowing where he was.

The commander had to laugh inside at the kid's sudden reaction. I'm surprised you can't see me, kiddo. He said with a sly grin. Though in his current state, he couldn't attack Lae, still, it was amusing.

Lae kept moving quietly, he had no idea that the man was watching him. Eventually, he escaped the escorts, but still felt like he was being watched. Lae moved from tree to tree, still keeping as hidden as possible. He was obviously unaware.

As the man would follow, he would be able to sense that the kid was ignorant to his presence, so he would be surprised at the next thing that would happen. He felt an extraordinarily evil presence invade his mind. "Seems you've taken an interest in this child, groundborn." It said. The voice echoed all around him. If he were to look around, he would see no one. It wasn't a physical voice in his surroundings he heard, that much was certain. The presence was stimulating his human mind to make it appear as though some entity was speaking to him from all around. The voice was deep, inhumanly deep.

[Quantum Rain]

Interesting... a separate consciousness inside this human's mind? I take it you can see me then? No matter. He replied back, calm as ever at this surprise. Still, if this kid truly is split into two, or more, that only merits more caution to be undertaken. Nothing he need concern himself over, as that is the entire point, but he had his orders. I can tell you already know as to why as well, if you are bothering to talk to me, entity. He said, following still. The escorts were a significant distance away, already ordered to just follow the kid at a fair enough distance away to avoid detection.

[Wynn]

Interesting... a separate consciousness inside this human's mind? I take it you can see me then? No matter. He replied back, calm as ever at this surprise. Still, if this kid truly is split into two, or more, that only merits more caution to be undertaken. Nothing he need concern himself over, as that is the entire point, but he had his orders. I can tell you already know as to why as well, if you are bothering to talk to me, entity. He said, following still. The escorts were a significant distance away, already ordered to just follow the kid at a fair enough distance away to avoid detection.

"I see you, but not in a physical sense. I see without need for physical eyes." The voice paused a short time. Lae began climbing a tree. "I am also aware of the escorts you have following him. If I were in your position I would consider walking a way and taking them with you." Lae reached a high branch of the tree, and used it as a point to check for followers from. "Should you refuse," the voice said. It would pause for a time, then the man would hear the voice of a woman crying, however there were other sounds he heard that seemed to make it difficult to hear. The woman's voice said. "No... please.... please stop this... was it something we did?." He heard a drowned out name, he couldnt make it out, but knew that she said a name. "please, dont... DONT!" He heard her scream, then dead silence briefly. The voice that was talking before began again. "Should you refuse, I will bury you... all of you. Just like I buried her."

[Quantum Rain]

The demon was silent for several minutes. Then he laughed, heartily at first, then turning more sinister as the human skin turned more pale and the eyes glowed. Fear tactics on me? You must truly lack the sense your counterpart seems to hoard... Maybe if you ask him nicely, oh wait, you just threaten him and he beats you over the head for it, doesn't he? What a [censored] shame you miserable little insect of a consciousness. I have no time for your idle, empty threats, nor do I care if you even attempted to go through with them. I have bigger masters than you. The demon replied rather prideful and smugly, as he continued following Lae. He sent a mental note for the escorts to take cover and avoid noise due to Lae's current actions. I care not for your intervention, I have one goal in mind, and it's not you. The demon said, the blades shining in the moonlight as he unphased and jumped upward, blades poised to strike Lae. I have one goal, and I will see it done with the style you inherently lack, but your counterpart has.

[Wynn]

The demon was silent for several minutes. Then he laughed, heartily at first, then turning more sinister as the human skin turned more pale and the eyes glowed. Fear tactics on me? You must truly lack the sense your counterpart seems to hoard... Maybe if you ask him nicely, oh wait, you just threaten him and he beats you over the head for it, doesn't he? What a [censored] shame you miserable little insect of a consciousness. I have no time for your idle, empty threats, nor do I care if you even attempted to go through with them. I have bigger masters than you. The demon replied rather prideful and smugly, as he continued following Lae. He sent a mental note for the escorts to take cover and avoid noise due to Lae's current actions. I care not for your intervention, I have one goal in mind, and it's not you. The demon said, the blades shining in the moonlight as he unphased and jumped upward, blades poised to strike Lae. I have one goal, and I will see it done with the style you inherently lack, but your counterpart has.

The presence vanished abruptly, it seemed to leave in a hurry, but he was not forced out.

Lae scanned the ground, still doubting the fact he was alone. As he was about to stand up and move, an all-too-familiar voice spoke in his mind.

Xaldius: You are not alone.
Lae: Wait a minute, the [censored]!? I thought i told you to stay locked away!
Xaldius: Save you anger! You're right to doubt the ease of your escape. Right in front of you, down, just a short distance to the right of those two rocks.
Lae: You just want me to jump.
Xaldius: HE'S NOT VISIBLE TO YOU! He's not normal, and besides, you cant hurt him at the moment. He's phased. His escorts are following right now, they know exactly where you stand, now MOVE!


Lae didn't like listening to him, but he couldn't just blow that off. "Goddamn it." The man heard Lae swear. Lae stood up on the branch, ran to the end of it, and jumped off it to the next tree and used the other trees to make a break for it.

[Quantum Rain]

The demon just sighed at the other consciousness's interference. He had had enough of this game, and his legs were tired of running constantly, or at least, that is what the human brain had said. He could push on for days, but that was beside the point. Black skeletal wings protruded from the commander's back as he took flight and swiftly followed Lae at the same pace. He had to complete his task, otherwise his masters would not be very pleased, and that was not something he wanted to look forward to. The escorts booked it after Lae, utilizing the trees to the same advantage.

[Wynn]

The demon just sighed at the other consciousness's interference. He had had enough of this game, and his legs were tired of running constantly, or at least, that is what the human brain had said. He could push on for days, but that was beside the point. Black skeletal wings protruded from the commander's back as he took flight and swiftly followed Lae at the same pace. He had to complete his task, otherwise his masters would not be very pleased, and that was not something he wanted to look forward to. The escorts booked it after Lae, utilizing the trees to the same advantage.

Lae stole a glance over his shoulder. "Oh, you've got to be [censored] me." He picked up his pace and moved at a far faster rate than the escorts, but would not be able to out run the commander. He kept ahead a short time, then mis-steped. He put his foot to far forward and missed the branch he intended to step on. "[censored]!" He fell down from the tree tops, and hit multiple branches on the way down. He got up and began walking. His legs and arms were fine, but he felt intense pain every time he breathed in. He held his side and walked backwards away from the men who would be upon him in mere moments.

[Quantum Rain]

The commander smiled grimly as he neared the kid then quickly teleported to in front of the kid, running backwards as well, as if taunting Lae. "So you never told me your name..." He said smugly. The escorts were still a long distance away, though caught up some with Lae on land and them in the trees.

[Wynn]

The commander smiled grimly as he neared the kid then quickly teleported to in front of the kid, running backwards as well, as if taunting Lae. "So you never told me your name..." He said smugly. The escorts were still a long distance away, though caught up some with Lae on land and them in the trees.

"...names are for friends." Lae replied. He knew he was cornered. He hit the button on the nano leather pack that was on his belt now, and it created a small dagger that Lae held back-handed in his left hand, while holding his side with his right hand.

[Quantum Rain]

The demon stood there, retracting one blade for the sake of fairness in his mind. "Well then, mysterious stranger, one final game for you. Beat me, you can leave without a fight, don't, and we'll see then..." He said, separating the blade from the wrist guard, and throwing Lae a second dagger for him to use. "I'll play fair, but there are no rules. I hope you're okay with that." He flourished the blade and took a battle ready stance. "Do you accept?"

[Wynn]

Lae just stared at him blankly. "Guess I don't have a choice..." He kicked the second dagger away. "And just remember: you're the one who said no rules." He cringed as he breathed in and doubled over slightly, he had obviously broken ribs.

[Quantum Rain]

The demon just flourished his sword again in response, staying within a combative stance, but this time, he had his sword arm relaxed, the blade's tip just lightly touching the ground as he waited for Lae to strike first. He was either confident and taunting him, or knew what he was doing. The first move is yours again, kiddo.

[Wynn]

The demon just flourished his sword again in response, staying within a combative stance, but this time, he had his sword arm relaxed, the blade's tip just lightly touching the ground as he waited for Lae to strike first. He was either confident and taunting him, or knew what he was doing. The first move is yours again, kiddo.

Lae stood for a moment. He then took a step forward, threw his first knife at the man's groin, kicked up the dagger he kicked over a moment ago, then ran at him and went to slash him in the neck.

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