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"Where the fuck is that bitch?" A voice spoke out as two silhouettes sifted through the rubble that was 'Guest Room # 213'. From the looks of it, the ceiling appeared to have caved in from the tremors that had suddenly begun to weaken the compound's structural integrity. Even now random surges would pulse through the various levels of Ourosboros, wreaking in-discriminatory havoc. 

"I did not sign up for this!" The other figure exclaimed through coughs, his eyes squinting to try and find any sign of Anya among the debris and dust. "This was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission, destroying Ouros-fucking-boros was not the plan!" He continued through fits of coughs. 

"Stop complaining Darvin, half the fun is in the chase," the man scoffed while trying to keep himself focused on the rhythmic sound of his fingers snapping. Each snap echoing across the room, the sound waves scanning it all and then bouncing back to the alchemist. "Well, well. It looks like that little rodent wasn't in the room when the ceiling collapsed, lucky us. She couldn't have gone far, I have already relayed the command to the others." A cruel smirk slowly etched itself across his face as if this woman was only just that, an animal to be hunted and claimed as a trophy." 

"Fucking 'stalkers', had to have a freak as my partner," Darvin mumbled under his breath as he followed his partner out to survey the perimeter the 'others' had already established. 

The fight was impossible to ignore now. 

A blood-curdling scream erupted from the crowd. Individuals swarmed for the exits, their fear filled the room. Feet trampled anyone unfortunate to fall down or too slow to keep up. Despite the panic, the hypnotic music and sporadic lights continued. Darkness turned people into shapes causing Cade to tap into his alchemy. 

A man clipped Cade’s shoulder roughly. His fingers tightened on his bag as his teeth trapped a yell behind them. Shrugging the pain off, the younger Asylum increased his pace to recover what he lost. 

Through gaps in the stampeding patrons, he caught the glimpse of a dark-skinned woman. She hunched down around the bar counter, hiding. He recognized her as Anya. Terrified, she held a confused expression on her face.  

[color=7ccd7c][i] Samad. Where… you? Found…[/i][/color] Cade shouted through his mental link to Samad. 

There was no answer. 

"I'm afraid the girl is mine," the stalker's whisper echoed, magnified by alchemy and resonating fierce enough to shatter glass. The man slowly approached Cade, without a hint of hesitation. He was garbed in a loose grey hoodie, to big for his size, the cowl hiding the man's face. Underneath the hoodie, a vest was observable where countless hunting knives had been strapped and the same was true for his cargo's. 

"I would suggest getting lost kid, you aren't my quarry and trust me.....you don't want to be," as soon as the stalker said those word, with a flourish of his hands yet another two hunting knives appeared from under his sleeves. 

Cade’s dash halted instantly. He braced as another tremor rumbled through Ouroboros, his feet barely managed to catch his balance. His head jerked to the unexpected individual. The blond’s eyes widened as his hand adjusted his glasses, getting a better look. 

How the man had managed to get past security with so many knives on him was a mystery to Cade. It shouldn’t even be possible. Too bad the truth was standing right before him and targeting Anya. 

When the knives appeared, Cade questioned his partner’s whereabouts.     

[i][color=7ccd7c] Samad…are you?[/color][/i] 

Again, nothing. This caused his confidence to drop into his stomach, fixing him into place. 

[color=7ccd7c] “I can't really allow that. So... are you sure we can’t talk about this?”[/color] Cade asked, his hand cautiously unlatched his bag.  

"I guess I have to kill you then, huh?" The Stalker mused, speaking his thoughts with a shake of his head. "Oh well," the stranger sighed while giving a complacent shrug followed by a sudden thrust. In less than a second, the man had thrown both his knives at an astonishing speed, directed at Cade's vital organs. The Stalker had little faith the person in front of him would have the training necessary to evade, though in case the lad possessed a trickle of skill to avoid or parry the hurled daggers, he would find a surprise. Both daggers had sigils crafted onto the hilts and both sigils had been ignited, at the point of contact both dagger would explode. 

"The freak has found the target!" Darvin telepathically communicated across to his goons who had already begun to consolidate at the 'Stalker's' location. "Take out anyone who stands in the way, the bitch needs to die." 

Fear laced Cade’s eyes, like a poisonous reality sealing his fate. He shifted to the side. His slow movements showed his lacking experience. Cade wasn't fast enough to react to the threat. Despite all his attempts to live past Innocence’s cruelty, he was going to die here of all places.   

The moment the blades left the alchemist’s hand, something strange happened. Their speed suffered. Instead of the quick speed, they became sluggish in their race to nail Cade. Like some invisible water hindered their path. 

Behind the alchemist, a familiar shape broke out of the darkness. Samad. The Iranian’s hand tightened on his cane tip as he ripped it off, the end becoming an electrical blade. It hissed in violent lust, illuminating Samad’s grim face.

Using the momentum from the dagger, he increased his reflex speed. His left arm lashed out his weapon horizontally at the man’s lower back. Hoping to sever the nerves, his eyes noticed Cade successfully dodge the two blades. 

What neither Asylum expected was the explosive sigils on it. 

They exploded upon reaching Cade’s range. The younger Asylum’s body was thrown backward, his bag shielded his face last moment. Pain overwhelmed his attention when Cade landed on his back. He gradually shook the shock from his head, cradling his temple in his palm. 

Cade’s survival instinct screamed for him to get up now. Wobbly, he gripped the nearest table to pull himself upright. Several burns covered his body where the close range explosive touched him. His shirt was in ruins.

"Well looks like we have someone with actual skill!" The Stalker jeered in mock enthusiasm, his face tilting to look at his assaulter with a calm expression that was mirrored by this Iranian. The Stalker's own left hand, behind his back, blocking the blade with yet another dagger he had whisked out of his sleeve.

When the blade hit another metal, it hissed and failed to enforce its strength upon it. If the Iranian was surprised, he didn’t show it. Then again, he was expecting his little use of alchemy to give away his presence. In inhuman speed, his arm pulled back as his foot took a step back. However, he remained in the target’s personal zone to prevent any daggers from exploding. 

It appeared to be a stalemate. 

"Your....friend....looks little worse for wear," the man continued with his taunts with the intention that his jabs may dishevel the Iranian's composure. "Never liked working with partners....such a liability to have to worry about..baggage," even as the man spoke his eyes calmly darted about analyzing certain crucial factors. The distance towards the burnt alchemist, the approximation of Anya's distance. 

"So...you slow things..huh?" The hooded hitman couldn't help but sneer at that, all the while additional cronies slowly surrounded the bar with several of them already starting to approach Cade. 

For a brief, guarded moment, Samad’s eyes shifted to Cade. His ears perked at the hitman’s comment then twisted back to the attacker. He cocked his head, the expression shattered by the deepened frown. 

[color=deba5e][b] “That’s one way to put it…”[/b] [/color] 

With his blade still out, Samad sliced at the shoulders and spine there. Oddly he didn’t increase his attack speed as his other hand flipped the cane part around to rest on his forearm.  

The Stalker felt the blade brush his skin, his eyes widening a fraction. There was no feeling of blood trickling when steel slices through the skin, instead there was the smell of scorched flesh. Before the blade could sear too severely, he had leaned ahead and pivoted to face the Alchemist in one fluid motion, grabbing the Iranian's sword hand while stomping on the man's foot with the heel of his boots. [i]Go to the temple, the chin, Adam's apple or most importantly the toes,[/i] the teachings of his master echoing in his mind.  No alchemist would wield a weapon like that and with that realization, the Stalker's tranquility transformed into something dangerous. "Asylum." 

Samad didn’t use his alchemy to slow down Stalker’s movement. Not because he couldn’t, but it would use the last of his stored up alchemy up. Also, slowing down another alchemist’s movements wasn’t easy.

His foot jerked to the left, his larger toe’s side taking the brunt of the hit. Meanwhile, Samad’s cane arm whipped up with the speed of a cobra. It aimed to land a sound smack on Stalker’s tricep, hopefully crippling the arm. 

His teeth gritted when the foot came down hard on his foot. He felt the bone crack then send the sting throughout his nerves. A wetness seeped into his shoe but he ignored it. It could be healed later… if he survived this.  

"FUCK." The Stalker's face warped with pain, his teeth grinding against each other though not enough to wipe the satisfied smile from hearing that lovely 'crunch'. Even so, things could have gone better, the hunter grimaced while thinking those thoughts and staring at his limp hand, the muscle spasming from the brutal strike. 

"The odds remain constant, pah!" The man scoffed while pivoting away from the Iranian, gaining distance and taking advantage of the momentum issues that would arise from a crippled toe. He was sure the Asylum in front of him was calculating the same way in regards to his useless arm. [i]This bastard ain't bad, need to get serious.[/i]

In that moment a fiendish smile crept over the predator, his body heaving in a casual shrug followed by disarming. A multitude of daggers spilling on the ground, from his sleeves, from his hoodie, from his holsters on his vest and on his trousers. A neat pile on the ground. The stalker now stood lighter and in a different stance, his good hand stretched and fisted with his thumb protruding, mimicking the action of holding a dagger, except here the blade was his thumb. 

Samad hissed from the pain, unable to keep pace. At least not without using his Alchemy and further damaging himself.  His eyes tightened when the numerous weapons fell to the ground. Taking the moment, his arm placed his blade into a defensive stance. It rose near his shoulder, creating a horizontal block, as he tossed his cane at his side and gripped his sword handle. 

His unwounded foot took the back position, hopeful the movement would be easier. At least less dependent on his injured foot. Samad didn’t respond to the hired thug as his body tensed in readiness. He leaned more heavily back on his good foot, prepared for the attack. 

"You think I need blades or two arms to take you on Aladdin? Think again," and with that the Stalker closed the gap, fluid and fast like a viper, his arm thrusting forward to connect the thumb to the various pressure points located on Samad's chest all the while preparing an alchemic shield to intercept that sword if the Asylum chose to not fight like a real man.

Samad’s blade rose then slashed across into a downward horizontal line. His alchemy sparked. Magnitude increased in the blade’s swing last second as it scrapped the shield’s surface. Pain rippled through his straining muscles as his tendons tore from the force.

The shield shattered. As blade moved through it, it sliced down across the arm in a vertical slash. At the moment the blade came plummeting, leaving the opening the Stalker had been waiting for all this time, the man charged in. His clenched fist and protruding thumb charing towards Samad's heart. The hit would have been fatal not merely because of the thumb but the trump card the Stalker had waited on. 

From the moment he had realized that he was up against an Asylum, the stalker knew his chances were grim. Regardless of skill, regardless of training, Asylums were the boogiemen of rogues. They were the cream of the crop, plucked when ripe and that potential primmed. They were monstrous in a world of alchemists. The only way was to be smart and use cunning, at times it is the only way. It was frightening how closely the Stalker and this Iranian's battle strategies lay, both willing to open themselves to get the better of the other. The toe of the arm and now again. 

Within the very same stance that the Stalker had fought with, the stance he had let become monotonous to the senses, there was a change. The Asylum would realize it the minute his heart would be pierced, but it seems some risks don't pay off...as intended. The Stalker simply handed anticipated that an Asylum would use a backlash and the Iranian's attack came first, shattering through the shield and searing his body. It is from that panic and that pain that the Stalker's hand deviated some inches and the invisible blade missed the heart. The blood seeping and revealing the shape of the invisible blade that had been clenched in Stalker's handmade to appear as if it was only the thumb to be worried about.

Coughing blood the stalker slowly backtracked, his hand clenching his chest and his mind still registering the gravity of it all. If not for the shield, he would have been sliced in two, though it makes little difference, the wounds were severe enough to kill him here if he didn't retreat. The only Godsend was the blade in the Iranian's chest and the paralytic poison in it. 

"Draw?" The Stalker spoke while retreating coughing blood, his face still grim knowing the fact this was far from a draw. He survived from sheer luck and even then probably took more damage. [i]At least I wasn't Darth Vadered[/i]

"Kill the girl and kill these remaining two!" The Stalker below as he limped away, disappearing while continuing to cough blood. 

Samad knew there was more to the move than met the eye. He just didn’t know until the blade struck him. Pain seared into his flesh as it went deeper,  his own blood traced the very curve. 

The Asylum’s head snapped up at the rogue’s words, his expression didn’t accept it. His hand reached up for the blade and tried to tug it loose. Once…twice… at thrice his fingers failed to grip anything. 

Numbness spread faster through his veins, deadening his senses. 

His concern grew as he focused on his alchemy. Already the backlash had pushed him into the red zone, threatened to consume him. The rogue’s last words decided his options fairly quickly. Cade wouldn’t survive long and he wouldn’t allow the weakling of the pair to get him killed. 

Another surge in his alchemy swelled then rose. It flooded his system quickly, effectively burning away the poison coursing through his system. Gradually locked joints began to move. Muscles twitched back to life but still protested their strain. Bones reformed with a sound of crackle and pop indicated they were no longer broken. 

With one ferocious jerk, Samad pulled the blade from his chest. The flesh sealed up into a newly gained scar. His golden eyes scanned the scene only to find his adversary had fled. Not a trace left. 

He snorted his frustration, carefully pocketed the blade. It would be useful for Cade to examine the substance later. 

Meanwhile, it took Cade’s mind a bit to recover. His legs felt like jello as they gave underneath him whenever he tried to stand. For the most part, he looked like a wobbly fawn and easy prey. Cautiously his hand reached into his bag. His wedge his hidden sebon between his fingers. 

Electrical energy subtly licked up their length then crackled angrily. When the first man drew near, Cade’s figure twisted about. He tried to send the points into the shoulder causing the electrical energy to burst through the impact point. 

Surprised by the sudden, unprovoked attack, the man reeled backward. His hand attempted to stopper the blood seeping from his wound. He glared as Cade quickly curb stomped the foot, then jabbed buried his elbow into the guy’s gut. It knocked the breath from his target. Suddenly the rogue’s legs caught on the table, sending him toppling to the ground. 

It would take time for him to recover. 

Cade couldn’t say the same for the other six. Their hands reached for their pistols as his eyes widened. Shit… he thought. 

"What are you doing silly?" The Chrono's voice echoed across the bar, distracting the gunmen from pulling the trigger their eyes too slow to catch one of their own crumble after being hit by Rena. No one had seen the girl leap, both her legs bent and knees planting in the face of a man who went flying through a wall. 

"Who the fuck is that?" One of the grunts screamed, clearly agitated at watching his partner obliterated by a tiny girl. His face still staring at the broken wall and the bloody mess that was the victim of that assault. 

"It doesn't matter, shoot her first," another shouter and in unison all of them pointed their pistols and began to fire repeatedly, their eyes widening with each pull of the trigger.

Rena barely made effort to evade, in fact, she merely skipped ahead towards Cade as the volley of bullets rained on her. In sharp contrast to her casual steps, the twin tails on her head were a blur. Any time one of the bullets would enter her field of proximity her hair would deflect the bullet, sometimes slicing the bullet in half. The direction of the bullet made no difference, her hair appeared to provide an omnidirectional defense, a blur of spinning and slicing until finally, she stood in front of Cade and in between the gunmen. 

"Time to die now," the Chrono spoke with a gentle smile and a tilt of her head before her hair went up in a blur of flurry, strikes, and swipes. The aftermath was the dismembered limbs and pieces of flesh that remained on the ground. 

"Big brother says we are all to meet up back at Innocense," Rena spoke while kneeling down to meet Cade's eye-level, her palm on the Asylum's face and with a push he vanished.  In long strides, she approached the Iranian Asylum and before the man could complain she performed the same maneuver on him. By the time she reached Anya the entire building had become unstable, luckily before everything went up in a white flash of death the Chrono vanished herself with the package secured.