VROOOOM….

  The buggy roars, twigs snapping beneath it as it weaves between trees like a needle between threads of cloth. The interior quivers, bouncing and jostling its occupants as it tears through the forest's dense floor. An air of silence had overtaken the group, looming over them like a physical weight. Some attempts had been made, but Liv and Anthony’s silence had made it impossible to get anything off the floor.

  Liv’s eyes scan across the forest, scanning for… Something, anything that took the town's inhabitants. With the fading sunlight, however, it became harder and harder to see. She grunts, the blossoming pain in her chest growing as she slams her hands into her gauntlets once more, the orange glow blooming out. Any light was enough.

  Anything to find these people.

  “Awful quiet night,” Donovan starts, his hand resting on the wheel, “you all enjoying the view? The moon's all bright tonight.”

  “Indeed.” Charlotte concurs, her head tilted skyward. “It is a bright night, isn’t it?”

  “Ain't bright enough to look in the damn forest.” Liv growls, her fists hanging just over the edge as she squints her eyes. The trees glow with her gauntlets ominous light. Still nothing. The entire damned place was empty, even the woodland creatures.

  Anthony lets off a quiet grunt, his caduceus glowing a bright pink, illuminating his own side of the buggy. Despite his effort, he has a bored look in his eye, a disinterest spurned by a twinge of annoyance.

  “Nothing on my end.” He mutters, giving his caduceus a half-hearted shake, light blooming further from its metallic surface.

  “Then keep lookin’,” Liv demands, slamming her fists back into her chest. She winces as the pain blossoms through her body, her nerves sending shocks up her nervous system to her brain, “‘cause we ain’t stoppin’ till we get ‘em all.”

  “Not like there’s anyone left…” Anthony grunts under his breath. Liv whips her head around, her eyes blazing into him like lasers. Spoken just a bit too loud, loud enough to be heard.

  “We’re gonna save everyone we can.” Liv states, her finger driving toward him.

  Anthony looks at the finger, then to her once more, something brewing just beneath his gaze. After a moment of deliberation, he speaks, frustration clear in his tone. “I just think that promise was unfair.”

  “How’s that unfair?”

  “It puts pressure on us to perform and it gives a clearly ill man false hope.” He responds, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “If he's still alive when we come back empty handed, he'll be crushed. We can’t save everyone.”

  “Then I reckon you perform ‘fore I drag your ass ‘cross the ground.” Liv grunts, slamming her fist back into her chest once more, the gauntlets flaring as the threat hangs in the air.

  “Easy now, there is no need to bicker.” Charlotte says, her voice soothing. "I am sure we can, at least, try our best. Bickering will just distract us."

  Liv glares at Anthony who, in return, stares out, an annoyed furrow in his brow. That only served to make Liv angrier. What did he have to be annoyed about? People’s lives? If there was someone out there who needed to be saved, she would sure as shit save them, consequences be damned. Just the thought made her angrier and angrier. She could feel her face flush, her teeth grinding together as the muscles in her neck bulge. Did they not deserve to be saved just because they weren’t in the Initiative? Because they were “lower priority”? She could feel her heart slamming in her chest, thumping against her ribcage like a caged ape, something tickling the back of her mind. She could feel her team turning to look at her, their eyes widening for a split moment. For a split moment, she thought they could hear her thrumming heart. Were they scared of her-?

  CRASH

  The Buggy careens through the air as something large crashes into its side, the metal denting inward– either completely ruined or broken. Liv barely has time to register the car's new found flight before it impacts into one of the many trees. Liv groans, slowly pulling herself out of the wreckage, her eyes scanning her team. They all seemed to be conscious, though Donovan had his arm snapped in a strange way, an arm that was quickly setting itself back in place. With a clearer mind, she tunes back into her mind, feeling for the already set connection between her and her boss.

  “LivLivLivLiv-.”

  “I hear ya.” She grunts mentally, her eyes snapping toward the forest. She can see its glowing eyes stalking, it's shape just visible beyond the treeline. It resembles a buck, though any hunter would tell you it's far too large to be such. Swirling horns protrude violently from its skull, each ending in wickedly sharp points sharp enough to tear flesh. Frothing foam cakes on its mouth, spilling down like horrid snow to the floor, rotting the grass as it does. It's legs are preposterously long, it's hooves ending in wicked points. A demon for sure.

  “I attempted to warn you of the danger, but yet again you ignore my plea-.”

  “I get it.” She growls, her hands clenching as her eyes lock with the demons, jumping from the flipped car. A line of kicked up grass stands before her and her enemy, it’s visage circling her slowly, sizing her up. She’d give it something to size.

  With a start, she bounds forward, rushing toward the beast with a focus as sharp as a knife. It, too, rushes toward her with bloodlust in its eyes, its antlers poised to run her through. At the final moment, Liv steps to the side, slamming her glowing gauntlet into the beast's face.

  BOOM

  An explosion rips from her gauntlet, sending her arm reeling back as the beast stumbles. With her increased momentum, she jumps back, observing the damage. It's face has been injured, its jaw hanging slack as waves of foam pours forth from its maw. She lets out a breath, a smile creeping onto her face. Unlike her previous demonic encounter, this one didn't have enough defense to mitigate her blows. Her muscles tense, coiled springs ready to unfurl at a moments notice.

  “Impressive shot.” Her boss compliments. “It’s disoriented. Strike its head once more.”

  Liv wastes no time, bounding forward with her fists raised. Adrenaline pumped through her, fueling the limitless energy she felt deep within her. This demon, this creature associated with the loss of so many would pay here and now.

  Just as she closed the distance, she saw it turn its head, its open maw pointed straight at her. It's mouth is a cold, inky abyss– flat molars and sharp canines the only objects present within it. Hands claw their way out, racing like bullets. A cold seeps into her skin, fear bubbling in her heart as everything slows down. She knows one thing: if any of those hands connect with her, she will die. Though aware of the fact, she can't move fast enough.

  With but a moment to spare, Donovan flies in, his feet slamming into its head. At the same moment, Charlotte barrels into it's side, burying her blade to the hilt in its muscular body. Knocked off kilter, the hand that sped towards Liv flies just by her, crashing into a tree just behind her. The trunk is blown through, the wood splintering as the tree crashes to the floor.

  “FOCUS.” Charlotte demands, retreating as the creature bucks wildly against them.

  Donovan jumps back, pointing the back of his Tonfa at the beast. The bottoms fall down on a near invisible hinge, its own infinite darkness revealed. Air funnels in, vacuumed into the void of the Tonfa. After a moment, flames spew from their depths, earning a roar of pain from the demon.

  Liv looks on, temporarily dumbstruck. It doesn't last long, her gauntleted hands slapping her face, a warm glow overcoming the fault lines in her gauntlets. With a growl, she steps back into the fray, barely dodging another ram from the demon while throwing a fist out into its snout. Black blood flies from its nose, dripping down to the floor like a waterfall.

  With every strike, Liv feels that high of battle rushing into her body. Each dodge, each brush with death, each feels more real than the last. That fear of death vanishes with the wind, replaced by an overwhelming sense of euphoria. This craze is one she’s felt before in her fight with Faraji, this sense of overwhelming victory. Her heart hummed… And in this moment, she could hear something.

  “Until it is done, until it is done, until it is done.”

  “The left, then the right! Now hit em with a kick!”

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  Two voices unfamiliar to her, each flooding into her mind as she continues to fight. One is a righteous one, a sense of holiness emanating from every syllable. The other one speaks in an overly excited voice, practically screaming for more. She can feel the thump of her heartbeat combining with those around her, time slowing around her as she does. Space warbles around her point of impact, slowly giving as she continues to push against it, her target in her eyes. The demon before her, the beast, the monster.

  It opens its maw once more, a desperate scream escaping it. It was strong, no doubt about it; however, it was simply a bad match up. It had no time to charge with too little defense to push through their wall. It was finished from the start. This was over-.

  “W-Wait!” A voice screams out, snapping Liv out of her battle rattled focus. She barely has time to re-hone in on the fight before a hand barrels forward, instinctively swaying to the side. It's enough to save her life, though her shoulder isn't so lucky. She bites down on her lip hard, the metallic taste of blood flooding her mouth as blood drips down her arm. She jumps back just in time to avoid the beast's sharp antlers, her shoulder rapidly resetting itself.

  Looking to the voice, she sees Anthony, blood still dripping down his brow as he looks to her. His arm was healed, though the shirt he wore was stained red with the blood he leaked. He must've just awoken. With her glance, he continues, waving his weapon to the now freed demon.

  “I can sense more than one synth signature from it!” He says, excitement laced fear dripping from his voice. “There are people in its stomach, and I think it hasn’t digested them yet!”

  Liv’s eyes widen to saucers, her head turning back to the demon. Charlotte deftly parries its swings, though her flow seems to be off as Donovan jumps in to swing at its legs. Their sync has been lost, their faces clearly showing their discomfort as they struggle to deal with the demon.

  “...Whatever you’re thinking of, it most certainly is not worth it.” Her boss comments, her resolve hardening with each passing moment.

  "I decide that." Liv responds. "And I decide it's damn well worth it to keep my promise."

  With that proclamation, she lines herself up, a breath escaping her lips. Now or never, she supposes. Her hands fly together, a resounding boom ripping through the battle crazed forest, the explosions light the first light this ground has seen in years. She rips through the air, striking true as her back impacts into the demon.

  With a growl of pain, she grabs its frothing maw, pushing it further and further open. Once adequate, she takes a breath before pushing herself in. It attempts to shake her off, though it finds itself unable as a barrage of pink blasts rip into its flesh, large growths erupting on its skin. That, alongside Charlotte and Donovan's assault, is more than enough to distract it. Liv pushes herself into it's mouth, her breath held as she plunges into the inky blackness of its stomach.

  Liv falls into what can only be described as nothing. It was like space in a sense with the seeming lack of gravity, her arms and legs unable to make purchase on any surface; however, it differed in the distinct presence of breathable oxygen. Liv slams her gauntlets into her face, feeling the swelling of her skin as she shines her newly made light around, looking for any sign of life. The light helps little with the limitless of the void; though, she can hear something in the distance. People? It had to be. She steels her resolve, grounding her teeth as she descends further into the beast's maw.

  After the worst few minutes of wading through the void that was the demon's stomach, the feeling of dissolution creeping up on her skin, she finds them. People, at least ten, and all injured and in separate states of digestion. The "infinite" void wasn't so infinite it seems, Liv's feet finally touching down on a floor, her feet sticking to the ground as if it were made of glue.

  “Hey y’all!” She calls, pushing further into the beast's stomach, her eyes washing over the group.

  One of the younger children, perhaps in their preteens rushes up, their eyes wide with hope, confusion, and fear.

  “T-The demon! I-It caught you too?” The child asks, their hand grasping her glowing gauntlets.

  Liv cocks her head to the side, her arms crossing. “Errr… Nah, I came in here willingly.”

  One of the elders perks his head up, his eyes widening to the size of dinner saucers. He’s a scrawny fellow, one of his arms melted to the bone as he stumbles to his feet.

  “You did what?” He questions incredulously, giving her a once over. “Why would you do that?"

  Liv furrows her brows, her arms crossing tighter across her chest as she looks back at the old man. “‘Cause I’m here to save ya.” She says, looking around the limitless void.

  "So you have a way to save us?" One of the women farther in the back asks. She's in the earliest stages of disrepair, a few blemishes on her skin.

  "I'm..." Liv starts. "Workin' that part out. But I reckon I can figure that out on the fly."

  The old man simply shakes his head, a look of defeat passing his face as he takes his seat once more. Liv looks to the expression, her resolve hardening.

  “Oi, Boss.”

  “You’ve called for me?” Her boss questions.

  “You said you can do somethin’ ‘bout my, err… Strength, yeah?” She asks, her fingers drumming against the palms of her hands.

  “I can do that, correct.” Her boss confirms.

  “Great,” She starts, slamming her fist into her chest. “Can ya do that for my explosions?"

  "That is within my skill set, yes."

  "Do that."

  Liv breathes in, then out, an ominous glow spreading across her gauntlets. She appears more a star than an actual being, heat inseminating off her in boiling waves.

  She looks back to the trapped prisoners, a comforting, cocky smile creeping up on her face.

  “Might wanna leave the blast zone,” she starts, looking back to the floor as she primes her fist, “‘cause this is gonna take a ‘lil bit of elbow grease.”

  The group looks between themselves before stepping back, picking up those who cannot stand themselves. Liv jumps from foot to foot, feeling the power coursing through every bone, easily tearing her feet from the viscous liquid of the floor. One strike to decide it all. One single strike. She winds her fist back, twisting her hips as she breathes in and out…

  Then, she swings.

  THUNK

  BOOM

  For one, glorious moment, the demon seems to glow a bright orange from the outside. That orange glow swells, it's crescendo heralded by a loud boom. Liv rips from it's side, the other inhabitants following quickly thereafter. Black blood erupts from it's side, a howl escaping; though, it quickly devolves into a gurgle.

  Liv slowly raises her head, disoriented by the weakness in her body alongside the force of her own explosion. She can hear the cheers of the people behind her, the joy clear in their voice, a smile crossing her own face. She did it… She actually did it…

  Suddenly, an arm snakes under her own, Donovan’s smiling face looking at her as she props her up, a cackle escaping his mouth.

  “You’re actually insane, man! I thought you were just fucking stupid, but you’re crazy!” He elbows her in the gut, his laughter bringing a smile to her own face.

  “Couldn’t… Fail on… My promise…” She pants out, her vision already beginning to blur. The bolstering of anything takes a toll on her body, she learned: a price worth paying if it meant as she looks back to the hugging figures.

  Anthony walks over to the crowd, his caduceus in hand, his hands clearly clammy. He hovers over one of the ones laid down, the ones that were dying.

  Donovan helps Liv walk over, Charlotte coming over to assist as well as they make their way over. Anthony looks back, a small look of concern on his face.

  “Whaddya think?” Liv questions, looking down at the man.

  “He’s probably dead. If not, he’s dying as we speak.”

  Liv frowns, looking at the unconscious man. Perhaps, if they were a day earlier, he would’ve lived. It got her thinking of the life he left before. Did he have a family? A wife and kids? Maybe he was single, or perhaps he wasn’t one for children. Was he a morning or evening person? She wishes, no matter how foolishly, that she could save them.

  Anthony reads her expression, rising to pat her on the shoulder. “I guess I should apologize for doubting you. You managed to save them” He gestures around to the people, the lives she saved– the lives they saved.

  Liv nods, her grief ebbing to joy, to pride. “Couldn’t’a done it without y’all.”

  “Indeed.” Charlotte says, nodding to herself. “Without us, you would have had a hand buried in your chest.”

  “Oi.” Liv shoots back, a grin growing on her face, one matched by Charlotte.

  “All you guys do is fight. Isn’t peace an option?” Donovan questions, his own smile growing.

  “Yer one to talk.” Liv jabs.

  “I don’t fight, I quip. Very different, y'know."

  Liv chuckles, losing herself in the moment. The villagers were fine, grouping up to assess their damage. The smallest of them, the only child amongst the group, darts their head around in confused relief and anxious trepidation. They were in a demon forest, so they best leave-.

  “It’s still alive, Liv.”

  That single sentence was all the warning Liv had before she saw the hand shoot from the beasts mouth, it’s attack headed straight for the unaware Anthony.

  There wasn’t time to think, only to act.

  On pure instinct, she pushes herself forward with all the strength she has, pushing her full body weight against Anthony.

  She feels the air brush against her as they tumble to the floor, the gush of air sending a chill up her spine. She sighs, looking down to Anthony, looking for wounds. He seemed fine, all aside from the look of abject horror on his face.

  “Ya good?” Liv questions, a strange weakness crawling across her, spidering into her bones. Did it start raining or something? That would explain the wet across her back, that and the cold seeping into her body.

  “L-Liv…” He gasps out, his hands reaching up for her. “Y-Your back…”

  Liv furrows her brow. Did he get hit in the head or something. She reaches back slowly, tapping on her back with her finger, bringing it back to her face. On her finger, clear as day, is a large swathe of blood coating the dusty metal. She looks down to her shirt, watching it turn redder and redder by the second, her vision blurring, a ring piercing her ears.

  Was she… Actually dying this time?

  It was a question she couldn’t ponder as her vision blackened, collapsing forward as her heart began to slow.