A Bounty on Marines!? [Episode]

Episode:

"You know...it might just be the shell shock from everything I've been through...but going on patrol duty actually sounds pretty good right now." Celia blinked, looking over at her comrade, as the pair of them welcome down the street. The place was bustling, plenty of activity, people going about their business. It was a rather peaceful day. The pair of them had been assigned to a simple patrol. Walk around, keep the peace, that sort of thing. That being said, Anton did have a point. The nervous marine had been through a lot as of late. Battling strong pirates, big monsters, and the like. Compared to that, simply keeping an eye out for criminals was a walk in the park. Hell, the man himself seemed a bit more relaxed.

"Well, good to see you're starting to get into your work." she said, unable to keep the smile of her face, "I knew eventually you'd become a proper marine." Anton couldn't help but shudder a little. "I doubt that. I mean, sure, this is all well enough. But I don't think I'll ever get used to the more intense stuff." Celia nodded. Though she would like Anton to eventually get into his job good and proper, this was a good start. He certainly had the strength and the skill. He just needed the heart. And she knew that Anton was a good person at heart. Still, some quiet work was always good for the nerves. And honestly, Anton needed it.

However, everything wouldn't be as peaceful as it seemed. For in the darkness, someone was watching them. The dark figure glanced at a sheet of paper he held, before stepping out to approach them. "Anton La'croix?"

Anton blinked. It was never a good thing to hear someone speak his name. Both marines slowly turned, looking to see a rather standard looking man standing some distance behind him. "Y-Yes?"

And then, without warning, the man pulled a gun on him.

Boss:

Anton La'croix uses:

Iron Exoskeleton - LT - on self
Hopper Kick - LT - at the bounty hunters
Sonic Cutter - MT - at bounty hunters
UT - at bounty hunters

Bounty Hunters use:
MT - at Anton
LT - at Anton
LT - at Anton
UT - at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 19, 3, 10, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 19, 5, 1, 2

Anton let out a yelp as the man's gun fired. The bullet struck Anton in the chest, causing him to stumble back. "Anton!" Celia yelled out, shocked at the sudden attack. She blinked when she realized that, just before the man fired, Anton had instinctively switched into his hybrid form. Anton groaned, holding his chest. The attack hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. (Toggle Exoskeleton active) (Iron Exoskeleton, LT, activated). (Bounty Hunter's MT - hit)

The bounty hunter paused, honestly a bit surprised that his shot hadn't floored him. That surprised turned into downright shock as Anton let out a loud shriek, before suddenly launching himself at him. He brought his gun up again, trying to shoot, but the marine was moving so fast that his shot went wide, hitting the side of a building. (Bounty hunter's Lt - missed) Anton's attack however, landed dead on. Lashing out with his foot, he caught the man right in the stomach, causing him to double over on the ground in pain. (Hopper Kick - LT - hit)

Anton stood there, panting heavily as he looked down at the downed man. Celia ran up alongside him, looking down at the groaning attacker. She pulled one of her deringers on him, in case he tried to get back up and attack them again. "Explain yourself! Why did you fire at him?" Anton was still running on adrenaline, so it wouldn't be surprising that he felt something going on behind him. "Get down!" he shrieked, pulling Celia aside as two bullets shot past, hitting the ground not far from them. Both marines spun around, seeing two men standing on the roof of a nearby building, rifles aimed right at them. (Bounty Hunter's LT and UT - both missed).

Anton turned to the pair that had fired on them. With another shriek, he swung his blade, sending a burst of compressed air towards the pair. The men let out a cry of panic before the attack hit them, sending them flying back over the other side of the building. (Sonic cutter - MT - hit)

Celia was looking around anxiously, in case anybody else was trying to jump them. "The hell is going on? Why are we getting attacked?" She glanced down, noticing a piece of paper laying on the ground. As she bent to pick it up, the first bounty hunter, recovering from the attack, tried to reach for his gun.

And then was promptly kicked in the face by Anton (Anton's UT - hit)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Fast Hopping - LT on self
Sonic Cannon - HT at Bounty hunters
UT at Bounty hunters

Bounty hunters use
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
Ut at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 4, 16, 2

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 8, 4, 15, 9

"Anton, you're going to want to take a look at this," Celia spoke up, looking at the piece of paper in her hand. Anton blinked, looking over at his partner and peering over her shoulder. What he saw caused him to pale. It looked like a wanted poster. Only, instead of a criminal, it was HIS face on it. And with a rather sizable bounty as well.

"Wh-When did I get a bounty!?" Anton spluttered, "Wh-When ddi I become a criminal!? I didn't do anything wrong!" Celia smacked him on the back of the head to calm him down. "Calm down Anton. Anyone looking at this can see it's not an official wanted poster." She looked at it closely. It certainly looked like one, but there were enough changes to make it clear it wasn't real. "Still, this is problematic. How many of these have been passed around? And how many people have seen them?"

Meanwhile, something had drawn Anton's attention down the street. Looking over, the grasshopper marine paled at the sight. "Erm, I think they have." Celia looked over, seeing a group of five men running towards them. A group of five ARMED men. well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Her eyes widened when she saw one of them had a bazooka.

"Hold on!" Anton yelled out, grabbing hold of Celia and jumping skyward, just in time to avoid a rocket being fired at them, as well as a couple of bullets. (Fast Hopping - LT, active) (bounty hunter's MT - missed) (bounty hunter's LT - missed) Quickly, Anton twisted himself into the air, taking aim before firing rubbing his legs together harshly, firing off a blast of sonic energy right at the group. It was like smacking over a set of bowling pins. The blast sent them flying. (Sonic Cannon - HT - hit)

The pair of them landed, Anton already panting from the adrenaline rushing through him. This was supposed to be a peaceful assignment! Why were people trying to kill him, and why were people offering to pay those people for it! Celia spoke up before he could. "We should get to the marine base and inform the others. Something's seriously wrong here!" Anton nodded. This was getting out of hand, and quickly.

However, before they could do anything, there was a shout, and suddenly, a man came crushing out with a sword. Anton spun around, only to be hit by the blade right in the sternum, causing him to stumble back. Thank goodness his exoskeleton held. (Bounty hunter's LT - hit). as the man suddenly brought his blade up for another slash, Anton yelled out and delivered a kick right to his face, sending him sprawling on the ground. (bounty hunter's UT - miss) (Anton's UT - hit)

as Anton was about to move in for another attack, Celia grabbed his coat. "Come on! We don't have time for this. More of them will be on the way!" Anton couldn't deny Celia's logic. He quickly turned, running to follow his partner down the street. They had to get to the marine base, and fast.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Sonic Ring - MT at Bounty Hunters
Snap Kick - LT at Bounty Hunters
Grind Slash - LT at Bounty Hunters
UT at Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters use:
HT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 8, 6, 16, 6

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 3, 20

Anton and Celia were running full tilt down the street, people looking over at the two marines, before ducking for cover when they saw the growing mob of bounty hunters chasing after them, trying to gun them down. Wasn't it usually the marines chasing bad guys? Why was it the other way around all of a sudden?

Then, some part of Anton's mind caught his attention. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew what it meant. "Watch out!" he yelped out, grabbing Celia and jumping again, just as there was a massive explosion near their feet. Had someone thrown a bomb or something? Fortunately, Anton had jumped just in the right moment to avoid the blast, though the shock wave sent both marines flying. (Bounty Hunter's HT - missed)

Both marines cried out as they were launched into the air. Anton twisted his body so that he bore the brunt of the landing, protecting Celia from the damage. The pair of them groaned, trying to regain their senses of what had happened.

Only to find that they had landed in the middle of a group of hunters, all of them looking at them with malicious intent. Anton let out a loud yelp, jumping to his feet. "Keep down!" he yelled out to Celia, before suddenly drawing his sword and spinning around. A burst of compressed air shot out in all directions, hitting the bounty hunters and knocking them flat. (Sonic Ring - MT - hit).

And then, everything broke out into a brawl. A number of the hunters scrambled to their feet, getting ready to fight and charging in on Anton. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Anton responded first, lashing out at the closest hunter with a powerful kick, the burst of air it unleashed knocking the man back. (Snap Kick - LT - hit) Then, something struck Anton in the back, earning a cry from him as he stumbled forward. He looked back to see that one of the hunters had hit him from behind. (Bounty Hunter's UT - hit)

Anton quickly responded, bringing his sword down, the blade slashing along the stone before coming up to hit the bounty hunter, blood flying as he cried out and collapsed to the floor. (Grand Slash - LT - hit) Anton was acting on instinct, as he spun around, delivering a sharp kick to a man coming up behind him. (Anton's UT - hit)

Meanwhile, Celia was keeping her head covered on the ground. This was utterly insane. How were they going to get out of this mess? All she could do was hope Anton could keep her covered during all this madness.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
Hopper Kick - LT at Bounty Hunters
Trebel Kick - LT at Bounty Hunters
Shed Skin - LT on self
UT at Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 5, 11, 3, 1

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 3, 9, 6, 10

Anton was panting heavily, not from being tired or pain or anything like that. More from the sheer stress he was suffering right now. He was surrounded by bounty hunters, and they were all eager to get a piece of him. There were about seven of them left, but to Anton's panic stricken mind, it looked like a horde!

As one charged in, massive sword held up high, Anton let out a scream, lashing out with his foot and catching him in the stomach. The bounty hunter's eye's bulged as he doubled over, his sword swing aiming wide and clanging to the floor. Another one down. Six more to go. (Hopper Kick - LT - hit) (Bounty Hunter's MT - miss)

Another bounty hunter came up behind him, screaming as he thrust a spear at him. Anton let out a cry of shock, spinning around to avoid the blow, before another kick connected with the poor man. He paused for a moment, unsure what he had been feeling, before a sharp tremble ran through his body. He tried to reach out to one of his comrades, only to send the vibrations through to him as well. (Treble Kick - LT - hit) (Bounty Hunter's LT - miss)

This was getting nuts. Anton needed to get out of here! Bending down and grabbing hold of Celia, the grasshopper lept into the air, just as another bounty hunter took a swing at him, only to find that his blade pass through what seemed to be an afterimage, made of skin...ew. (Shed Skin - LT on self), (Bounty Hunter's LT - miss)

Holding onto Celia tightly, Anton came down right ontop of one of the bounty hunters, knocking him flat to the floor. (Anton's UT - hit). Landing on the ground, Anton took off running, holding the smaller Celia tucked under his arm, who was honestly a little stunned by it all. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, hitting Anton right in the back. The marine let out a cry as he stumbled, but kept on running. The exoskeleton absorbing most of the impact. (Bounty Hunter's UT - hit)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
C Sharp - AoE at Bounty Hunters
UT at Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 5, 8

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 19, 9, 2, 9

It was certainly a sight to see. Who would have expected to see a grasshopper man, a small woman tucked under his arm, running down the street and getting chased by a mob. Well, if 6 people could be considered a mob. Still, people were quickly moving to the side, allowing the group to run past. Meanwhile, Celia had snapped out of her amazement, and was now squirming against Anton's hold, trying to wriggle herself free. "What are you doing!?" she grunted, "You've fought worse than this. Stand up and fight them! They wont stop chasing us otherwise!"

Anton let out a pitiful groan. As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. He slid to a halt, setting Celia down as he turned to face the charging group of bounty hunters. He had to fight, as much as he didn't want to. Taking a deep breath, he launched himself up into the air, leaping up and over them, before landing right in the middle of them. He quickly started rubbing his legs together, letting out a sharp shockwave of powerful sound. This should put a stop to them.

Anton then opened his eyes, and found the bounty hunters standing around him, their hands covering their ears. It...didn't work. [C Sharp - AoE - missed]

What happened next would have been almost comical if it happened to anyone else. The bounty hunters descended down onto Anton, who screamed as numerous attacks rained down on him. He tried his best to avoid them, but one can only do so much as they were being mobbed. Celia blinked, watching from nearby, feeling bad about making Anton jump in like that. [Bounty Hunter's MT - hit] [Bounty Hunter's LT - miss] [Bounty Hunter's UT - hit]

Suddenly, there was a loud scream and Anton burst out from amongst the crowd, kicking over one of the bounty hunters and making a run for it. (Anton's UT - hit) As he dashed past, he grabbed Celia, not missing a beat as he kept running.

"YOU WERE WRONG!"

"Sorry!"

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Iron Exoskeleton - LT on self
Sonic Cutter - MT at Bounty Hunters
Grind Slash - LT at Bounty Hunters
UT at Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters use
AoE at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 19, 11, 4, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 12, 1

Anton was starting to get tired. Sure, his body was starting to ache from the hits he had taken, but for all intents and purposes, he could still fight for a good long while. But constantly running on adrenaline, constantly running, and having to carry Celia at the same time, it was starting to weigh down on Anton. He was starting to run out of steam, and the stress was getting to him. He kept stumbling lightly, but managing to keep ahead of his attackers.

Holding Celia tightly, he glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw a couple of the bounties hunters lighting sticks of dynamite. Were they insane!? He quickly looked down at Celia, before suddenly throwing her into the air, just as the bounty hunters threw their payload. As she sailed through the air, Celia's eyes widened as the explosives went off around him. "Anton!"

As smoke filled the air, the bounty hunters paused in their tracks. Did they get him? A couple of them were a little worried that they had accidently blown him to bits. Kind of hard to collect the bounty if he was in pieces. However, as the smoke cleared, their eyes widened to see that not only was Anton still in one piece, but still standing. His coat was damaged, but his exoskeleton seemed as strong as ever. (Bounty Hunter's AoE - missed) (Iron Exoskeleton - LT activated)

As the bounty hunters brought up their weapons, Anton moved faster than they can react. He swung his blade, a burst of compressed air shooting out, crashing into two of the hunters and sending them flying back, crashing into a nearby wall and knocking them out. (Sonic Cutter - MT - hit). Caught off guard by the powerful attack, the bounty hunters couldn't stop Anton from charging in. The grasshopper let out a shriek as his sword's blade sliced across the ground, catching another bounty hunter. The force of the attack lifted him off of the ground, sending him spinning before landing on the ground. (Grind Slash - LT - hit)

There were only two bounty hunters left. One managed to collect himself, making a run at Anton. However, before he could swing his blade, there was a powerful jolt through his body. It was like a painful vibration was running through his body, causing his attack to stop dead. (Bounty Hunter's UT - miss). However, this opening not only caught Anton's attention, but gave him a chance to deliver a painful kick to the man's face, sending him sprawling on the ground. (Anton's UT - hit)

Anton was panting heavily. Slowly, he turned towards the last, remaining bounty hunter. Who right now was really regretting his life choices.

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Hopper Kick - LT at Bounty Hunters
UT at Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters use
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 6, 19

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 5, 18, 11, 15

This was bad. This was very bad. Not only was this damn marine still standing, but now the last bounty hunter found himself, well, alone. And he wasn't in the best of shapes either. All this chasing around and fighting had taken a tole on him. And now, he had this strong bug looking right at him, slowly approaching him.

In desperation, he noticed one of the fallen bounty hunters had dropped a bazooka. He quickly grabbed it, pointing at the approaching Anton and fired. The marine merely tilted his head as the rocket shot past, shooting up into the air before exploding harmlessly. Wait, was it him, or was he moving faster? (Bounty Hunter's MT - miss) The bounty hunter started scrambling back, pulling out his sidearm and taking aim. "Stay back!" he yelled out, firing repeatedly. Two of the shots hit, but they barely seemed to slow Anton down. The last shot veered a little wide, merely grazing him. (bounty hunter's LT - hit), (Bounty hunter's LT - hit) (Bounty Hunter's UT - hit)

"Why?"

the bounty hunter paused, noting that this was the first time Anton had spoken. "Wh-Wha?"

"Why?...Why?...Why why why why..."

It was becoming clear that Anton wasn't really expecting an answer, as his voice became more frantic as he closed in.

"Why why why why whywhywhyWHYWHYWHY!?"

Suddenly, Anton lashed out with a kick, right into the bounty hunter's face. And that was all he remembered before everything went black. (Hopper Kick - LT - hit)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

It was done. After that little bit of chaos, no more bounty hunters had come after Anton or Celia, allowing them to get back to the marine base without further molestation. Though the current crisis was over, there was still one big mystery about what had happened. Why had someone put a bounty up on Anton? Who was behind it all? Were there other marines being targetted as well? They had to bring this to the attention of the higher ups as soon as possible.

Celia set the poster down on the marine commander's desk. "The men were carrying these sir," Celia explained, looking at the marine commander sitting opposite of her. Anton was standing behind her. "I believe others may have been sent out as well. We need to find the ones responsible immediately!"

The commander picked up the poster, looking over it briefly, before glancing at the pair. "And the hunters in question had been dealt with?" Celia nodded. "Yes sir. We've taken them all into custody." The Commander nodded. "Very good. i'll send the men out to collect the remaining posters, make sure this all dies down before releasing them."

Celia blinked. "Excuse me sir?" The Commander nodded. "Well, they were just men chasing a bounty. It would be unfair to blame them for something that we did." Anton and Celia took a second to process this. "WHAT!?" The Commander chuckled. "Well, I had been the one to send out the posters. I figured some imprompt training was in order. I knew a seasoned marine would know the posters were fake, but it would certainly get some bounty hunters interested. The fact that you're still here, and in rather good condition, shows you were able to hold out quite well. Well done."

Anton was trembling as Celia was just gobsmacked. "Sir...you do realize that posting false bounties is ILLEGAL, right?" The commander chuckled. "Under normal circumstances, yes. However, as this was merely a training exercise, I'm sure nothing will come of it. But anyway, you both did well. You should be proud. Now, if there's nothing more, you're both dismissed."

Celia was just stunned. How could a marine commander do that to his own men?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream coming from Anton, moments before he lept over the table and tackled the surprised commander.

Anton would, normally, be freaked out at the idea of sitting in a holding cell. That normally meant he was in deep trouble, and severe and painful punishment was soon to follow. But, after everything that had happened today, the blank walls were, well, oddly soothing. I mean, one of his superiors literally put a bounty on him and made him fight civilians. Attacking the guy really seemed like the logical thing to do.

Hearing footsteps down the hall, Anton looked over to see Celia approaching the cell, accompanied by some marines. "We spoke with the higher ups. They've agreed you're not to be punished." Celia explained, as one of the marines moved to unlock the door. Anton rose to his feet. "But...I attacked a superior officer, didn't I?" Celia nodded. "Yeah, but after hearing about that false bounty stuff, they figured he deserved it. After all, your life was put at risk for no reason." Well, Anton couldn't deny she made a good point. And it was actually good to hear that the higher ups agree with her. "and the commander?" Celia shrugged. "I think he understands he messed up. He's holding no grudges. Now, let's get you out of there."

As the cell door opened, Anton stepped out, the four of them walking down the corridor. Anton would need to freshen up after all of this. And that commander had a mean right hook as well. "By the way," Celia said, looking over at Anton, "Thank you...for saving me back there. I hadn't been expecting it, but...I really appreciate it. No matter what you said, I think you're a real marine." A light blush crossed Anton's face. "Th-Thanks. I just did what any decent person would. Don't think anything of it." Celia nodded, but didn't stop smiling. Despite what it said, he really was shaping up to be a good marine.

[Finish]