Haley slowly woke up in a bone cage, she felt that she was tied back to back with Funk. She started shaking and noticed they were on some kind of cart. Funk gasped, “Wow, what happened, something pierced my exoskeleton and then bam.”

Haley kept struggling, “We got hit with darts. Look to your left, Funk.”

He did so, “Oh my god, are that your parents?”

“Yes, and they are about to get thrown into that sacrificial pit. Can you use energy or open your inventory?”

After a few moments, Funk shook his head. “Steve!?” “Lorraine!?” Funk sighed, “They can’t hear us. And where is Abby?”

Haley looked around, “There is no time for that Funk, we need to get out and save my parents.”

Funk looked around, “Our weapons are outside this bone cage, and if we even manage to slide this cage, it seems to have wheels. There are not even guards.”

Haley tried spreading her wings, it did not work. She looked at the pile of weapons that had been gathered. “Wait, is that dad’s Infinity gun?”

Funk looked at the pile of weapons, “Didn’t he lose that in the fight against the monsters that wanted to kidnap you?”

“Yes, it must have fallen to the ground in the unknown woods, and these bird creatures seem to have taken it. We need to get our weapons back.”

Funk sighed, “I don’t know how to use a gun properly.”

Haley kept on struggling, “I know how. Just help me get out of this cage.”

Funk looked at the sacrificial pit, “Haley, look.”

She took a gander and saw a Lizardian get thrown in the pit, an immensely gigantic snake like creature ate him. Haley started struggling even more, “Come on Funk, we don’t know how long it is before my parents get thrown in, they probably can’t use energy either.”

Haley stopped, “Wait, we need to use gravity to our advantage.”

Funk tried to look over his shoulder, “What do you mean?”

“Allow me a second to think, Funk.”

He nodded, “So, are your parents fun to hang around with?”

“Oh yeah, they are, my dad is a special man, he always manages to get out of the toughest situations. For some reason, he always has the odds against him, but he never lets that stop him.”

Funk glanced over his shoulder, “Did he care a lot for you when he raised you?”

Haley let out a smile, “Yes, he tucked me in every night and told me about heroic deeds. Kid friendly. When we trained, he was always gentle with me.” Haley tried to look over her shoulder, “You care for him.”

Funk sighed, “Yes, as a friend, a good friend.”

Haley chuckled, “It would be great if you can convince yourself of that.”

Haley managed to get her tail free, she moved it to the side of the cage and slid it through the opening and grabbed the underside of the cart. “Alright, Funk, come with me to the side of this cage.” Haley started sliding forward, and Funk pushed himself away from the edge. The cage stumbled off the cart as it launched away, it landed on the ground with a loud thud as it cracked. Haley got up and removed the bones that contained her.

She helped Funk up. He looked at her, “Gravity, huh?”

Haley nodded, “So, you are gay as well?”

Funk scratched the back of his head, “I am not certain how to respond to that.”

Haley picked up the gun, “Just be yourself. My dad taught me, it is not wrong to like women, I should be who I feel I am inside of me. He will always be proud of me.”

Funk sighed, “My dad, would never say he is proud of me.”

Haley walked over to the glass, “This is too thick, we need to find a way around it.” She looked at Funk, “Since, I met you, my gaydar went haywire. To me, it is obvious you have a crush on my dad.” Haley let out a grin, “I think it is cute.”

Funk turned red, “Come on, don’t say it like that, he is a married man.”

Haley started walking through the hallway, “Are you coming, Funk?”

He grabbed his swords and sheathed them. “Yes, we need to find a way into the main room.”

As they started walking, one of the bird creatures came their way. Haley looked at Funk, “They are very resistant to magic.” Funk nodded and drew his sword. Haley pointed the gun and fired. Haley smiled, “One big bird down.” Quickly, Haley walked over and looked at the corpse. “It has no blood, just brown liquid.”

Funk kneeled beside the corpse, “Perhaps they are not alive?”

Haley shrugged, “I don’t care, but there is only one path, it leads to a stairway.”

Funk nodded, “I will follow your lead, you seem to know what you are doing. Did your father train you as an agent?”

Haley smiled, “I have been trained the Spartan way.”

As they made their way to the stairway, Funk looked at her, “That sounds harsh.”

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Haley nodded, “I volunteered for it. My dad drilled me insanely hard, but real combat is much harder than training. You know, I got dumped into a wild forest once, naked, I had to survive for a month. There was an emergency button of course, I could always opt out, but giving up is not an option for me.”

Funk looked at her, “Do you still love your dad, after what he put you through?”

Haley saw two more bird creatures, she shot them in rapid succession, both headshots. “Yes, I always volunteered, we had great fun times, but in between I was also training. He told me, I would need to be ready when the time comes.”

Haley went down the stairs, she pushed herself against a wall. “Keep your energy guard up to block the incoming darts.”

Funk stared at her, “You seem to be in your element.”

Haley grimaced, “I am. This reminds me of the parkour I had to run to get stronger. Man, bullets hurt, but after a couple, you get used to the pain.”

Funk stared at her, “And you still respect your dad? Lory agreed with this?”

Haley nodded, “My dad also ran the parkour, mom, and Valentine too.” Haley chuckled, “Riley tried once. He got shot just below his, you know. He never wanted to try it again after that.”

Haley looked around the corner, “There are at least 35 of the bird creatures in this mess hall. I take the left side, you take the right side.” Funk nodded and got ready. Haley turned around the corner and started firing, as darts flew her way, she slid under the table where they were eating and fired bullets at them. As she came to the end of the table, she reloaded her gun and did a wall kick with a backflip to land on the table while firing her whole magazine. She reloaded while dancing between darts, she kept on firing her gun, brown liquid flew everywhere.

Haley saw a dart fly at her, she grabbed it out of the air and threw it back at the big bird. Funk had just finished his last big bird. He looked at Haley, “That was astonishing.”

Haley tilted her head and grinned, “Thanks.” She pointed her gun and fired it at the big bird that was knocked out. “We should go on Funk, we don’t know how long we have.”

He pointed at a window, they looked through it. The big birds started pushing the cart that had Steve and Lorraine in it towards the boiling liquid. Haley looked at Funk, “Come on, we need to hurry.”

Haley started running through the halls, shooting the big birds on the way. Funk followed her, “Haley!?”

“Yes?

Are you happy with how you were raised?”

“What is that for a silly question? Yes, I am pleased with how I was raised, my mom and dad completely immersed me in their culture. My dad taught me to fight, respond properly, some martial arts styles. My mom taught me how to use energy, be compassionate, and how to inflict great pain. I might look like an innocent girl who has just turned into a woman, but believe me, I am not that innocent. They always had an out for me, I could always quit, or choose a different path. I picked this path, Funk, I wanted to be trained in hell, as they sometimes called it. Yes, they inflicted a lot of pain on me, but never because I did not want it, and in return, I got to inflict a lot of pain. Having been exposed to many types of pain, I know what to expect.”

Funk sighed, “You might just be a perfect version of Steve and Lory.”

“Can I call her that?”

Haley shrugged, “I am fine with it.”

Haley pointed at a door, “They should be behind this door.” Without hesitation, Haley checked her gun and reloaded it.

Funk looked at her, “You never told me you were raised this way.”

Haley smiled, “You never asked me.”

Funk just stared at her, “That is true. Now, are you ready to save them?”

Haley nodded, “I want to show them, I am ready for real combat.”

Funk sighed, “You are not afraid they might die?”

Haley laughed, “My parents, die? I don’t think so, it is going to take more than a giant fish snake monster.”

Just as Haley was about to open the door, brown liquid fell down, Haley jumped to the side and aimed her gun. Out of the brown liquid, some kind of worm jumped, Haley shot it, but it split into two and landed on her skin. It crawled into her arm. “Goddammit.”

Funk looked at her, “You can curse!”

“Not now, Funk, hand me that dagger.” He did so. Haley looked at her arm, something moved under her skin. Haley ripped a big chunk of her shirt off. She wrapped it around the upper part of her arm. “Funk?”

“Yes?”

“Hold me tight.”

He grabbed her, “Alright.”

Haley grabbed another dagger and took the hilt in her mouth. Then she looked at where the worm thing was moving. She made a very deep cut and purple blood came out, she cut a square on her right arm. She ripped a patch of skin off and grunted. Haley saw the two worms biting her veins. Haley pulled them out of her and threw them on the ground before squashing them. She nodded and Funk let her go.

He looked at her blood and veins. “They are purple?”

Haley nodded, “Yes, always have been. We should go, there is no time to wrap it up properly.” Haley shoved the brown liquid aside. “No fucking time for other distractions.”