[PCA] UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS

[skinstealer]

[image description: an action panel of maes and charon facing off against the horror, faint code text overlaid on top as an accent. charon is standing and ready to fight, while maes stands stanced with her sword- blunted at the tip. a strange, metal plated figure stands behind charon, the plates themselves like a dress. its head is an abstract shape, barely visible in frame. the horror has chunks of ice piercing through its head, a lance sticking out.]



Charon steps to the side, quick to yell orders.

CHARON: Aim vertical, pull back on impact.
MAES: Short commands!

 

Even with the irritation, she follow directions immediately, gritting her teeth and getting the most efficient strike in she cans.

It isn't nearly enough to hit the slime beast for lethal, the creature swinging in a confused scramble.

CHARON: Stay low!
 

It's sudden, but Charon swore he can see Maes bend...almost unnaturally, cartoonishly, as she ducks, quick on her feet.

As if there's no spine to worry about.

It doesn't really matter too much in the moment, as long as she's safe... Right now the two of them needed space. As much as Maes wouldn't like it, a bit of magic was needed right now.

CHARON: Swinging big, back up!

 

A lift of his cape manifests a large, metal plated knight- zero hesitation as it slams into the horror with a thundering crash.

MAES: WH-

 

Maes skitters backwards, ears back and breathing hard.

MAES: What did you DO-?
CHARON: Worry about it later!

A second crash, the phantom knight pressing its weight down against the creature, taking a moment to pierce it with a lance- much to the horror's dismay. The beast howls, echoing and horrible, as the area around the wound crystalizes into ice.

CHARON: Creating opening!
MAES: YOU NEED TO TELL ME-
 

She almost seems to roar as she charges in.

MAES: WHAT YOU ARE DOING
CHARON: Minimizing risk!

 

The towering knight throws the horror onto the ground.

CHARON: Swing low!
 

Her strike is brutal, slicing deep into the horror with a terrifying amount of force.

Charon joined in, pummeling the creature to limit its ability to strike back. Loose tendrils begin to flail around in response, at risk of belting anyone too close.

CHARON: Raise your guard!

 

Maes narrowly dodges getting hit by one, slashing away at the tendril and risking another critical strike.

The risk of Maes getting struck is too clear- the tendrils picking up pace as the creature's form became less distinct. The knight takes matters into its own hands and jumps in front of the cat.

CHARON: Hold fire!

 

She pulls back with a loud hiss, fur puffing up under her suit- clearly jostled from his voice not matching up with what was in front of her.

The knight takes the full brunt of the horror's attacks, using the opportunity to tire the horror by trading blows.

CHARON: Backing you up!

 

Charon whips out a large metal weapon out of his cloak- seemingly from nowhere at all- and makes his way over, close to the cat's shoulder.

CHARON: I'm here.
 

She seems to take a moment to breathe at that, a little bit of the edge taken off...but not much.

MAES: Oh, are you?
MAES: Show me how to kill this thing or it'll be your head too!

 

The dog gestures to the knight, already in the middle of repositioning the horror, looking more than ready to end this.

CHARON: Covering high, swing right going low.
 

Charon makes a quick swing with the weapon's blunt end,  deflecting every tendril to create a opening.

Maes gets to her feet with a deep inhale, taking the chance and nailing it right in the front of its skull, piercing deep-

-causing the horror to cry out in agony, a terrible, miserable sound.

Charon can't help but wince at that. The horror too large to kill in a single clean swing.

CHARON: Drag the sword toward you.
MAES: Go down!

 

She can't help but snarl at the beast, slicing clean through and splattering pitch black slime all over the three of them.




The ghost knight dissipates quickly, its job done. Charon waves his hand, torching the mess off of himself as if it was never there at all.

CHARON: Danger eliminated.
CHARON: Any injuries on your end?
 

Maes stands there, trying to catch her breath.





It's a moment before she speaks.

MAES: We will have ten minutes maximum before the cleanup crew comes.
MAES: So- you have ten minutes to explain what the fuck you were doing, before I shove you into the breach along with this thing.

 

Another deep exhale, shaky.

MAES: If you-
MAES: If you use magic, or whatever that was-
MAES: I need to know.
MAES: I cannot see what you are doing.
MAES: I trust you- I rely on you, when you are my partner in combat.
MAES: So whatever explanation you have, for why the hell you chose to OMIT INFORMATION, when I SPECIFICALLY told you to communicate, it better be damn good.
CHARON: ...You said you didn't want to engage with it.
MAES: I didn't-

 

She looks like she's about to pop a gasket.

MAES: When I say I don't want to engage with it, I-

 

Maes presses her masked face into her hand.

MAES: ...you didn't tell me, because you didn't want to upset me.
MAES: That's your reasoning?
CHARON: You've put me in a bigger bind than you might've realized.
CHARON: You made it clear you wanted to avoid interacting with that aspect. You insisted on being on the frontline today.
CHARON: It becomes paradoxical quickly.

The dog reaches over to the now limp ooze, pulling his lance out of the melting frost.  

 

CHARON: I'd rather guarantee safety and deal with the consequences of breaking orders later.. so if you'd have me fired go ahead, I'm not playing with lives operating at half capacity.

 

Her whole face scrunches up, trying to process this.

MAES: ...
MAES: ...you helped me kill that horror more quickly and with less casualties than I'm used to.
MAES: I'll give you that.
MAES: Neither of us were seriously hurt, and we didn't need a crew.
MAES: When there's a crew?
MAES: Even a highly trained crew?
MAES: There are debilitations.
MAES: Worst case?
MAES: Deaths.
MAES: Worse than that?
MAES: Terrorification, and then more of the same.
MAES: I have lost many, many people to breaches.
MAES: Good people.
MAES: I recognize that keeping that kind of skill on this project, regardless of your shitty, shitty decision to pretend I didn't need to know what was going on, would be more beneficial than firing you.
MAES: It's practical.
MAES: You are good at what you do and you saved lives today.
MAES: But if you want me to not be  a fucking nightmare every time we have to speak to each other, I need you to be honest with me.
MAES: Give me some reason to believe that I should trust you after that.
MAES: Not your skills.
MAES: You.

 

Charon's at a loss for words.

CHARON: I-
????: He needs my assistance, we're a bit of a package deal..
 

The knight had reappeared discreetly enough for neither of them to notice.

????: I think it's only fair if I have say in this too..

 

Maes freezes.

MAES: ...I-
MAES: It talks.
MAES: Your- the thing that jumped in front of me.
MAES: It talks.
CHARON: .. I don't think thing is the right word but yes.

She turns to face the knight, ears still somewhat back.

MAES: ...not a thing, then.
MAES: You're a person.
MAES: Is that correct?
CHARON: Mmmm, in a different way from you and Charon.
CHARON: Check for yourself.
MAES: ...fine.
MAES: Hold out your hand.

 

The knight does so.

She reaches out, flinching as she makes contact.

MAES: ...real.
MAES: You're actually real, tangible.
MAES: ...
MAES: ...you said you were assisting him.
MAES: An aide?
CHARON: Mmhmm!
CHARON: For over a decade at this point I suppose.

 

That seems to hit, her expression losing some of its severity.

MAES: ...since he was a child, then.
MAES: Or- teenager.
???: That's when I first manifested, yes..
MAES: ...

 

She is quiet, scrunching her eyes shut before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

MAES: ...fine.
MAES: If you want to keep this job, meet me in my office after getting cleaned up.
MAES: Don't be late or waste my time.
MAES: I have questions, and if I'm going to work with you- either of you, I want answers.
MAES: Do I make myself clear?
????: Of course..
CHARON: Bring in reports and check out for the day?
MAES: Correct.
MAES: ...don't make me regret this.