𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍

Mingling with everyone at the base.

On the floor. He's not doing so good.

"On...ly...if...you...frgv...me...too..."

He clenches a fist and Bismark's leg along with HAL's explodes.

He's reaching into his pouch, desperately searching for something.

"Lady...if...you could...stop...that'd...be...great..."

He gasps, the wind's been knocked out of him as he skids across the ground.

Using a blood lasso to pull himself away, narrowly avoiding the pulverising strike.

"Just gotta buy a little ti-"

"Miss me~?"

He waves from far away, his wound mended.

Watching the fight from a distance.

Has all the townsfolk in an underground shelter.

"It's going to be okay everyone..."

Sneaking away.

"Yeah, imma head out..."

The Crow is confused, but he obliges. Her ravings are buying him time after all.

"So be it..."

The helmet comes off, and he grins at the manic pilot.

"Happy?"

He mouths obscenities to himself.

With no more hesitation than that, he steps out with his hands up.

"Okay. You got me."

Hiding in a bush, mending a deep wound on his stomach.

Staying as quiet as possible.

He keeps still, not wanting to attract the attention of this new pilot.

Before he can get an answer, a barrage of missiles bombards the area, blowing up the ground and the machine beneath him.

The crow tumbles as more explosions go off in his vicinity.

"Fuck...fuck...fuck..."

The leg severs, forcing the hulk of metal to fall on the ground.

Coating his blade once more, he sticks it into the cockpit.

"Why are you here?"

The last machine readies it's weapon, firing eratically at him.

He weaves around, trying desperately not to get hit as he gets closer and closer.

The machine is retreating, shooting back at its pursuer.

Opening one last vial, the liquid shoots out as a lasso wrapping around the leg of the machine

As the machine he was riding falls lifeless, another knocks it out of the way, attempting to strike the crow with its massive fists.

He dives out of the way, throwing several vials at the machine. It becomes drenched in the crimson liquid.

It forms into giant buzzsaws, shredding the machine.

It shakes violently, trying to throw him off, but he's used to handling larger prey.

"Sealed tight..."

He coats his blade in blood and drives it into the hull.

There's a panic in the machine's movements as another comes to help.

"There you are..." a splat is heard from inside.

The machines open up on him all at once.

He makes barriers, and missiles, all formed of the blood of their ally.

He gets close, running up to the least armored one.

They dare not shoot at eachother, so closing the gap was a smart idea.

Climbing onto the machine he looks for an opening.

"Gotcha!"

Huge pillars of blood rip apart the machine from the ground up, disabling it and evicerating the pilot inside.

"I see...so there are people inside..."

The leftover ichor slinks towards the crow, being absorbed into his gauntlets.

"Three to go..."

"No effect..." dipping around explosions, he's running out of trees to hide behind and one machine is drawing near.

"They must have eyes elsewhere..."

Pouring a vial out onto the floor, he waits for the approaching machine to get close.

It barrels through the tree as he leaps away, with a smile.

The machines open fire on the man, who tosses a vial onto the floor, making a calcified wall of blood for cover.

Dashing around it, he throws another into the air opened.

As the fluid within begins to spill out, it turns into several crimson spears that rocket into the eyes of the machines.

With a sniffle and light sobbing, the little fox gets onto the floor and starts running.

A machine poises to fire upon her, but their arm erupts from within.

Crow feathered cloak billowing in the wind, the man steps forward, drawing his blade and procuring vials of blood.

"No! I won't leave without yiu grandpa!"

Beating on the man's chest with her tiny fists.

"I'll be okay. I'll give these guys the slip once I figure out how they work...jusy lay low and get out of here...it's not safe..."

Tumbling back and holding fox protectively in his arms while coughing up dust.

"Huh?"

A small device floats in the air above them.

Looking back, he sees them.

The great machines.

"Paprika...get out of here...I don't think illusions are gonna work on these guys..."

With illusions and hit and run tactics, the crow and fox were able to evacuate most of the populace.

"Alright sweetie...time to make our escape..."

The fox nods, manifesting more cover to hide their escape.

Though just as they start running, their retreat is cut off by an explosion.

Evacuating townsfolk from the burning village

"Everyone out! Quickly! Run as fast as you ca-"

His voice is cut off by gunfire. The fleeing civilians panic.

"Just run! Don't look back!"

Throwing daggers at soldiers as he evades gunfire.

Not yet.

[Then I shall dub thee...]

[Dori]

[Trust isn't something that's given. It's earned.]

[If your name is similar to mine, it will symbolize a promise to me, to Mister, and to the President herself.]

[A promise to earn the trust of your peers.]

[Are you prepared to make that promise, little one?]

[I'll be alright. A slow recovery is best for me. Gives me time to reflect.]

[Ah, how rude of me... my name is Dorothy. Like you, I was lost and alone for a time. The President, my dearest friend, found me and gave me this name. It is the most valuable thing I claim.]