A young man is walking in the park as he approaches the boy from behind. He's still a good few feet away but within talking distance. The young man has neither fear nor anger in his eyes and instead smiles warmly. His clothes are strangely monotone with a blue mark that almost looks like a spurt of blood on his chest. He call out to the boy. Odd meeting you here...Uh, I don't think I caught your name before. Why don't you have your parasite tell me and I'll give you my name in exchange.

"Company kiddo. The Hookworm kid." The boy rolls his eyes and sighs from his inner voice's words. "Agreed. If we ignore him, he might go away....yeah right. He wants your name or something. Your call, kid." The boy quickly hops to his feet and spins around with his arms out to his sides. The mandibles once again appear from his mouth as Earwig begins to speak. "Hey hey! What up Hookworm host!? Long time no see!" The boy glares at Quintus as the mouth continues to speak. "My host's name is Samuel Hart. You'd do well to remember that, baby!"

Quintus is a bit shaken by the glare. He wasn't expecting the kid to be so hostile but he did say he would give his own name and he still wanted to know more about this other host. Alright, Samuel. I'm Quintus but you can call me Quin for short. Your looking at me with a pretty high amount of disdain. Did I do something to you or something? I'm not looking for a fight if that's what you think. I'm only here out of curiosity. We're both hosts after all, we might as well try to get along, right?

Taiga walks through the park, watching the leaves fall from trees with a smile on his face. Heh, there's still a few left even now huh? Nature sure is something... Too bad it feels so cold out, and not just thanks to the weather either. "Gah, what in the hell am I going to do about Earwig? Freaking thing is using that kid as a shield but... I can't allow it to keep doing whatever it wants, lives are at stake after all." As the man resolves to deal with this one way or another, he notices Quintus and Earwig's host speaking off in the distance, how strange to see them here. But he'll need to take care of this sooner rather than later, with that in mind Kamen Rider Snipe walks towards the pair and pulls a Gashat into his hand. "Oi, fancy seeing you around here again Earwig. So I guess you aim to grow stronger off despair eh? Well, let's play a game, shall we? Oh, you may want to stay back Quintus." With that Snipe presses down a button on his Driver, a stage select wheel spinning around before landing upon an old scrapyard, barrels of some kind fill the arena as well. And for some reason, it feels as though fighting is the only escape. "Now that we've set the field away from all those random people out in the park... I think it's time for mission start!" With that he slams down the button of his Gashat, Shooting Gamer lvl 2 now stands before them. The Rider points his gun towards Earwig, simply waiting to see how his foe attacks. And hopefully counter it.

The boy huffs and looks away. "Bahahaha! Oh adorable! You think that's what he's worried about? Trust me, that ain't the case. See Sammy here just hates humans something fierce! Ya hear me?" The boy rolls his eyes and turns to face Quin again. "So I take it you're also fresh to being a host Quin? What's your deal? Hook didn't seem the type to work with a weak looking guy like you. What's your secret?" The appearance of Taiga leaves the boy somewhat bothered, but he just glares. The world around the three shifts to the newly selected level. The boy sighs. "Earwig! Armed Mode! Didn't think you wanted to die so bad doc?" The boy's right arm is equipped with a massive spear with a spiral running down it. Meanwhile his left arm is equipped with a gauntlet made in the shape of the earwig's head. He merely puts up his dukes.

Quintus steps back upon seeing the Kamen Rider. He didn't know what he could've been doing here but he was somewhat upset at having his conversation interrupted. Though what Earwig said kind of surprised him. Hook not willing to work with someone weak but then why was he chosen? That...uh...Am I really that weak? Hook, I know you heard that. What did they mean exactly? Hookworm! Armed Mode! Quintus would step back away from the coming fight before the usual hook blades would extend from his hands. The same eyes appearing just where the blade and hilt meet. If he needed to defend himself then he wanted to be prepared. He considered summoning his Persona as well but he thought it better to save that for if and when he needed it.

"Want to die? Don't make me laugh, I'm just trying to take care of a parasitic infection here... You've killed at least two people, I can't allow that to befall anyone else Earwig." Snipe speaks calmly as he slowly takes aim towards the part that looks like Earwig's head... Or starts to, in reality, the man aims towards before quickly darting down to take a couple shots towards his foe's legs, the idea being to throw him off guard by telegraphing for one spot, and swiftly striking another. "As for you Quin, I don't approve of your parasite either. But as far as I've seen you aren't going around causing harm, keep it that way and we won't be standing on this battlefield in the same way. Got it?" He looks over towards the young man for a moment to gauge his response, before quickly shifting towards Earwig.

Quintus shakes for a moment before looking back to Snipe. His eyes show a bit of fear but behind that fear is a hint of defiance. I'm not some child you have to look after, y'know! I can handle things on my own and I'll do what I have to, to protect my own life. If that means harming people then I won't avoid it but you'd probably do the same if it meant holding onto your own life...So get off your high horse! Quintus wasn't sure what came over him but he felt angry for some reason at the Rider's words. They were so different from the one before with similar armor. More rational but he treated Quintus as a weakling as he had been being treated since arriving here. He had been growing sick of people acting this way towards him. The weak were the ones who died and that wouldn't be him. That's why he accepted the parasite in the first place so he wouldn't have to be weak. He wanted the strength to survive no matter what.

"You are rather unassuming Quintus. You don't really look the type to mesh well with my style...but finding you was no accident. I sensed a great power from you. Earwig is the type to confuse people and take advantage of that chaos. I'd suggest you take his words with many a grain of salt." ------------------- The boy dodges what he anticipated was going to be the first shot and ended up falling for the feint. Two hit markers appear as the bullets tear through the boy's legs and force him to the ground. "Well that's not very nice. You shot a child. How rude!" The boy's eyes grow fierce as he struggles to stand. However, a black ooze comes from the wounds and patches them up as the boy rises. "Our turn!" The boy rushes towards Snipe and thrusts his spear forward. From the markings that spiral down the spear, it begins to come apart. "Stinging Bind!" The two halves of the spear begin to stretch as they approach Snipe in an attempt to grab him. If he is bound, then Snipe would be progressively crushed and shocked. ------------------ "There it is again Quintus. That fire. That drive. That...Will! You will survive. That's what I sensed in you."

"You think that? Sorry Quintus, but not everyone is just out for out own damm lives... Being a Kamen Rider is about standing up to do the right thing, even if it leaves you dead and broken by the end of it all." Snipe stares at the man, in spite of not being able to see his eyes. It'd feel as though he's looking through to Quin's soul. "You want to call it a high horse? Don't act like you know everything, I didn't nearly kill myself fighting Gamedeus to save people just so you could tell me I'm only looking out for my own skin." The man turns back towards Earwig, sighing a bit as he gives Quin some last words. "I'm doing this to help people if I die for it then so be it. I'm a doctor, after all, I put my patients first." With that the fight quickly resumes, Snipe wasn't quite paying enough attention to evade it entirely. But he does manage to move away enough to keep his gun arm free. From there Snipe would quickly slam the weight of the pistol down onto the bit of Earwig that's holding him, no fancy tricks this time. Just a few tons of raw force slamming towards his foe.

Quintus seems shaken by Snipe's words. He doesn't understand how people could be so willing to give their own life's to save someone even if they don't even know who they are. Weren't people supposed to fear death? That's what was normal, wasn't it? Seeing no way to even get Snipe to consider his side he believed him to not be worth the effort. Quintus would stand idly by as he stayed out of the way of the fight. No purpose in risking himself any further even if he did have a point to prove. Besides, this fight may give him what he needs...

A loud crunch is heard as Sam is forced to slam down the Kamen Rider, the tendrils retract. He grabs at his right shoulder with his left hand. His right arm just hangs limp at his side. "BWAH! Hoo! That stung me and the kid! You really don't pull any punches, doc!" A black ooze crawls up his right arm from the spear and digs into his shoulder. Moments later a loud pop is heard and the boy begins to rotate his arm. "Let's keep it up!" The tendrils sharpen and become rigid, like a pair of giant scissors. The boy lunges again and attempts to cleave Snipe. "Stinging Pinch!"

"Pull punches? No, not when lives are on the line. I can't afford to let you get away no matter what..." Snipe stares as the ooze rushes up, if not for this fight he'd be impressed. Something like that could have good medical use after all. "Don't expect things to be easy Earwig! I haven't even begun to fight seriously after all." From there the man would slam his gun into rifle mode, attempting to block blades with it's wide body. Assuming that he could, from there Snipe would grab onto a tendril and begin trying to rip the thing off the boy entirely. Removal might be a more brutal process this time... Hopefully it won't harm him too badly.

The blades are blocked and the man begins to yank on them. The boy cries out in lain for the first time as his arm begins to tear. A low rumble is heard in the distance. "Now you've done it. I had to call my babies back early. But that's fine...this should be enough to stop you." The rumbling gets louder as the blades shrink back into their base form. Suddenly, a large wave of black orbs begin popping into the level. "I was worried they wouldn't be able to reach me. Welcome home babies!" The orbs all explode into a black sludge that covers the boy. The ooze seems to make a cocoon around him. "Showtime."

"Showtime eh? Well, guess I might as well take it up a notch myself." The man draws a second Gashat from his belt, quickly slamming the thing into a second slot next to the first. An orange robot shaped like some cartoonish plane flying around the man for a bit. Then rushing down towards him and slotting itself into Snipe's armor, now having a pilot visor over his helmet, a larger piece of armor on the chest with a shape like a plane's front. A pair of miniguns rest on his arms, and finally, the man's back now holds a pair of wings and thrusters. Said thrusters quickly firing off as Snipe takes to the sky, a few shots flying towards the cocoon to test its defenses.

The bullets tear through the cocoon and it explodes into a thick cloud of black fog. "Aaaaaaaand done! Say hello to my new bod!" As the fog begins to pass, a large humanoid figure can be seen behind Samuel. It is grotesque in nature. Skin sliding off its disgusting face. Its jaw is slack and lined with gnarled teeth. A screech comes from the creature, nothing happens as of yet.

Quintus looks somewhat freaked out by the sudden transformation. He's not sure if he should be more impressed or worried. You're not gonna do that...are you, Hook? Uh...That doesn't look too healthy...

For some reason Snipe isn't quite willing to simply tear through the thing quite yet. "I'm not exactly impressed with you, seems like some cut-rate Bugster to me. But then again, things don't tend to be like they seem around here." With that in mind the Rider takes aim more carefully, shooting a few rounds from his rifle towards the left side if its chest, and watching the boy closely to see if there's any reaction. He didn't do too well after it suffered damage before, so no sense rushing in here.

"Have a little faith in me. My evolved form will be determined by a multitude of factors. Namely your psyche. That boy...he's broken...that's why Earwig became like that." The hooks look away for a moment, but in the next they are narrowed and menacing. "Keep watch. We'll learn all his tricks just to be safe and remember. Don't listen to him!" ----------------- The screeching gets louder and louder as it pitches up! But then nothing. It's quiet. Not only is it quiet, but the bullets suddenly come to a halt and drop. Snipe on the other hand would find himself practically paralyzed as his suit hovers with him.

Quintus' expression eases up a bit with Hook's word. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking once again. Well, that's reassuring. I won't break that easily. The minute someone loses it is the minute they put themselves in the most danger. I guess I could learn something from watching this too and don't worry, I'll be sure to pay little attention to what they say. Not like anything they could say would change my end-goal though, anyway. It'll take a lot more than words to get me to endanger myself on purpose.

"Hmm... So that's your trick? Controlling sound to stop things, but let's see how much it stops." In spite of barely being able to move Snipe still seems entirely too calm, moving more slowly than before. He draws Jet Combat and slams it into his Kimewaza Slot. With that, his weapons begin glowing as his Driver yells out. JET CRITCIAL STRIKE! As it speaks he turns the minguns upon his foe before unleashing a flurry of shots towards the thing, rounds blurring towards Amou's whole body given the spread of the weapons. At the same time the hatch on his suit's back would open up, 6 rockets launching from the back of it and rushing around his foe. Aiming to slam into his back and sides as the miniguns blast away at his front. "Let's see if there's a limit to how much you can stop shall we?"

Sam merely watches in awe at the firepower being sent at him. His eyes have also taken on an interesting trait being that they are now black as pitch. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the beast continues shrieking but Snipe is freed. Bullets begin dropping from the sky three at a time but the barrage is too much and the beast is riddled with strikes. As the missiles near, the giant figure runs to same and hunches over him. A massive explosion occurs. "You may have won this time you quack. But the great AMOU will not be defeated that easily." A loud tear is heard and as the dust settles, a single pool of black ooze can be found along with claw marks. ------------- "I agree Quintus. A cool mind is needed at all times."

Quintus walks over to investigate the puddle. The liquid is grotesque but also fascinating in a strange way. Guess, that's that for now. I wan't as impressed as I thought I'd be either. The...uh, evolution was it? That was kind of interesting. It reminds me of the power of Persona...I wonder if it works under similar principles too. I guess the more important part is how they achieved that. Uh, any ideas here, Hook?

"Quack? You know that's not even close to my best finisher right? Anyways, mission clear." As the beast flees Snipe sighs to himself and ejects his Gashat, walking over to the ooze to take a sample of it. No sense wasting a chance to gain info right? With that done he'd turn back towards Quin, and cause the stage to fade... Moreover, how the hell did he get out? Something with those sound waves? "Well, that was quite the show for you hmm? Did you enjoy seeing some of my true power Quintus? Or perhaps this was a bit frightening? Either way, your lack of help is noted, understood, and not in the least welcome. Regardless, we can't all be ready to stand and fight. So, guess I'll see you around, and stop by my clinic if you need any medical help. I never turn down someone in need after all." With that the man tosses a card at Quin, listing an office and phone number. Seems Taiga is serious about the clinic thing. But as the man walks off with his hands in his pockets, he seems a bit disgusted with Quin, sure not everyone can be willing to put their life on the line... Still, it's not heartwarming to see the guy doesn't even believe there are heroes out there.

"You make a compelling case. It is indeed similar, but we're a breed apart. As for how to achieve it..." The sound of a tongue licking at lips is heard. "...more of that delicious despair! They had a fair amount, perhaps little more than one hundred afflicted victims. But it wasn't as strong of a despair as fearing death. So ours will surely be at least tenfold as powerful."

Quintus begins walking away from the area. He takes the card with him just in case. The doctor himself wasn't very friendly but he didn't think there was any harm in holding onto it. His next goal would be to collect more despair anyway. Making Hookworm stronger was a priority if he was to survive against some of these people trying to "cure" the parasites. Well...then I already have my current objective in mind. I'm going to have to find a way to collect that despair in spades. I wonder where I should look first...? Quintus would then leave the scene in search of his next objective.