Sebastian narrowed his eyes, before a smirk crawled up his face.

"You made me have to use the medicine... You know it costs me a fortune to get it from the bastards in the medical department right?" He retorted.

Arlecchino titled his head before laughing villainously.

"You want compensation? Sure... But first, how about you talk to my lawyer" he said, the seed suddenly appearing in his hands once again.

Without hesitation, Arlecchino forced the seed down the Fester's throat, causing a sudden intense pressure filled the entire area.

Shaking violently, the Fester's corpse began to reanimate. No, it wasn't just that, the Fester was evolving. It began to root itself into the ground, a thick bark slowly encasing the fester like a cocoon.

The only thing investigators could do, was watch as the Fester began to sap away all the life from its surroundings. Soon, a hand emerged from out of the cocoon, before a bright light enveloped everything. It was silent for a while, but then they heard it. The call of disaster. A low, eerie hum rang in their ears. The bright light slowly faded away, revealing the creature that had been birthed into the world.

Cloth fluttering in the wind, the fester grabbed the brim of its hat. It shook its head, before placing its hand on its hip. A holster and gun set then grew like fruit from a tree, grabbing the gun and reloading it with seeds from his mouth. As it pulled the hammer back, the skies suddenly turned cloudy, before turning completely black. As if the sky was being covered by darkness itself.

Staring up at the empty sky, Arlecchino smiled.

"He might be a bootlicker, but he sure does do his job... Now then" Arlecchino turned to the newly birthed disaster class Fester.

The creature looked down on Arlecchino, tilting its head slightly. Puffing up his chest slightly, Arlecchino reached his hand out to the Fester.

"What will be your name?"

The Fester paused for a moment, as if reliving a memory. It then looked at its pistol, before grinning widely.

"Deadeye"

Arlecchino chuckled before patting the Fester's leg.

"Well then Deadeye, go have some fun. Ravage the world as much as you like. It's your right. Because you're a going to be a disaster" he laughed, before suddenly disappearing.

Deadeye paused once again, before he flicked up his hat. He pointed the gun at the group of Investigators before utter the words.

"Run"

Before the investigators could even react, the bright light from before flashed. All the investigators that stood still in that time, their heads were cleanly blown off. Spinning his gun, Deadeye blew the smoke from the tip before putting it back into his holster.

"Now, rise" he said, his voice echoing a bit.

From the bodies of the decapitated investigators, a bulb began to sprout. The bulb soon flowered into a head, with vines coming out of their necks which wrapped around their limbs. Piloting the corpses, the zombie plants began attacking the other investigators.

Seeing the carnage unfolding, Sebastian clicked his tongue in frustration. He gripped his rapier tightly, looking at deadeye with disgust.

"Fucking plants AND zombies... This feels like copyright infringement" Sebastian commented, entering a fighting stance.

Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned to look at the person who grabbed it, seeing a heavily injured Paul smoking a cigarette.

"Weren't you just falling sideways? Is it really okay for you to be smoking right now?" Sebastian asked, grimacing.

Paul cracked his neck before blowing out smoke.

"I'm an addict what can I say? Besides, I'm fine now. After I hit the ground, my gravity returned back to normal. Can't say that entering a building through the window was fun though..." He retorted.

Sebastian scoffed, before looking intensely at the fester.

"Then let me feed my addiction too..." Sebastian commented.

He looked at the gun on the Deadeye's hip, noticing that it had only six chambers. Grinning before turning to look at Paul.

"If I don't die within 5 shots of that thing, you'll have to recommend a promotion for me" Sebastian said.

Paul paused for a moment before chuckling. Setting his gauntlets ablaze, Paul walked in front of Sebastian.

"Make it two promotions. One for surviving... And one for the thrill?" Paul said.

A small smile creeping up his face, Sebastian began laughing. As he slowly approached the fester, he turned on the burst mode of his attachment unit. Deadeye focused his attention on Sebastian, hovering his hand over his gun. Even though death was just a flick away, Sebastian couldn't help but smile.

"You know what makes gambling so fun? It's the thrill of absolute failure!" Sebastian exclaimed, pointing his weapon at the fester.

Deadeye grimaced, before pointing his gun back at Sebastian.

"Crazy bastard... All that for a promotion?" deadeye retorted, pulling back the hammer of his gun.

Sebastian's smile became wider, a psychotic look in his eyes.

"No... It's for the rush I get from being better than everyone else”

Deadeye laughed before pointing his gun at Sebastian. Pulling the hammer back, it shot Sebastian. Gripping his rapier, he slashed upwards, cutting the bullet in half. Unfortunately, the bullet exploded out into vines the moment it was cut, restraining him tightly. Deadeye dashed towards Sebastian, landing a hit straight to his stomach.

Sebastian gasped for air, feeling the hit even through his intense impact braces. He was sent flying back, crashing into a tree. Such physical trauma forced Sebastian to cough so he wouldn't choke on the blood accumulating in his throat. However, instead of wavering, Sebastian grinned. He was feeling it. The thrill of a proper gamble. The edge of death.

Grabbing his attachment unit, he got up, running towards the Fester. Deadeye pointed his gun back at Sebastian, ready to shoot. However, Sebastian anticipated this. Throwing his rapier at Deadeye, the Fester instinctively shot its gun. The bullet hit the rapier, exploding then restraining the weapon in vines. Jumping up, Sebastian kicked the bottom of his rapier with all his might, forcing the sword to fire like a bullet. In response, Deadeye shot again, stopping the weapon again just as it was about to reach its face.

The Fester began breathing heavily, the fear of death slowly settling in its heart. However, Sebastian wouldn't let it rest so easily. He jumped up, attempting to kick the sword again, but the Fester stopped him. Grabbing his leg, he attempted to break it, but Sebastian thought quickly. He grabbed the handle of his rapier, activating it into burst mode. The vines burnt away, momentarily taking the Fester's attention away. While it was distracted, Sebastian stabbed the Fester's eye out with all he had.

"TAKE THIS YOU PLANT BASTARD!"

The creatute screamed in pain, desperately trying to get the blade out of its head.

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Falling down, Sebastian hit the ground with a thud sound. Holding his head, Sebastian smiled to himself a bit, believing that he had won. Unfortunately, the sound of venomous laughter told him otherwise. Trying to stand up, Sebastian's plan was cut short, as Deadeye grabbed him with a tendril. The vines wrapped around Sebastian's entire body, attempting to squeeze him to death.

Deadeye's smile grew wider as he saw the life slowly start leaving Sebastian eyes. However, Sebastian didn't want to go out that easily. He had a promotion on the line.

"Never end... On a lost..." Sebastian said, dropping down a poker chip from his hand.

Deadeye's attention focused on the chip, wondering what Sebastian's scheme was. Did the chip have special properties? Would it destroy all his vines? Just what did Sebastian do?

As the chip hit the ground, it spun and bounced a bit, before finally landing on the ground. Deadeye paused for a moment before laughing.

"You had me going gambler! I thought you really had something up your sleeve... Unfortunately, I called your bluff" Deadeye said, squeezing him tighter.

Sebastian winced in pain before smirking.

"You know why the house always wins...?" Pausing for a moment, as if waiting for something.

The Fester tilted it's head slightly. It gave an almost annoyed look at Sebastian, frustrated that the man was still blabbering even though he had clearly won.

Seeing the look on deadeye's face, gave Sebastian the confidence to finish his sentence.

"...Because the gambler's too blinded by their winnings!"

As he said that, Sebastian's entire squad rushed towards the Fester. Too focused on Sebastian to notice, Deadeye didn't have enough time to create a counterattack. The investigators began throwing everything they had at the disaster class Fester, managing to severely injure it. The Fester tried to fight back by shooting at them, however he only drew blanks.

"He made me use up my descent energy... That damn gambler..." Deadeye grit his teeth.

Grasping the soil beneath him, Deadeye shot out roots from the ground, sending the Investigators flying back, and even injuring a few.

It was clear that Deadeye was too tired and weak to fight back, he was just waiting to be taken care of. Seeing the golden opportunity in front of him, Sebastian couldn't give it up. He looked around for his rapier, before running towards the recovering Fester. As he was mere steps away from the fester, Paul stopped him. The man looked at Sebastian solemnly, shaking his head. His eyes intensifying with rage, Sebastian glared at Paul.

"What're you doing old man?" Sebastian asked, his voice filled with malice.

Paul sighed before looking at the fester.

"I already called for backup from the titled investigators... THEY will help take this guy out" Paul explained.

Hearing the titled investigators would come, filled Sebastian with rage. If they took out the disaster class Fester instead of him, they'd get all the rewards that came from it. Even if Paul put in a good word, he'd still just be lumped in with everyone else. All his hard work would be for nothing. Gritting his teeth, he pushed Paul out of the way. Falling on the ground, Paul tried to get up as fast as he could to stop Sebastian.

"Hey kid stop you don't know what you're doing!" Paul shouted.

His mind in tunnel vision, he couldn't hear Paul's words. All he could think, was that he would be the one to get all the glory in the end. Pulling his sword behind his back, Sebastian attempted to chop the disaster class Fester's head off. Feeling the blade cut a few centimetres into deadeye's flesh, Sebastian grinned with ecstasy.

"The promotion is mine! All mine! Nobody will take it away from me!!"

Then, he felt a horrible sensation in his stomach. Sebastian tried slicing deeper into the Fester's flesh, but his blade was stuck. Looking down at the Fester, he noticed the creature's wound had healed over his blade. His sword was stuck inside the Fester- no... The sword was being eaten by the Fester. Hearing a horrible noise coming from the Fester, Sebastian's grip loosened. Five vines protruded out of the Fester's body, before digging deep into the ground.

A loud rumble shook the area before a giant flower grew in the middle; the petals closed tightly. A sickening feeling filled the hearts of the investigators. Something terrible was going to happen. A few investigators couldn't withstand the pressure of the situation, so they tried to run away. However the worst sin an investigator could do, was leave the battlefield.

So they had to be punished.

Vines impaled the fleeing investigators, draining them of all they had, until they turned to what seemed like wood. The energy flowed from the vines to the flower buds, turning its original white colour blood red. With each investigator's death, a buds opened. Seeing the petals slowly start opening up as their comrades were drained of their life force, was nothing but mind breaking for the other investigators. Some fainted... Sone threw up... Most others just wished for it to be over. However, no matter what they did, they couldn't stop the last bud from opening. In the middle of the flower, was a beautiful gemstone. It was the colour of a setting sun, and had a fantastical glimmer. It was like a ray of hope, in such a desperate moment.

However all beautiful roses, have sharper thorns.

A low hum buzz filled the investigators ears, before a white flash filled their vision. They couldn't help but close their eyes, and for most of the Investigators, they wouldn't open their eyes ever again. The "lucky" few who had survived... Some wished they didn't. If they weren't completely mangled, barely even clinging onto life, they were instead turned into a grotesque plant like beasts that no longer resembled anything human. They groaned in pain, their existence torturous. Some tried to scream... But they couldn't speak. Speaking was for humans…. And they weren't humans anymore.

Opening his eyes, Sebastian was a part of the very few people that only received major, but not life changing injuries. Looking around, he saw the sight in front of him. The grotesque beasts crying and squirming in pain... The broken and mutilated investigators that cling desperately for life... And the Disaster Fester floating in the air; vines trailing down its body like chains.

Sebastian rummaged through his coat, grabbing a vial of medicine. He drank it, healing some of his injuries. His head was still ringing, and he wasn't in the right headspace to make rational decision. So when he saw a man challenging the Fester with a determined look in his eyes, Sebastian felt nothing but pure rage.

"Who is that guy? Right... Roland... he's the loser who I got teamed up with. From all I know... He's just a lucky bastard who survived all his missions.... He's a weakling. So why is he fighting back, when clearly even I couldn't do it?!" Then a realisation hit him.

Clenching his fist, he bit his lip till it bled.

"DOES HE THINK HE'S BETTER THAN ME?!"

Holding his sword with both of his hands, Roland still trembled. The enhanced Deadeye looked down on the investigator, thinking him less than an insect. Pointing his index finger at Roland, a small orb of energy formed at the tip. Roland gulped, but still held his position.

"I- I'll beat you!" Roland shouted, in a rather pathetic way.

Deadeye chuckled before shooting the orb at Roland. Almost in the blink of an eye, the orb was right in front of Roland's face. The sight made him drop his sword as his eyes widened with shock. Suddenly, Roland felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"I'm not gonna let you do that" Sebastian said.

From Roland's perspective, Sebastian looked like a hero sacrificing his life to protect him... However in reality, Sebastian was doing the most petty thing a person could ever do. Watching Roland tumble away comically, Sebastian laughed cruelly.

"Who's stronger now?!" But as he thought that, the orb came in contact with his chest.

The orb exploded, sending Sebastian flying backwards through multiple buildings. With each crash, Sebastian could feel his body breaking. If it weren't for the medicine's outgoing healing effects, he wouldn't have stayed conscious. Though, maybe being unconscious would be much better, considering the amount of pain he was going through. Crashing through the final building, he rolled unceremoniously until hitting a pillar. He coughed up blood, the slight reflection in the puddle showing him how messed up his body was.

He grit his teeth before crawling towards a nearby wall. It hurt so much, but if pain was the only thing separating him between life and death, it was only natural to continue crawling. Forced in the most human position possible, he crawled for dear life. It was ironic… no matter how strong a person was - if met with death they'd return back into their most vulnerable form. A child.

Positioning himself up against the wall, he rummaged through his coat pockets. He hoped... Begged... And prayed for some sort of miracle. It was then he felt the cool and slick sensation of glass on his fingertips. Pulling it out, Sebastian held a vial of medicine. He didn't know how the glass didn't shatter from all the force he had to endure, though he didn't want to question it either.

"Miracles are never logical I guess..." Sebastian thought to himself, before drinking the contents.

The medicine was bitter, but it was extremely effective. He began squirming and writhing as his body began repairing itself from the trauma he endured. He wanted to scream out, but his throat was too messed up for him to make a single noise. The process was long and excruciating, and at the end, Sebastian almost passed out. Though he managed to hold on just a bit longer from sheer hatred alone.

After taking a moment to relax, Sebastian tried moving his legs so he could get up, but found that he couldn't move.

"What the hell? I know my body isn't fully repaired... But… No… It isn't that my body can't move... It's that it doesn't want to..."

His lips trembled, realising something terrible was happening. Was it the Fester's ability? No, the medicine should've neutralised any foreign descent energy. Did the medicine not work properly? That couldn't be the case, if it didn't work, his body would be in a much worse condition than it already was. So why? Why couldn't he move?

His breathing began becoming heavy, before suddenly, he felt wetness on his face. Sebastian was confused. Moving his arm, the only thing that he could move, he touched his face. Looking at his fingers, he noticed the liquid was clear. It wasn't blood... It was tears.

"A- am I crying? Why? Nothing upsetting happened... But why... Why am I feeling so uneasy... Is it because..." the moment he said that, his mind went back to the Fester from before.

Just the thought caused him to shiver and dry heave. Covering his mouth, his eyes widened in shock. He had never felt such emotion before. Well... he had, but never in a situation like this. The last time he felt this way, was when he had almost drowned in a lake as a child. That feeling of helplessness. The desire to just give up and let the waters take him. Was he... Scared?

Walking through that empty building space, Katherine yawned. She wasn't too happy to be sent out for reconnaissance, nor was she happy about having to explore a boring office building.

“Geez… those old geezer were too lazy to check up on a little signal? And they call my generation bums” she scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

To satisfy her boredom somewhat, she began playing around. Swivelling in chairs, trying to turn on the computers that clearly had no electricity going to them, stealing random things she thought were neat. Basically anything to entertain herself. Though, after a while, goofing about had become boring too. Opening an umbrella she found, she became serious.

"I should probably get back to work, then I can go to sleep in the communications tent... Ugh why couldn't dad do this..." Katherine rolled her eyes.

Looking around the office, she began searching for clues.

"I came here cause I heard a crash, but nothing is here... Maybe I should just cut my losses- oh hello..." Katherine thought to herself, finding that injured Sebastian resting against a wall.

Looking down at the man, her happy expression didn't waver. The soft grin that almost resembled a smirk remained on her face, as it had always had. Though, there was a spark of curiosity behind her empty eyes. From her perspective, Sebastian looked like prey. Weak. Defenceless... And absolutely terrified. An interesting find. Crouching down, she rested her arms on her knees as she cupped her cheeks.

"I was told to look for clues... But I ended up finding a scared little kitty instead”