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The Dark Secret of the Borton Islands (Yuna & Malin's 1x1)

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"I won't lie. Part of me has questioned why I haven't turned my back. And from what I've gathered, there are a few reasons. I'm too stubborn to easily give up," A small smile crossed her face as she continued to speak, "And no one deserves to be stuck in this hell. Not even you. I still can't forget, be it anything you've done or this Damian bastard has. But .. I can begin to forgive; well, you at least. Certainly not Damian but... "

A small sigh elicited from Nicole's lips as she watched Thomas purchase his own gun. The words 'I don't fucking like this' were practically stamped on his forehead. Not to say this wasn't true with Nicole. But if this was the only way to get off of here ... she'd gladly do so. Besides, as far as she was concerned, the killings would not only be justified but very likely in self-defense. It wasn't like they were doing this for the hell of it. That was ... something, a start of sorts. It meant they hadn't lost all of their humanity just yet. Even if a small amount could remain, that would definitely be better than losing all of it and becoming anything like Damian was now.

As Marcel walked up and explained the fliers, she gave him a polite bow of her head. "Thank you. We'll ... get to that then."

Shut the hell up about babysitting us! We're not fucking asking you to! Goddamn ...

The only reason she kept her thoughts to herself .. was because despite his sometimes annoying choice of words, he was still helping them out a lot. He didn't have to give them medical help and he sure as hell didn't have to give them the funds to buy these guns. So she'd hold her tongue ...for now.

Slowly, Nicole walked in front of the fliers and began to read them all, her heart racing wildly in her chest with each second that passed by. This was it. Everything was about to officially begin; and all in an effort to help them get home.
 


Thomas nodded feeling better about his situation now that he had heard the full extent of Nicole's thoughts. It was actually rather helpful to hear as it gave him some peace of mind. Walking past Marcel he didn't offer him anything more then a slight nod, and a thank you. In truth this situation was already fucked up, and neither of them were going to end up liking this stay on an island, but at least they were together again, and in working... well semi working condition. Between her and his leg they wouldn't be running anywhere, but at least they were in stable condition enough that neither was dying anymore.

When she mentioned that she could forgive him or at least start to forgive him, he gave her a smile. "I will work on earning back what trust of yours I can, and yeah... I'm pretty sure that I could shoot Damian right now if i had a chance." He said lightly, "and, i'm glad to have the second chance, it means a lot."

Looking at the jobs Marcel had been right, there was everything here from hunting to assassination, and even some delivery runs. He grimaced slightly trying to think on what would be the best work for the two of them to take on. He didn't think he was ready to shoot a human target yet, at least he didn't want to seek out a human target, but even he had to admit there wasn't much of a moral debate on the kind of people these were.

Most of the bounties were on Pirates, and other thugs, rapists, and murderers the lot. While he had often tried to think of himself as a pacifist in his life before this island he honestly couldn't think of any of these people as exactly worthy of their lives. They were all bound to bring pain and death to this island in one fashion or another. "So our options are dumb animals, or scum of the universe that can and will shoot back."

Thomas let out a long sigh, the animals on request were everything from deer to... "Wait aren't tigers endangered?" He pulled off the request forum and gawked for a moment. "These are beautiful, rare creatures of which there are only a couple thousand left, and you hunt them... for wallets?" He gawked feeling a little sick at the new information. This was the kind of people they had signed up with, the kind that killed rare endangered animals. He was about to question who the real monsters were, but then remembered that Damian's men had nearly raped and killed both of them. By comparison a few tigers didn't really seem all that important.

Shaking his head he put the tiger request back, and turned to Nicole. "I'm stumped, unless you have a better idea, i say we toss the knife at the board, and see which paper it sticks into."
 
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And I'll hold you to that ...

Not that it needed to be said out loud. She already had done so once; no need to pester him about that again. It was clear he was already feeling guilty enough as it was. No need to rub salt into the wounds, certainly not literally.

Shoving the thoughts aside, Nicole began trying to help him look around for a job they should choose. And ... honestly, she was the opposite of Thomas. They'd need the practice to take a human life anyway. Why not start now? Especially since these men had karma practically hovering over them. If they really were rapists, murderers, and other such horrible people, they deserved about as mercy as a man on death row in the US; little to none. A swift death but ... that was about it. And even that was a very low 'maybe' in her mind and eyes.

If anything the thought of killing the more exotic animals, especially those that didn't immediately attack on sight like tigers, made her feel less inhuman. A low chuckle passed her lips upon hearing the words 'dumb animals' as she looked back to Thomas. "Actually, some may be smarter than you think. And .. yeah, I'm pretty sure tigers are endangered, likely more so since I don't think they're supposed to be around Australia.

Upon hearing Thomas suggest tossing a knife at the boards, she pulled the one that they'd stolen from Damian's men out. "Well ... lucky I kept this then, aren't we? So who wants to toss? We can switch turns I suppose, meaning if I get this one, you can do the next and so on." she offered, figuring if they were really about to do this, it would be done in as much of a fair manner as possible.
 

It wasn't so much the killing of people he wanted to avoid it was the being shot by people that he could stand to not happen. In truth when Nicole had gotten shot it had seemed extremely painful and undesirable. Certainly it wasn't something that he wanted to happen again let alone happen to him. Still that was just going to happen in a way.

There was a good chance that now that they were apart of this war they were going to both be shot at and have to shoot at people. It was an unpleasant and unhappy idea, but it was just the life they had to live for the moment. Hearing Nicole's suggestion that she pick the first mission and then he pick the next one by throwing the knife at the board seemed like a fair and easy way for them to pick a target.

Letting out a small sigh he nodded and then took a few steps away from her so that she had enough room to throw the knife and he wouldn't get stabbed even if she mucked up the throw. "Okay sounds good to me." He said giving a small bow and letting her take the initiative on the first throw.

While he did know that he wanted a hunting mission more then an assassination mission, he also knew the truth that it was inevitable that they would need to find and kill someone on this island. Shooting a human target was simply the thing that had to happen in this case. He just hoped that who ever the knife picked they really deserved it.
 
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While it was true that this had been Nicole's idea, part of her had expected Thomas to want to go first. Ah well. Not like he wouldn't get his chance, not since they agreed on taking turns. Taking the time to study where each of the posters were first, Nicole's gaze lowered down towards the ground. Her right hand raised as she remembered where the fliers had been. Between this method and the fact she'd only glimpsed at the papers as opposed to studying them and seeing which had which job, it'd seem more random. He didn't need to confess being uneasy about going after an actual person then and there; it was practically stamped on his forehead. And while she couldn't blame him to some degrees .. it felt just a tad like they were trying to avoid the inevitable.

Besides, what if some of Damian's men were out there anyway, for whatever reason? The thought made her swallow slightly.

Her hand threatened to shake and ruin her aim, causing her to quickly hurl the dagger before she did something stupid like cut herself or Thomas. As Nicole glanced up, she found it had indeed landed on a lone flier.

"Alright. Let's see, shall we?" A quick scan revealed it to be one of the animal hunting missions. And, thankfully, it was one of the more merciful ones.

"A boar ... " Nicole replied while chuckling softly. "Wow ... okay. That shouldn't be too bad. Right?" It wasn't anything overly exotic. And compared to the others, like the tiger, leopard, bull shark .. it was less dangerous. So as far as she was concerned, this was relatively simple in concept.
 

Thomas let out a breath he had been subconciously holding back. Hearing that they had gotten a hunting mission. For one it would be way easier for them to learn how to shoot a moving target, with out the panic of having the target shoot back, and for two they really lucked out because a boar was about as harmless as this island got. He smiled feeling like something was finally starting to go their way. "Now all we need to do is find out exactly where they are and."

He paused for a moment realizing they still had no idea where something was in relation too everything else. Walking back into the village he went up to the gun store and returned a moment later with a purchased map of the island. It seemed rather detailed at least when it came to where the roads were, and he even had the shop keeper mark down the location of the village and give him the marker.

Checking out the flier again he put an x on the map where the location of the boars were supposed to be and started checking the roads. There were no actual signs so instead he had to remember which turns and land marks there were. "Okay I should be able to get us there." He said finally when it was all said and done. The cars were parked outside of the village, one of them even saying for job use, the car it's self was an old thing, some model and make that was practically ancient, but it had wheels, it had an engine and it had seats.

"I wonder if we can get any radio stations out here." He said lightly, it probably wasn't something he should be worrying about, knowing their luck they were probably gonna run into a shit tone of pirates, but as he got into the driver seat he found the keys in the shade blocker, and started the car, and began checking radio stations. "This is great, we got a car, we got a job we can actually do, things... are actually starting to look up in a way."
 
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Nicole smiled as she easily noticed a very new sense of confidence going through Thomas. Maybe it had merely been because of the job she had selected for them. All the same, this was a nice, refreshing start that would be needed. From the few times she'd fired a gun with her dad, Nicole knew one thing. Hesitation was one of the worst things a person could do. Even if for a few seconds, it could quickly lead to one's demise. As he headed back to the cashier, her head tilted slightly. It hadn't dawned on her, not until Thomas returned with a map, that they would have been lost until the new purchase had been made.

"... Duh, of course," she murmured, shaking her head at herself. While her phone might have been able to help, it had a limited amount of life. It would definitely be better to conserve it. Her mind then went to the last phone call, recalling Thomas's sister had managed to pick up. Her gaze switched as her blue eyes lingered upon Thomas. Slowly, she sat down in the car, figuring Thomas would want to drive.

"Tabby picked up. But ... a storm hit over there. Our talk got cut short. But .. hopefully she heard enough to relay it to your parents."

It was also an attempt to give Thomas more faith and hope; gods knew they both needed it. It signaled that if Nicole had been able to get a hold of his sister, she could do so with .. anyone else. Hopefully. There was still the possibility the phone may work best near the radio towers. But .. they'd test that out when it was needed.

Until then, they had a few guarantees that came in the forms of jobs, money, and knowledge - mainly with how to use and fire a gun.

A small smile and nod would be seen as her head fell against the back of the seat. "Yeah .. things definitely are looking up. Finally, a change of pace." Nicole agreed.
 

Hearing that Nicole had been able to talk to Tabby put his mind and heart at ease at least a little. Looking around the car his mind drifted to their limited power reserves on the phone. These cars had plenty of power in their battery, and he could even see one of those old cigaret lighters that worked off copper wiring. His mind went back to his middle school automotives classes and his work with electronics in highschool and he paused for a moment thinking.

"Given enough time, and the right kind of wires, I think I can hook up a makeshift charger for the phone." He said lightly of course there were a few problems with that plan the largest being the parts he needed. He needed something that would first of all be able to fit and bridge the gap between the plug and the phones recepter without either being exposed, or completely burning out the charge recepter, and a way to regulate the voltage. It may actually be easier to not charge the phone, but to take out the battery and just charge it.

"After we complete this job we should have the money to buy the parts i'd need to do it, but i think it's doable especially now that we have access to a car battery that works." He shifted gears on the old manual car and grimaced awkwardly. He had only ever driven an automatic before, and it showed, he was clunky and slow as he turned the car and pulled away from the village on the road to adventure.

"I don't know Tabby can be forgetful at times. but in truth now that we know where we are, we probably shouldn't call them again." He said this was the point where he had to bite his tongue. "They said there is no way off of this island, so that means any of our family who find there way onto it, is going to be in the same or worse situation as us, and there is no way we can know for sure that we can make it off this island without dying to one of a million things that want to kill us. I mean... In truth I think you should call your family, but not to tell them where we are, just to let them know we aren't lost at sea." It could be years before they would be able to set foot on American soil again... there was no sense in getting their families hopes up during that long time.
 
LadyYunaFFX2 said:
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"Really?!" Nicole's spirits almost instantly lifted as she smiled at Thomas. "That'd be great because ... fuck .. that'd help out so much. Especially since it can work here." Which was honestly a miracle in itself. But hell, Nicole wouldn't complain and she doubted Thomas would. Her smile widened as she watched Thomas somewhat awkwardly work on getting the machine active. It was at least successful, but it was another obvious thing she noted. He wasn't at all used to these kinds of cars. Not to say she didn't understand; it was just intriguing to watch.

Her heart sank, however, as the subject switched over to family. "... I suppose it'd be better for them to know I'm gonna be here for a while as opposed to any cops or military who have to follow protocol and assume me dead." It was still heart breaking to think about at all. But .. Thomas was probably right when all was said and done. She nodded after a few moments then sighed. "When ... when this is finished then." she decided, leaning back in her seat and trying to enjoy the ride as much as possible.

There was definitely one thing positive about this island; it honestly had an amazing scenery.

Shame the pirates ruin it easily ...

But otherwise .. it was lovely. Really, it was. Her mind tried desperately to focus on that or even her first kill. Granted, it wouldn't be a human but it would be a form of progress. That was better than nothing ... right?
Click to expand...
 

Thomas had to pay attention to where the roads were going. It was really hard to keep constant track over all the twists and turns that the road had to go over, and the fact that it was a dirt road made the entire car shudder and jerk with every passing moment. Making it difficult to keep track of everything even with the location and the splits in the road memorized. He was also kind of worried about the chance of them coming across pirates. That was the last thing either of them wanted to do.

Driving in the city had been hard enough, Thomas had once had a part time job as a pizza delivery boy, and that had been basically how he had learned to drive quickly and effectively. However now driving out here was a constant struggle. Not to mention this was a stick shift instead of an automatic like the car he had at home.

His eyes barely had the chance to appreciate the details of the scenery or how honestly attractive this island was, because a moment later something jumped out in front of the car, and Thomas had to slam the break hard twisting the handle to make sure that the car turned and lost even more of it's momentum. The car almost flipping as it teetered for a moment and hit back onto all four of it's wheels. Thomas's knuckles had turned white from how hard he was gripping the wheel. "Fucking shit what was that?" He said grumbling for a moment.

His answer was given in the form of the glass windshield shattering, and the sound of gun fire.
 
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As Nicole noticed the look of concentration on Thomas's face, she went silent, allowing him to focus. At the same time, she tried to help him study the road. Admittedly, it was indeed quite the chore. The roads made a frown cross her face. Suddenly, this didn't seem as easy as she'd wanted it to be.

Well, at least you're safe I suppose ...

That thought quickly vanished as the brakes got abruptly hit. Her hands instinctively grabbed onto her door, keeping her from being thrown out of the windshield. Her heart began to pound quickly as she looked to Thomas.

"Son of a bitch! Gods .. you ... you okay?"

As the glass shattered, a scream elicited from Nicole's lips. Her head darted from side to side as she pulled her AK off her back and began to look for the source of the bullet.

"Fuck, drive! I -- I'll cover you just ... god-fucking-damnit!"

Don't let them get the tires, don't fucking let them get the tires ....

Because if they did ... she didn't even wanna think about that. It made her whimper and cringe. Her knee was better than it had been, yes. But it still wasn't in perfect condition. There would be no damn way she'd be able to outrun these bastards.
 

Thomas slammed his foot on the peddal trying to get the car to move again as he hit the steering wheel in a panic trying his best to turn the car back on too the road, as pock shots kept coming hitting the windshield and dash, one bullet even cracking through the back window as he finally got the car moving again after the sudden stop, he kicked it as quickly as he could make it go and a moment later there was a loud bump and then silence as they continued to drive.

He blinked for a moment realizing what the bump, and crunching noise had been and felt a little sick. "I have no idea if that was a pirate... or a villager." Or if he or she was alone at the time of doing the shooting, what he did know at this point was that he could now feel the wind on his skin, and he checked himself over for anything that had been shot.

Feeling lucky after a moment he let out a long sigh as he continued to drive. "I hate this fucking island." He said slaming his fist against the car horn a loud beep punctuating his motion. He wasn't about to stop and check if the person he had just ran over with a car was still alive, frankly if they were shooting at him then he had better things to do then check.

After a few minutes or so of driving in silence he relaxed slightly. "Are you okay? are you hurt, did you get hit." He was about to add again, but felt like it would have been inappropriate for one reason or another. All he needed to know was that he had scored his first victory against someone, and oddly it didn't affect him as much as he thought it would. Sure it had been done in panic, but even as the adrenaline wore off, he didn't really feel bad about hitting a pirate with a car.
 
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"I .. can't easily see it being a villager. I mean, wouldn't Marcel have told the others about us surviving Damian and all that shit? That we're here? What we look like and everything?" As much as she hoped for such a thing, Nicole knew the only honest answer Thomas would be able to give her was something along the lines of 'Fuck if I know'. Logically, however, she hoped and prayed that had happened, or something very similar. But in the end, it was just another unknown factor. A long sigh passed her lips as her head fell against the back of the seat once again. A small chuckle joined in as she heard Thomas ranting about how much he hated the island.

"So do I, Thomas. So do I. The sooner we get to those damn boats, the better as far as I'm concerned."

Her head quickly moved from side to side as he inquired about her having gotten hit again. "N-no. Just .. fucking startled me. That's all. But I'm fine ... really. One boar ... that's it. That's all we got and we'll be done for a bit at least."

A bit meaning she had no idea if Thomas would be up for a second job after this. There would definitely be ample time but there was the entirely different question of whether he'd be emotionally or psychologically ready. And she wouldn't blame him if he needed more time to be as ready as possible. In fact, Nicole would prefer it. They'd both need to be prepared in every possible aspect. She was pretty sure she could go for a second round but it would all honestly depend on how this damn mission went and if anymore pirates tried to intervene or not.
 

Thomas could certainly understand being a little startled by what had just happened. His own heart was pounding at ninety miles a second. Even as he continued to drive he was still trying his best to recover from what had happened. The thought of getting a place to rest peacefully for a night was certainly appealing. He was still slightly sluggish from the drugs they had used too keep him under, but for now at least he wasn't wanting to sleep, and considering what had just happened he was wide awake.

Driving along he nodded as their goal seemed rather simple in the long run. One boar and they would get some money, which they could use for supplies, and prove that they could at least have a place to stay while they were on the island, and while nothing was perfect about this situation they were in, they at least had the chance to do something about the situation, and they weren't just being tortured.

Pulling up along the side of the road he turned off the car as he double checked the map. "I think this is it." He said lightly, opening the door as he got out. There was a light breeze as he walked out onto the dirt road, and moved towards the forest, all in all it was a peaceful, but rather attractive day. Keeping low to the grass he pulled the gun from off his back and checked the safety was off, looking to Nicole he gave her a confident smile.

All they had do was find and kill a boar... it sounded so easy... but chances were nothing on this island was going to be easy.
 
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Nicole's mind was still trying to comprehend everything that had just happened. Thomas had really run over someone. Not that she was mad or about to chastise him for it. On the contrary, she was .. well .. proud of him. He'd done what he had to, regardless if that had been a pirate or not. Even if it was a villager, they had shot first. What did they think would happen? Moreover, it was like Marcel's men had noticed; Nicole and Thomas did not look a damn thing like any of Damian's pirates; well, she assumed not. She had been blindfolded and thus never saw Damian and during their escape, she didn't really see any of his men. Certainly not that sniper bastard.

Taking a deep breath, Nicole stood up as the car came to a stop.

"Okay ... one boar ... " she repeated softly, placing her AK over her shoulder once more with the strap as she retrieved and pulled out the dagger. "Especially after that last ... run-in, I've been wondering about trying to use as minimal noise as possible. Unfortunately, I don't think either of us chose guns that can have silencers attached so .. this is the next best thing. Plus, it'll save ammo, something we'll be buying constantly I'm assuming."

And thus the very ironic hunt began. They were trying to hunt a boar; all the while, they were still being hunted. She didn't have to hear anything from the damn pirates to know that. They'd done something which, if Nicole had to guess, few people had managed to do; escape from Damian. And going off the nearly half hour they had been there and been tortured by him, she could easily assume he was anything but happy to have lost two prisoners, let alone two potential future slaves.
 

Thomas was looking for the Boar they needed. Realizing that something like a scope or any kind of magnification really would have helped in this situation. As it was he just kept low to the tall grass and crept along the sides of the forest trying to keep his eyes and ears open as he gripped the handle on his gun. Taking a deep breath he looked around not seeing any of the animal signs that were all around him.

Thomas had never been hunting, and as such really couldn't have known any of the ways of tracking an animal, and didn't really have a grasp on what he had to do. Hunting to him was new and as he walked along he listened to Nicole and nodded, trying to keep his voice low as he answered her. "It's not just silencers, did we even bother to buy extra ammo aside from the one clip we got each?" He asked lightly trying to remember if either of them had thought about that situation.

All of this was so alien to him that in truth he didn't even know what rounds his gun took. He remembered the shop keeper had told him something, but he hardly remembered any of it now, he just remembered where the safty on the gun was, and how to fire. He put the gun onto his shoulder as he looked down the barrel as any gamer would, not realizing how close the heat would be to his face if he fired the gun right now, or how how intense the recoil from a burst fire rifle would actually be. In short he was completely unprepared to actually fire this weapon he had been given.

"Heck did either of us bring water?" It had been a long time since they had eaten anything, but what was more pressing was the sense of thirst that was building in Thomas's throat. The last time he had drank anything was back in the river, and that had been hours now. "... god we really don't know anything about survival skills do we." He said with a rather sudden realization.
 
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Nicole slowly shook her head from side to side as Thomas mentioned whether they had gotten extra ammo. "It .. didn't look like Marcel gave us enough for each of us to get a gun and spare bullets. Or ... did I miscount?" Noticing Thomas keeping low, she followed suit and copied him. Her voice softened, now barely above a whisper in her volume. In fact, as he continued to bring up more and more points, Nicole couldn't help but feel her confidence and faith about this beginning to vanish. As much as part of her wanted to beg him to be quiet, everything he was mentioning was very valid.

Her teeth gripped her lower lip as she looked down for a few brief moments, staring at the ground and dirt before looking back in front of her.

"Well ... to be fair, this is part of the reason we're doing this, isn't it? To teach ourselves to be more self-reliant? Which would include getting things like food, water, defending ourselves properly, stuff like that?"

Despite trying to take the optimistic approach, even Nicole felt like it wasn't working nearly as well as it could have been. "We'll .. we'll be fine. Just don't panic or think of too many unnerving thoughts. I know it's kinda easier said than done, especially after the recent run over. But we both need to stay relatively strong, sane, preferably both .. okay?"

Hopefully the smile she gave him helped encourage him in case the words failed to do so. Her head turned back in front of her as she continued to search for their new pray, forcing any thoughts of being hunted away for the time being.
 

Thomas was walking slowly as he kept low to the ground. It was actually really difficult to manage and his legs were starting to feel an odd burn through his lower body. In truth it was showing how little physical activity his daily life compared too when it came to the island, Doing this was like doing constant sit ups, and really no one liked doing constant sit ups.

Looking out over the field as he listened to Nicole he nodded slightly. She was right they were out here to learn by doing, everything that happened now could easily be considered part of their training and so he was going to try and do his best. Looking around he finally spotted a large wild boar, out on the lip of a cliff not far from where they were. It was tanning and laying out in the sun which made it the perfect target.

He held up his fist to signal a stop and then raised his gun to point at the boar, putting his cheek to the gun sights and shouldering his riffle he took a deep breath and held it in trying to copy what he had often read online about slowing his heart rate before a shot, firing the gun he instantly felt a kick into his shoulder and since his feet were all ready off balance he knocked the wind out of himself as his foot caught the ground and sent him spining head over heels backwards. The bullets he fired sore through the air creating a smoke trail, and smacked against the grass not far from the boar which panicked and started to run towards safety.

"Fuck, go... after it." He said still hearing a ringing in his ears... guns were loud.
 
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While Thomas got his gun aimed and ready, Nicole's grip on the hilt of the dagger tightened. Nicole had been the opposite of Thomas. While it was partly true her parents had insisted she take up sports, she still complied with their orders. The agreement had also come with a relatively fair deal. Nicole always chose what she would end up playing. Track, thankfully, had been one of the many activities she'd been in. Most of everything, in fact, had running involved somehow.

Her ankles tensed up as she watched Thomas pull back. Finally, the loud bang from the gun being pulled was heard, making Nicole unable to help but cringe a bit.

... Please don't let anyone have heard that. Please ...

Thomas wouldn't have needed to say more than 'go' for her to break into a run.

Unfortunately, it was hard to stay low. So, she stood up to her full height, knowing that - risky as it was - it gave her more speed as she'd be able to move her legs better and thus give her a higher chance to catch up. With the chance she was taking, it made her senses try to heighten as she tried to listen for any other noises that didn't sound like an animal or any voices that didn't belong to Thomas.

Her knee would likely sting a bit after this run ended. For the time being, however, she was too pumped on adrenaline to care much if at all.

Gasps and pants passed her lips as she continued to run after the boar, keeping her eyes on her prey. Her right arm raised as she prepared to bring the dagger down once she got in range, ready to stab it.
 

Thomas was winded and felt like his shoulder had just been slamed into his throat. Not to mention the fact that the gun had slipped out of his hand. Even as Nicole ran off he had to spend a moment recovering before he could even start to follow. Picking up his riffle and rotating his shoulder to make sure that nothing was broken. Getting to his feet he slung the gun over his shoulder before running after Nicole trying desperately to not let her out of his site.

The boar was big but also fast running away from Nicole as the two of them ran after it, it changed directions at seemingly random trying to make it's mistake and weaving through the underbrush with ease. It's hooves never really seemed to touch the ground as charged around and ran away from the couple. Making it's way back through the forest and into a cave that looked almost unstable.

The rock formations that formed the mouth of the cave seemed like a giant messy loose connection of rock. The tunnel was probably uncovered by explosives, as the edges of the rock and plateau around it were jagged and broken. The boar's squeals of terror echoed through the cave as it ran inside unafrade of it. Thomas on the other hand had to stop.

His chest was pounding in his ears at this point, and everything felt like fire and brimstone. Looking at the cave he couldn't see much more then darkness on the outside, and he felt a little bit sick about going inside. to his knowledge they didn't even have a flash light. "We.. Can still follow it... It might be a dead end." He said thinking on the bright side. If it's just one tunnel into the island then there may not be an exit. The thing was trapped in that case, but it would have the advantage in the dark... then again they had guns.
 
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Every time Nicole seemed to get close enough to take down her prey, the damn thing found more ways to keep getting distance. Her teeth gripped her lower lip as she felt her speed increasing. It stung and made her kneecap ache. But she continued to convince herself it would definitely be worth it in the end. She couldn't help but wonder why it made so many odd twists and turns, simultaneously cursing the creature in her head. And finally, the answer arrived in the form of the cave.

"Fucking hell! Urgh!"

Nicole did have an idea to make up for the lack of a flashlight. But would it be smart was the question she tried to ask herself. A frustrated sigh passed her lips before she slowly looked over to Thomas.

"I can use the light from my phone as a makeshift flashlight. But ... should we? Or should we keep the battery saved up? And sorry to seem like I'm sounding a bit hasty, but the sooner a verdict is given, the quicker we can get this done and over with."

Not to say that Nicole wasn't uneasy about entering herself. She was just trying to think of anything and everything but Damian or his damn pirates. The cave definitely looked like it could easily hide people - or other animals. But if they absolutely had to run into one or the other, she'd gladly risk finding a bear, tiger, some other creature. Just no more humans.
 

Thomas listened to her idea about using the cellphone as a flash light. There was a chance that could help them see for sure, but at the same time it would be limited, as well as using up a precious resource that they didn't have a lot of. Taking a deep breath he looked at the cave, there was a good chance they could have found another boar.

Looking around however he had no idea if they could fassion another better idea from anything else. Given no other options at the moment he gave a small shrug, and then finally nodded. "The village has electricity and I'm pretty sure we can make a charger that works. So long as it's just the flashlight it shouldn't kill too much of the battery so I say we go for it."

As he spoke he moved forward slightly, and held out his hand for the knife. "You carry the light, I'll go ahead with the knife and my gun, and when we find the boar I'll kill it." He said taking the initiative. It wasn't just about killing the boar it was about taking the bullets that may or may not come at them. If there were any other humans in the cave the person with the flash light would be the bigger target, so he wanted to be in front of her and hopefully take the hit this time if they ran into problems.
 
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The longer Nicole stared at the cave, the more her anxieties about running into more aggressive wildlife began to build up. True, there was always going to be that risk, plus encountering pirates, while on this damn island. But that didn't mean she wanted to risk getting mauled or bitten to death just yet. Taking her own deep breath, she glanced over towards Thomas, looking toward his empty hand. While he did have a valid point, it didn't fully remove the guilt going through Nicole. She had been ready and willing to show Thomas that - when needed, of course - killing wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Now if they did run into anything ... would he honestly be able to go through with stabbing or shooting?

Well ... if nothing else, you still have your AK

The echo from the bullets would, naturally, be loud; more so than if they had just stayed outside. But with the addition of the cave, it increased the risk of having unwanted attention drawn to them.

But honestly, with how things were going, there was no real thing as being 'safe' anymore. It saddened and angered her to think about.

After a few moments, Nicole nodded her head as she carefully handed the dagger over. Her hand snuck down towards her pocket as she pulled the phone out and turned it back on. The musical tune it made while activating made Nicole cringe.

"Shit! Sorry. I forgot how loud this damn thing was. Okay ... let's go."

And with that, Nicole began to proceed forward, holding the smartphone out as if it were a flashlight.

Hopefully boars don't have overly good eyesight she inwardly prayed, figuring if they had to take this chance, there would be some advantage on their side.
 

Thomas held the knife as steadily as he could in his hand. Walking into the cave the first thing he noticed was the instant shift between the light, and how dark everything became. With only Nicoles phone to act as a flashlight part of him wished that he had brought more to this island then absolutely nothing, but at the same time he was glad for what little they had managed to get.

Between the knife in his hands and the gun on his shoulder he was actually feeling pretty good about this situation. Even as he walked into the cave. His feet instantly recognized the feeling of cold sleek rock under him, and he had to steady himself. The ground was kind of slimy under foot, and everything seemed rather wet. The deeper he went the more he was starting to feel like this was a very bad idea.

For all he knew this could have been some sort of burrow or den made by humans who were mining in the area but then taken over by the boars or something more dangerous like a bear. Turning around he realized how stupid of an idea this all was. "We have to go back." He said taking a step, and slipping on the uneaven slippery surface.

A moment later he was skidding down the incline, further down into the island's dark bowels the light all but forgotten as he fell down an incline and then hit the ground rolling into a puddle of some sort.

Getting up he could feel the mud on his body as he blinked, feeling stupid as he saw the incline that he had fallen down, wasn't something he could just walk back up. Turning around he blinked as he saw the underground lake. There was a soft glow of light around the water caused by the sunlight that filtered through the cracks. The water was still, and for a moment he completely forgot about the boar.

The scenery was beautiful. Dark yes, but the cave had a sort of illumination to it. Water had pooled inside the bottom to create a small but deep lake, tree roots from the outside and the rocks of the cave created thick walls that held stability. It was like a sanctuary, that was all but forgotten in the harshness of the place. "Hey Nicole you gotta see this."

As he spoke he instantly became aware that he wasn't alone as something tackled him, sharp pain ran through his body as an angry boar tossed him aside his body landed inside the lake falling into the deep water as he swam to the surface and regained his breath he realized he had dropped both the gun, and the knife on the shore.
 
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"... Wait, what?"

Granted, Nicole had most of the very same concerns that were going through Thomas's mind. All the same, she had full intentions of going through with this job. They needed the money that would be given to them, for one. Almost more than that, they also needed to get the hang of using weaponry. And going back would not exactly allow them to practice.

"Damnit Thomas, no! We're fine! Wait!"

But she never got to stop him and make him go back inside. Soon, he turned around and began heading out. Her arms went over her chest as Nicole let out an annoyed groan.

Goddamnit! Sometimes, I fucking swear ...

Why had he panicked?! There hadn't been any actual visual or audible signs of anything else being here. And that was why she'd volunteered to use her phone. Now, it had all gone to waste. It may as well have anyway.

With a frustrated sigh being the last thing to echo in the cave, Nicole turned around and - reluctantly but still - followed Thomas. Soon, she found the same underground lake he had.

Admittedly, Nicole had to agree that it was indeed beautiful. However, there was always one vital rule to remember when hunting. And it was to pay attention!

Her mouth opened to warn Thomas about the oncoming and infuriated boar. But before she could try to warn him, the wild animal already rushed into her friend. Remaining still for a few moments, Nicole turned her phone off and advanced forward, picking up the knife.

Slowly, she pivoted on her heels and quickly glanced around for the boar.

Please don't tell me it ran off ...

Because if it had ... they'd have to start all over again.

If, however, it was in sight and range, she was ready and willing to finish the job for them. Her ankles tensed up. If it was indeed still there, she got ready to lunge forward and thrust the dagger through the boar. If not, she began to track the damn thing down, equally as prepared to take any and all risks to obtain their source of income.
 
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