Valeo didn't understand the words the man was saying, but one he did know was the threatening time in his words.
"JUST GIVE ME THE ORB AND LITTLE MIKI WON'T SEE THE CHIME EARLY!"
Anastasia glared at Skal, like it would eviscerate him and blow his ashes in the wind.
"I'm sorry brat, I'm so fucking sorry. I won't be there for you like I promised."
Tears streamed down her face as she slowly handed Skal who was now in front of her, Skal snatched the orb out her hand and pressed the button.
A small oval shaped dome covered Skal, it's white glow was ruined when blood covered Skal's face as Anastasia's foot was severed by the dome.
"YOU WORTHLESS WHORE, YOUR HYBRID BLOOD IS ALL OVER MY FACE, YOU FUCKING WASTE OF AIR!"
Her ears was ringing, her vision hazy as tears continue to fall down her face, she didn't feel her foot being detached from her, she could only cry.
an image of a little fox girl flashed in Anastasia's mind.
The monster they fought was now standing over her, before it looked over to Skal who was still screaming.
"HAHA, JOKES ON YOU BITCH, SINCE YOU GOT YOUR NASTY HYBRID BLOOD ALL OVER ME, ME AND THE BOSS WILL PAY MIKI A LITTLE VISIT....Huh?"
Skal looked up at the approaching visage of Valeo, the cloak he was wearing swaying in the breeze. When Valeo stopped next to the dome he saw the same button, he only wanted to know what that thing did.
"His wounds, just like mitosis but... different, why is she crying? Who's Miki?....ugh our head is starting to hurt."
Valeo looked over to the bleeding out body of Anastasia, he knows it wasn't hero-like to watch people die but they attacked him first when he was just eating, their first impression not being a very good one.
"I'm sorry Miki, I can't be your hero anymore."
Those words made Valeo stop in his train of thoughts.
"H-hero?"
Valeo didn't understand what a sister was or why Anastasia reacted that but something told him to save her, to let her be a hero to this Miki.
"He pressed that thing, right? Could it..."
"W-w-what are you doing?"
Valeo pressed the button and the white dome retracted into the orb, picking up the orb Valeo ignored the shouts of the Bleeding out man.
"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING, I NEED THAT, PLEASE!"
Valeo held the orb above the dying woman and pressed the button again, this time the dome covered Anastasia, her organs that fell slowly etched closer to the open wound on her stomach, it was very slow.
"How is she still alive? She should've bled out by now, and we're pretty sure when those things are falling out, it means death."
The same ring he saw earlier appeared around her neck and began to choke the life out of her, Valeo darted his head to Skal who had his hand out stretched covered in the vile green essence.
"IF IM DYING THE HYBRID ABOMINATION IS COMING WITH ME HAHAHAHA!"
The last of his sanity lost, Skal crawled closer to the dome, not noticing the Gunbai coming down on his neck.
"Is that....my body?"
The eyes dimmed of the severed head of Skal.
Before Valeo could do anything a symbol of a connected chain appeared between Anastasia and Skal, it slowly pulled itself in two directions until it broke.
"What....what was that?"
Valeo said staring at the spot where the chain broke, after a couple seconds went by Valeo turned his attention to Anastasia who was alive but passed out.
"Why did we do that? she wants to be a hero to her sister thing...what even is that?"
His thoughts were interrupted when the sun's rays blinded him making Valeo lift his top right arm to block it, that's when he noticed something on his wrist.
Weird symbols forming in a ring around his wrist, placing his gunbai down he checked his other arms and saw the same ring on them.
For some odd reason he felt something in them, and the same feeling was coming from his gunbai. Having nothing better to do Valeo focused on the feeling in the ring on his top right arm.
Suddenly the gunbai shot to his hand.
"Okay. That's really fucking cool heh heh!" The chuckle he let out was childish in nature with his eyes matching his excitement.
Valeo threw the gunbai across the clearing and focused on the feeling once more. In a blur the Gunbai soar to him making Valeo's arm jerk back due to the force.
His excitement died down when Valeo noticed in the corner of his eye that Anastasia was still healing.
"We caused that.... some hero we are."
Valeo watched the moons slowly emerge, a sense of calmness washed over his body as he watched the triad of moons. Sitting next to the dome Valeo felt his body get heavier and heavier as his eyelids slowly closed.
"Shit, when wa-"
Valeo passed out before his thought could finish his body slumping against the dome, a dreamless sleep welcomed him.
* * *
"Ugh...my head...and my body, did I get drunk again?" Anastasia groaned as she regained her consciousness, the pain only irritating her. Slowly opening her eyes she saw the dome she swore Skal had.
"What th-" Anastasia's words died in her throat as she saw Valeo resting against the dome, his long hair was gently swaying with the breeze she couldn't feel.
Besides the obvious oddities of his person Anastasia thought he looked-
Her thoughts was interrupted as she spotted Skal's severed head,or, what was left of it.
A tall mushroom protrude from his left eye socket with multiple eyes adorning the stalk, on the head of the mushroom was a mouth singing a haunting melody.
"I really hate the Scourge. Wait, if Skal's dead does that mean."
Anastasia closed her eyes in concentration.
"I, I don't feel the connection, it's.....gone.
Tears slowly began to trickle down Anastasia's.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET YOU HAHA!"
Her screams went unnoticed by the Sleeping Valeo due to no noise leaving the inside of the dome.
"Hold on, why am I in here? Last time I checked my guts were everywhere."
Anastasia said to herself as she observed the dome, she noticed her right boot was missing but didn't pay any more attention since Valeo began to move.
Cracking his neck Valeo rubbed the tiredness from his eyes as the morning sun shines through the shattered terrain.
The memories of the day prior slowly trickled into his mind as she turned around to check on Anastasia.
They locked eyes instantly, both not knowing what to do since they tried to kill each other just yesterday.
Suddenly the dome retracted into the orb dropping on Anastasia's lap, both looked at the orb than back at each other.
Both jumped away making space between them, they didn't draw their weapons but was still ready for anything. The haunting melody of the mushroom was the only thing that echoed in the area.
"Oh my chime, SHUT UP!"
Anastasia plucked a string on her lute sending a bolt of essence at the mushroom striking it, the screams from the mushroom was unnerving to Valeo.
"Why?"
Valeo looked at Anastasia when she spoke.
"What?" Valeo's voice came out as rasp.
"Why did you save me, you're the one who literally made me spill my guts and then....you helped me. Why?"
Anastasia saw Valeo look up slightly and then looked back at her.
"You said that you were a hero to your... sister." Valeo said still trying to figure out what a sister was.
"Yeah, so what?"
Anastasia glared at Valeo which didn't work on him as he continued to stare. Since the mushroom was destroyed the area was now in a eerie silence as both occupants were locked in a stare down.
"And?"
Valeo raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Don't what me, I know how this works, no just helps someone just because they have family at home waiting for them. In the Vile Lands you take advantage of every opportunity you get."
Anastasia's glare grew colder as she finished, Valeo's raised eyebrow held its position as the raven hair boy looked at her.
"The Vile Lands?"
Anastasia's expression turned into one of confusion as the questioning tone in that sentence threw her off.
"The Vile Lands, you know, the land we're literally standing on."
Anastasia's confusion grew as Valeo still looked at her with the same confusion in his eyes.
"How are you the most wanted man to ever walk the vile lands and yet not know nothing about it?"
Valeo blinked at her words as something registered in his mind, the memory of the small hologram of himself entering his mind.
"What do you 'ean 'ost wanted?"
Anastasia was now gobsmack at the situation at hand, she began to rub her temples as a headache was slowly approaching.
"This is the most wanted man?"