The Mechanism at Play

The Sages feel unease. And so did Killerkill who was not only next to him but was holding hands with the bastard. The other Searches were openly hating him and didn’t mind the fact that Killerkill was by his side. They knew, she very likely did not wish to be there, it was just Limbo being himself. More so than that, if Limbo tried something funny, they would all come crashing towards him without any mercy.

— But I don’t have anything! — He chuckles.

Despite being called “the most capable” Searcher, Limbo knew he could not face over thirty highly skilled opponents. Violence was a meaningless path, for someone like him. There was something far funnier to be done.

— So, I ask you! Fellow Searchers. My dear friends! Don’t you believe our ways are becoming outdated. The system works but at what cost? Should we not advance like our generations of Searchers. Why not create a new system, where our gifts match our freedom?

Silence takes over the auditorium. It was clearly painted in the faces of everyone present, yet Limbo still searched for a positive reaction. Nobody really pained attention…

— Limbo? — Killer looked over to him.

— Oh my…

And nobody really cared either.

— GET THE FUCK OFF THE STAGE YOU CUNT!!!

All the captains yell names and prepare to force Limbo off the building. The Sages sigh and smile with relief. Although Limbo was the most problematic of fools, he was still one person. And since all Captains disliked him, all of the Lapse was against him. His only sympathizer were his own team and a few ego-driven stragglers.

— I’ll be on my way then. Good luck, Killergirl.

Killerkill sees Limbo walk off the stage, unaffected by his disastrous speech. Part of her can’t help but feel bad for the guy. Nothing he said was particularly wrong. A lot of Searchers and the Relics they rescued could be of tremendous use for the world, if applied correctly. Using her eyes Killerkill could probably find a cure for cancer. But no VSS was allowed to be used outside of the Wetlands or for the outside. For her and her allies to be so shunned from the rest of the world was strange indeed.

— Captain Killerkill, we apologize for Limbo’s interruption.

The cold Captain sits back down at the top of the auditorium, with a cute, satisfied smile.

Notwithstanding what was said, Killer knew that Limbo did what he did to get the pressure of her. Now that all Captains had directed their hate and ignorance on him, everyone was a bit more considerate of the newbie.

— Honestly… I’d say Green. — Teacher says.

In the room, Imperium, Ragnarok, and Juice groan, dissatisfied, while Evangelist and Franchise high-five. After telling her about the Anti-Humans, they went on to compare them. Between the ones that weren’t Ejo, which one was the worse?

— MY GUY HAD POCKET DIMENSIONS!! — Ragnarok says.

— Well cause you gotta assume that if a guy can amp up his luck to the point nothing can affect him, then isn’t just he invincible? Like…

— Not for us though! — Evangelist brags.

— The luck thing is what we know at least. — Franchise says. — Good thing that guy had the ego of your average twitter user.

— Guys, seriously, Vitrolica was blasting the mountains! She had toxic smoke clouds everywhere! Not to mention how fast and strong-

— POCKET!!! DIMENSIONS!!!

— Ragnarok I mean it, Vitrolica could literally-

— THERE WAS A WHOLE UNIVERSE INSIDE HIS STOMACH!!!

— And he could teleport. — Juice added.

— AND HE COULD TELEPORT! — Ragnarok crosses her arms.

As the Ballada argued in good faith, Teacher couldn’t help but laugh. And whilst laughing, she admired each and every one of them. Ragnarok had small yet plenty of small scars in her bare arms, from her many battles. Juice had his right hand recovered and stitched back in place by Lapse personnel. Evangelist had lost her right eye, but the eyepatch did suit her well. Franchise’s whole right arm was gone, replaced by a prosthetic. And the young boy Imperium, had a great scar from the right corner of his mouth. Even their newfangled Captain who she briefly saw had half her face scarred by acid.

— Yeah, you guys are crazy. — Teacher admitted.

— Crazy good. — Juice corrected.

— Crazy good…

In the auditorium:

— Is there anything else you would like to add? — A Sage asked.

— No, I believe that’s all. Thank you everyone for listening.

Captain Killer finishes her report, and thanks to a sudden and unwanted intervention, dodged a fact about the enemies abilities. Her secret was safe from the hands of the Lapse and more specifically, Limbo and his Draught. Strangely enough, it was thanks to Limbo himself. As everyone exited the room, Killerkill could hear some of the comments.

— Stupid Limbo… ruined the girl’s speech with his bullshit.

— Didn’t even see an Anti-Human and wanted to steal the show.

Outside, Limbo was waiting for her.

— Sorry for taking the spotlight…

— No… thank you for doing that.

He smiles, getting away from the wall.

— If you can’t overcome a challenge by using brute force, use your wits.

— What if your wits are not enough?

— Try more brute force. Maybe it’ll work this time.

After what he would consider a valuable piece of advice, Limbo waves goodbye. Heading towards the squad that gathered together to wait for him. Killerkill hoped that nothing that was said by him meant anything deeper than just as a diversion. Either way, she had to see her own crew. And as soon as possible. Teacher left them for her own squadron soon after admiring their companionship. The other five members were discussing the future of their abilities. Namely…

— Method Development! — Evangelist said.

— God, that word is starting to give me PTSD. — Juice said.

— What is it? Where does it live? What does it eat? — Evangelist continued.

— Nobody knows… — Franchise went along with his girlfriend’s shenanigans.

— But we do know. — Imperium said. — Killerkill said that they focused all of their VSS into a thought-out attack. A complex use of the innate powers they have. So, what if we do the same?

— We’d have to feel the VSS in us first, right? — Ragnarok said. — I don’t feel anything throbbing inside of me. And frankly, it better stay that way!

— What? — Imperium asked, off the loop.

— The point is… — Juice intervened. — …that if we can harmonize our powers, we might be able to do the same insane shit we saw them do against us.

— Franchise, if you do a Development on your hand-blade-thing, you might be able to cut Despise’s sword in half! — Evangelist said.

— What do you mean by “might”? — He looks over to her. Offended.

— All we have to do is train some! I’m sure we’ll get the hang of it!

After Imperium’s inspiring words, everyone despaired and moaned in mildly justified laziness. Except Ragnarok, of course, the woman cheered like her first child had been born. Sure, the idea of acquiring their own Method Developments was thrilling. But not only was the Lapse not under any pressure, it did enter a state of alert. The Draught, along with all other squadrons were present. Should anything happen to the Lapse, the Ballada would be one of the last to be called to action. A hectic Killerkill stormed the room right after.

— Boss. — Everyone greets her.

— We need to train. — She ordered.

— BOSS!! — Ragnarok cries tears of joy.