The Quest for Domination (Part 1) //Gathering Allies// [OPEN to anyone aligned with Nyarlathotep]

The god of shadows, the crawling chaos; that’s who she was talking about. If these robots had aligned themselves with anything else, she would have had to take them out now, but of course even she wasn't that stupid. Gaining people’s trust and quickly breaking it was easy, even though she would feel bad afterwards. Protecting anyone under her ‘father’ was something she knew she was meant to do, so that meant taking out anyone who would stand in their way. “You’ll probably both find out soon enough.” If they did awaken on the wrong side of the table, Theda would be there to bring them down.

They where here? D-Did they know she existed? Would they even want her anymore? The question shot through the Mauled's mind as she tried to process all that was said. She stayed quiet, almost ducking back behind Phalanx as she tried to process it all. She was scared... Would they try and destroy her? Would it be more painful than the first time...? She didn't want to know to be fare...

"T-They're... H-H-H-Here...? I-I... I-I-I've hidden myself... H-H-Here f-for t-t-two years... I-I-I've n-never... B-B-Been c-confronted... I-I t-thought... T-T-They f-forgot a-a-about m-me..." she whispered to Phalanx, the tortured look in her eyes returning. She didn't know what to think at the moment... If they where here, what would happen to her shop...? W-Would they destroy it? She couldn't run now... She wasn't physically capable of doing so...

"... I-I see... F-Forgive my... A-A-A-Aloofness, m-miss..." the Mauled said to the girl. She didn't know what she meant in the slightest... But, she knew something. She wondered what would happen in the days to come... She could feel her life wouldn't be at all the same soon... It was terrifying.

"Yeah... They're here. I doubt it's you they are looking for. It's me they're after. " Phalanx said in a grim tone. The android gazed of towards San Malarus Island in the distance. "What they put me through... Caused all this. It's because of their mistreatment that I'm standing here today."

-Boot up Sequence complete. | Mark VIII 'Phalanx'. Initiating control procedure.
"Good morning, Phalanx." Auditory Sensors online.
"How are you feeling? Can you hear us?" Order confirmed. Recieving Auditory Response....Check. "Affirmative." Phalanx voice was stiff and cold. "Ah, good. Listen, can you see this sign? What does it say?"  Order confirmed. Activating Visual Sensors. Phalanx opened his eyes for the first time. "That-is-the-number---6"
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Ah... His day of activation. September 6th 2013. Had it already gone 2 and a half years since then? it was hard to believe that time had moved so quickly. It felt like it was just yesterday when he had opened his eyes for the first time. Seen that sign... or rather... what he now knew as a calendar. 6th of September eh?

The two robots were pretty strange, and she had no idea what most of they said was about, but she continued to listen anyways. The more she stayed around them, the more she felt like they were alike to her ‘brothers and sisters.’ They spoke of a few things, like how they had been on the run for a while, which gave the little shadow an idea; a very interesting one at that. “I would be willing to team up with the two of you. If there were three of us, we’d be able to keep them from taking you guys.” She’d smile, moving a bit to the side before turning back towards the two. “Call us… The Liberators.” She’d smile a bit wider. “Yeah that has a ring to it, The Liberators. I’m sure the three of us can handle a few robots.” As she would begin to laugh, she’d push a bit of hair out of her eyes. “Well I know I can.”

What? What was happening... She had stalked the man to try and find out what secrets he held... Yet what she found out she wished she hadn't heard... Then this girl turned out to be a shadow... She didn't know what was going to happen but... Being alone was no longer an answer. She needed allies or terrible things would end up happening... Even if the Lancets weren't directed towards her... They wouldn't hesitate to destroy her if they found her... She had no other choice in the matter... It seemed to have been a forced fate...

"... I-I'll... Join... I-If he... J-J-Joins..." she said, looking over to Phalanx expectedly. She wanted to be with him above all else... It was a terrifying feeling to even think about leaving his side now... What brought about these unnecessarily bothersome feelings didn't matter right now. What mattered was staying safe... And safety was with him... The shadow proposed a solution... A very strong one that could keep them all safe... But... Would he join?

Now, That was an unusual request... Working together with these two... That was the sole purpose of this trip here in the first place. "Hrm... So you two are willing to join my efforts on crushing SE.RA.PH?" This went smoother than he expected. "The Liberators huh? That does have a nice ring to it... If we wanna make ourselves known, might as well have a name that's fitting..." Of course, neither of the two knew of his real goals yet. He would tell them... eventually. But reaching that point was a loooong time ahead, and right now, he had only one priority.... Crushing SE.RA.PH

She would smile at the two of them, feeling as if this was the beginning of something beautiful. She never really planned to team up with anyone aligned with her, but it might make things easier. "As long as we can have fun with it along the way. Once you guys awaken that is." Theda would think for a moment before speaking again. "By the way, when will you guys get one of those... Personas? I don't know how it works for robots." With the normal children, the crawling chaos would meet with them and bestow the person with their power, though bestow was a nice way of putting it. It was more like he was forcing it into their body, which was probably what was happening. "We'll just have to take out everyone in our way, which won't be hard with two robots and a shadow."

It seemed the team was formed then... She would be working with these two in the near future... Who would have guessed this would have happened? Her perfect made up life had been shattered in one day... But, was it that bad? She had found two people willing to stop SE.RA.PH... And one of them was like her... What where the chances...? Awakened though... Flashbacks of the girl pulsed through her mind... How? S-She had been so careful to lock them up deep within her memory banks... Awakening... Would that happen again?

"... I... A-Am not sure... I-It should... C-Come back... W-With time..." she was scared of that happening though... She was afraid of meeting the one that laid deep within her... She didn't know what to think at the moment... She put on a strong face though, or as strong as her face could look. She wouldn't be deterred. SE.RA.PH would pay...

"Huh, they suppressed yours too?" Well, that wasn't all that great. But a Persona suppression wears off over time. He knew that. In fact, he was living proof of it... After yesterday's close encounter with the Mark VIII's he had awoken to Neptune... But the persona didn't talk all that much. Not like it used to during the battle tests anyway. Something about Neptune was changed... Not sure if it was for the better or worse... But honestly, that part would reveal itself with time. For now, All he could do was to try and remain hidden for a while... At least until he was strong enough to fight back. And with these two on his side, things were looking much brighter. Yes... Indeed. "Well, I wish you good luck, then..."

This day had taken a very unexpected turn, mostly because she had never expected to meet two shadow fighting robots and form a team with them. The Liberators, Theda was proud for coming up with such a fitting name for the team, especially since it sounded memorable along with intimidating. "When one of you awakens to your power, or at least reactivates it, we can travel into my world." Not wanting to explain more on that, she'd add a quick, remark on it. "Don't ask; it's best if you see it with your own eyes." Looking around, she'd rip off a peice of paper, writing down their original's phone number on both and handing one to each of the two. "If you need me, this is my phone number. I thought it'd be nice to keep if I needed to contact anyone like this. Guess I was right." Smiling, she'd turn to look at a clock, noticing that it hadn't been that long but that she was still late. "I must be going, I have some business to attend to. I'm hoping to hear from both of you soon." After she would say her goodbyes, she would turn in the opposite direction and walk towards the forest, it was time to get down to business, and with a new team; new allies on her side, she felt a bit invincible.

It would appear the team was now cemented into what would possibly become who knows what... The Mauled didn't know what to properly think... She took the shadow's number and looked it over with a light nod towards her, making a mental note to actually get a phone to use said number on... It didn't matter though at the moment, she turned to Phalanx and stared at him for a moment, going to walk over to him and hug him. She didn't know why she did so... And she didn't know if he would push her away... But the contact was almost instinctual in a way. She would let go after a while if Phalanx allowed her to hug him. She'd look up at him and give him a frail smile before turning to leave. She'd open up her umbrella and hold it over her shoulder, walking towards the station with nary a word... She trusted the two for an unexplainable reason... What would the future hold for her? Who knew...

Well, he had found exactly what he was looking for. "Well, that went smoother than I expected. Now... How do I get in contact with you, Mauled, should any problems arise?" He raised an eyebrow at his newfound ally. Things were looking up for Phalanx. Fortunatley. About time things turned for the better. "Need help on your way back? You don't seem to have the easiest time walking around..." He cared for this android. The first of his kind that wasn't out to kill him was worth helping. "Where do you even live, by the w-huh?" The little android hugged him. That was... Unexpected. Phalanx did not know how to respond. So he just... let her do her thing, before she left. With that, Phalanx was alone on the beach, confused as to what had happened, but glad that he had at least accomplished what he was set out to do...

It would appear Phalanx had asked the Mauled questions before she had started staring. She had answered the promptly and politely within her fractured voice as best she could. Such an odd occurrence to say the least... Finding one like she within this strange world... It was almost unthought of in a way.

"... I-I-I p-plan on... B-B-Buying a p-phone soon... B-B-But I o-own t-the... D-Doll shop b-between a b-b-book store... A-And c-c-coffee shop i-in... S-San M-M-Malarus's... O-Old Town..." she said within her fractured voice, looking over to Phalanx and smiling frailly. "I-I will... M-M-Manage... D-Don't worry..." she said before staring at him and allowing her to hug him. He felt... Like home. Something secure and unwavering... Something she hadn't had in a very long time... In that intimate moment, the Mauled had dedicated herself to Phalanx... An odd act to do to some... But not to the Disfigured One who wanted nothing else to be by this man's side.

After that, she had made her leave; umbrella over her shoulder as she walked across the beach and towards the station. She limped from time to time... But she seemed happier than before... She had a purpose in her life again... Something she hadn't had for a very long time.