CHAPTER 53: SKILLER CRISIS
"... The goal is to… Put on the best show, kill a bunch, and find the final piece."
…
December 28th, 5:29 PM. The entirety of Sonis and its souls have just been rattled by the beginning of the Skillers' destructive plan. Seconds prior, they had summoned their edifice in the middle of the city which annihilated all nearby, resulting in the death of 1,026 people. The brutal avalanche that followed claimed most.
And in the aftermath, all that can be reported is the abundance of smoke, the jumble of yelling, the intense scurrying, the various car honks, and the cries of confusion and moribund.
… Everyone's running, of course from the disaster, but also from the day itself. It seems every human in Sonis felt that the evening would get much worse.
… They all understood that this was the beginning of an unprecedented crisis, a Skiller one.
…
Miro is a man with citrine-yellow hair, short. His White shirt under a Black tie is tight on his body. And same are his, just as Black, slacks.
…
Within a dim, uncrowded parking lot, Miro's on the floor, kneeling on all fours. He's worn out, and surrounded by three men of his same attire. They're his coworkers.
"... You'd best end the sweet relationship you have with the boss, or we'll do this to you every damn day!"
"... Yeah! It's not fair that you're showered with love while she just gives us more work, punk!"
"Heh. She does a horrible job of hiding what's going on between you two, so blame her for this!"
Miro's hip is brutally hit by a foot, causing a collapse.
"... Ghah!.. We should take a photo of this and blackmail the boss!"
"Hohoho. That's a great idea, Jean!"
One guy pulls his phone out, and in that instant, Miro bolts off.
"... I have to get the hell out of here!"
He's heading for a door, so another guy quickly generates a tranquilizer dart in his hand and launches it. And instantly, Miro's leg is hit and he's completely paralyzed. He collides with the ground and the men roar with laughter.
Then they start advancing, looking sinister. And that's when, out of nowhere, a bundle of flat metal rods zooms by, impaling each one's belly and taking them elsewhere. After, as the men squirm in pain, they all notice Yutsu, who casually arrives from the door and carries Miro out.
…
Aguna is a girl, she's got Neon Orange hair, two cute buns present. Additionally, she rocks a Screamin Green sweater with art of a blue apple on it, and some simple, oversized jeans.
…
Aimlessly roaming a dark street is her, absolutely filthy. Absolutely broken.
"... I wanna die. I can't believe they kicked me out of the house."
Yet, in the thick of the night, her beacon of light had arrived. She's stunned.
Yutsu: … Hello.
…
Kaben is a boy, puffy, Purpureus Purple hair on his head, and a newspaper boy hat too. Having said that, his outfit is also newspaper-boy-related.
…
The door to an unlit and decrepit restroom is being viciously beaten like a drum. Kaben is anxiously sitting behind it.
"Kaben! Open the door now, goddammit!"
Kaben remains still, tense.
"... If you don't open this fucking door, I'll hurt your little sister!"
Kaben remains still, more tense.
"I'll kill your little sister, Kaben! OPEN THE FUCKING DO-".
Abruptly, the *Shunk!* of a stab, and then the *Thud!* of a body hitting the ground are heard. Kaben's a little confused.
"... Hey… I got rid of the evil man. I'm a good guy… You can come out."
He slowly rises and opens the door, Yutsu's there, smiling.
"… Name's Yutsu."
…
Lender is a dude, on his head is a paper party hat, gold and grape. It's over his short n' spiky Black hair. What's more, he's wearing an inky sweater covered in Medium Purple polka dots, accompanied by a big, lemon-colored bow tie. And his last garment is his pants, the same color as the dots.
…
Reflected on the glass of a skyscraper, Lender is plummeting to his death, flailing and crying violently against the intense wind.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"SOMEONE! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!"
"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
"I'M SORRY FOR JUMPING!"
The floor is rapidly coming up, so he closes his eyes and accepts his reality. But seconds before his brutal demise, a rod speeds by and hooks onto his collar. It then peacefully brings him to the ground. His eyes are gaping, and he's in awe, Yutsu's present.
"... Are … Are you an angel?"
The so-called angel releases an amused huff.
"... Name's Yutsu."
…
5:34 PM. Four new Skillers are surveying the Sonis streets together. They are the "Eschaton Squad", tasked with being the main terminators and piece finders of the evening. They've already racked up 97 kills, thanks to the several panic-stricken humans; The orb has yet to be located at all.
…
The helpless Sonis souls are running, tons scattered about. Juna emerges, and dashes around, ending multiple with a knife. Blood streaks are everywhere and bodies fall; 109 kills now. Next, she stops and innocently sniffs for a bit.
Juna: … Hm. There's so many smelly people here, It's making it impossible for me to locate the piece!
…
Juna has 2 Skills.
Skill 1, "Extraordinary Smell."
Skill 2, "Plush Army."
…
There's another bunch of moving Sonis souls, so Miro makes an appearance and leaps onto the spot. Where he bolts through and touches all, instantly turning everyone into sand; The mixture is sprawled, and the counts at 119. Next, he begins to look around frantically.
Miro: … I can't locate it because of all the people around. They're blocking everything!
He dashes to a small, enclosed bakery and instantly turns it all into sand. Many piles are made, and people hurriedly pop out of them, who, in seconds, Miro taps; 128 kills.
…
Miro has 2 Skills.
Skill 1, "Super Eyeballs."
Skill 2, "Sand Touch."
…
Additional souls are sheltering inside of a convenience store, very anxious. They're hoping that whatever is happening outside doesn't affect them. Alas, in a flash, a barrage of cannonballs tear the place, and them, to smithereens. The kill count has reached 146.
Kaben's staring at the mess, his ears twitch rapidly.
Kaben: … Dang. I can't locate it either! There's so much screaming, yelling, and yapping that I can't hear the orb!
…
Kaben has 2 Skills.
Skill 1, "Amazing Hearing."
Skill 2, "Cannonball Blast."
…
A rabble of rushing souls speeds up, so Lender pops up. His arms swiftly pixelate; It's all polychromatic, rising and growing unnaturally, and then becomes two, big, voxel mallets of flesh that come down like the blades of a guillotine.
They savagely, recurrently squash everything. Blood puddles and flat, torn flesh riddle the floor. The death tolls' hit 161.
After the butchering, Lender's arms return to normal. But he's not done. He stretches his fingers wide and points them at other, swift souls that are getting away. Without delay, narrow, violet lasers shoot out of his fingertips which Lender lashes around, dicing humans and structures to pieces. All falls, rubble, blood, and meat; A new feat, the counts' at 233.
Lender: … Seems like all of our problems will go away if we just kill everyone… We should speed things up!
…
Lender has 2 Skills.
Skill 1, "Pixelate."
Skill 2, "Laser Fingers."
…
TO BE CONTINUED…