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Another star-shaped portal opened up at the far end of the hangar, and you watched as another cluster of ships emerged from it and landed safely on the ground. Some of them you recognized as having been damaged during your earlier fight.
<span class="mu-b">“Hold on! We’re not here to hurt you!”</span> shouted a voice from above.
Several moments later, a girl with tan skin and long red hair landed in front of you, a pair of cybernetic wings apparently granting her the ability to fly. She was sporting a simple blue and gray costume with a star emblem on her chest, and a domino half mask covering a small portion of her face. You skidded to a halt and reflexively unsheathed your claws.
She boldly took a step forward, her hands help up in a placating gesture.
<span class="mu-b">“It’s okay. We’re here to help.”</span>
Help? HELP!?
She must’ve noticed your anger, because she gave you an apologetic shake of her head.
<span class="mu-b">“I don’t know what your circumstances were, but I hear they weren’t good when our guys got there. Thank goodness Hellrune managed to get you out in time.”</span>
You felt a snarl curling your lips, and the winged woman wisely took a step back.
<span class="mu-r">“I didn’t NEED rescuing!”</span> someone said.
It…took you a moment to realize that the words had come from your own mouth. But they sounded so unfamiliar.
<span class="mu-b">“I felt the same when CRADLE first came for me.”</span> the young woman said in an annoyingly calm voice, placing a hand over the star emblem on her chest. <span class="mu-b">“You can call me ‘Liberty’. And the girl you just tackled is ‘Hulkette’.”</span>
You risked a glance behind you to see the green girl approaching you at a slow, measured pace. She seemed annoyed by what had just happened, but she was demonstrating an impressive amount of patience for someone called “Hulkette”.
Liberty raised a hand, and Hulkette stopped moving closer. You scowled at them and flexed your hands, feeling your bones pop as you prepared for the fight that would most likely follow this conversation.
Hulkette must’ve been of the same opinion, because she spoke up next.
<span class="mu-g">“You’re wasting your time, Liberty. This one’s just <span class="mu-i">itching</span> for a fight.”</span>
As if to confirm this fact, you made a rumble in your throat that sounded alien to your ears. Animalistic, even.
A bolt of crimson cloth flickered past your vision, and you almost wrote it off as the corners of your vision turning red. But after it appeared again, you traced the fabric back to…you.
You somehow hadn’t noticed before, but the bandages that had once covered only your fractured hand, were now beginning to envelop your entire body! It should have alarmed you, but it felt as natural as a second skin, even if it <span class="mu-i">was</span> technically soaked with the blood of your enemies.
(Cont.)
