"Well, that'll be fun. I learned a lot from fighting BETA; hopefully some of those lessons apply. Plus, haven't gotten the chance to meet a lot of you folks yet; mostly spoken to you and Charlie, besides Zero of course. Hey Zero! What do you think of these entity fights? Are you an option?"
<Affirmative.>"Yep. We actually considered him for a while. Asked a few questions. He kept proposing arenas where he was the trigger for inescapable death-traps."<It was the most efficient option.>"Yeah, but it's not very fun, is it?"<Your enjoyment is not this unit's objective. If an S0 unit was forced to participate, its primary objective would be victory.>Threaten to start singing country music if my demands are not met. Don't specify any demands.
You do your best impression of an SS13 miscreant.
<I'm clinical because we're talking mechanics, specifics. I need details and clarity, so I express myself the same. I doubt I can sense a bond-former in my current state, not with my connections stinging and numb as they are. We are probably similar, but not the same. And I think your single bond is stronger than any one of mine individually are.>
<Yeah, sure girl. I'm not criticizing, I'm just sayin'.><Next, the Severer's body. What was its base form? If it's inorganic, does it have critical locations or sensory organs?>
<From what I know it's organic, although it can slowly change forms. Don't know if it can put inorganic pieces in it or if it has some sort of inorganic core that->River starts sending a memory. Or more like pieces of a memory, a dozen or so point of focus, looping endlessly. A piece of a chitinous body with strong-looking limbs protruding randomly from it, limbs ending in bone-like needle-sharp spikes at the end. The limbs quickly and violently move towards the viewer, as if they are on springs, no doubt looking to impale them.
<Yeah, that looks organic to me. Don't know much else though.><Okay, what about its gift? Is that the reality-bending River mentioned or is it something else? what exactly are we dealing with?>
<Not exactly reality bending. Just changing its environment. Living or inanimate, he can change it, given enough time, to make it work as he wants.>River sends another fragmented memory. This time it's something that looks like a dark green-and-blue plant above you. Its vine-like limbs extend quickly, tracking the viewer. The viewer moves towards the side, barely avoiding the grab, which instead catches a rock, pulls it up towards the plant and starts crushing it. The viewer does not see what happens next, for they start falling and their focus changes to a hole that has just opened on the ground below one of their legs. But it is not really a simple hole. It's a black thing with walls filled with white, downward-curving teeth. The hole quickly closes, attempting to trap the viewer's leg.
<Is it able to do River's mind-attack tricks? How can we defend against that anyway?>
<I assume that he can. All bond-formers are capable of telepathy and some are capable of general magic. So if he is strong enough, he could use his offensively. Don't know how much strength or practice he has with that though or how it might have been modified by this world. He could maybe work some more defences in you or your comm-wires, but if the attack is strong enough, they'd only slow him down. If he's nearby, I assume he could also use his Silence to stop any telepathic attack, but I don't know if he could use it on all of you at once or how comfortable that would be for you. In the end, it might come down to your willpower. But it's more likely that he'll target the biggest threat to him, which would probably be our little Knight Templar Avenger friend here, depending on how things go. And if he's not too stubborn to decline, I could help in that case. Two minds are better than one.><Can it track River the same way River is tracking it? Does it know we're here?>
<I doubt it. From what I've gathered, River is just tracking it from its last known position. Hoping to pick up a trail once we get there. Don't know how he got that or if the information can be trusted but-> <A bond-former who understands the need for punishment alerted me to the crime. She knew I had the power to bring him to justice. So I investigated any records I could find and saw that the severer used a teleporter to flee here. My brother helped me with the numbers, helped me find the exact place he went. I could not allow him to escape after what he did, after he->If River starts talking about the Severer's crimes again, I'm going to be interrupting him with a flat, angry:
<Shut up River.>
and sending a memory from home. a simple mouse hunt. a mouse that I was bonded too. Including the end, where I ate my meal. a simple daily memory of eating one of my children / bondmates.
<If I hadn't agreed to this hunt, I'd be helping the Severer hide. It is right to resist being enslaved. However, this is outside my purview, and I have no responsibility to him, and I have one to you. Now be quiet and let me hunt our prey.>
He looks at you with shock as you speak, eyes wide, mouth half-open.
<Woo! You tell him girl!> River closes his eyes and looks down.
<It is not like that. You do not understand. I can explain when you are calmer and willing to hear me.> he says with some sadness and then stops talking.
<What did you ask for Ike to do D?>
<I asked him to convince my 'kind' jailer here to let me speak to Mr Fumanchu so that I didn't go crazy. But the guy didn't even try! Didn't even say a word to him about it!> <If the one that you chose did not want to let you speak, then he must have had his reasons.> River says with a smug smile.
<Yeah, ha ha, funny.> he says with a mock laugh before abruptly changing his tone for a
<Fuck you.> <D, River, would it be possible to move D from your head to mine, since you don't want to hear him and I could benefit from his help?>
<Hihihi. She wants the D.><If he and you promise on your honour that you shall not do anything that will put any of us in danger. That you will respect the boundaries I have set. And that I am allowed to get him back when our mission is over so-><Wait, you actually trust me? Oh boy, you're a bigger idiot than->River gives you a murderous look (although you're certain it's not intended for you) and starts removing his hand from yours.
<I mean, yes, certainly, thank you, I won't do anything like that. Scout's honour!> he says with mock cheer.
River grunts and leans closer to you, puts his other hand on the back of your neck and closes his eyes.
<I will bind his soul to yours. Do not resist.>He opens his eyes to look at you again.
<You know the danger now. I am trusting you. Both of you. Do not betray my trust.>He closes his eyes and you start feeling a tingling sensation accompanied by the feeling of cold, spreading from where he is touching you.
"Yep, that's the good stuff. It will make damn good molotovs. Now lets find the fox and get moving already.
Stick with Ike and look for Irene.
How many bottles of booze do I have?
Don't remember. Need to check my notes. I think it was three small bottles?
You follow Ike until you find Irine and River sitting side by side with their backs on the wall. Irine is wearing new clothes and River has been bandaged with torn and burnt rags. River has one arm behind Irine in a sort of hug and the other hand holding Irine's hand.