[center][h2]Match Four[/h2][/center][hr]

What William had said to Vera about his narcissism wasn't that far off from the truth. Same for what he had said about his desire to be decent, to find an acceptable outlet to raise his status. And of course, the core of genuine kindness within him was too often expressed to be denied, unless one was determined to deny it. Not that Vera and Wolf's reactions to his plan didn't rankle; they did. But sacrifices had to be made if they're not immoral enough, and sacrificing all chance to get their friendship to save the city... It wasn't that immoral.

Was he being delusional? Was he being more delusional than Andras? Did it really matter? 

Christine (Baumann)'s face flashed before him, and William knew this; he could not take a chance. Facing his opponents, he faced Vittorio briefly, and a brief chuckle escaped his lips before the boy smiled warmly. Then, he had the temerity to wave and say, "Hey, may the best boy win this!"

It was rare that an enemy brought joy into his face. It was even rarer that an enemy was better than nominal allies at putting a smile to his face. William knew this; that right now, he genuinely liked Vittorio (not that way; his heart was for Vernon) and was willing to do a lot to see that guy finally happy. Not that he was going along with the astral projector's misguided plans to kill Alto; that would help no one...

[hr]

Vittorio looked from under his black hooded raincoat that his astral form was wearing, his eyes setting on Gilliam.

"Let us make it all the way to the podium shall we, Gilliam? We cannot miss our chance to meet him again and this time it is final." Vittorio began floating forwards out of the field which was going to be filled with carnage soon enough. He didn't look forward to it the slightest, but it was one way to get close to Alto to finally end it.

He spoke in a hushed whisperlike way to Gilliam. "If we fail. Find the bleached white hooded one in the crowd, hand me a bone of yours, sharpened with our resolve and then clad yourself in my face to draw attention elsewhere so I can deal with him... in person." Vittorio's ghostly eyes widened and his face had a combination of a wide smile, but it was not a happy smile at all.

"Heeh...heh.. this is our moment of making things right." He said in an echoing manner, then turned to Yuuto. "Pick them off one by one. Take all the time you need to finish the job. Myself and Gilliam will buy you the time... but the sooner the better."

Yuuto looked over at Gilliam. While he may have appeared a bit more light-hearted during the game, here he was showing just why he was selected for jobs, even by Mephisto himself. Picking off foes one-by-one? Piece of cake. Yuuto checked his pouches. Trip wire, kunai, shuriken... a vast plethora of tools to set up traps. Yuuto nodded. "I can eliminate enemies. They will not feel strikes from Void." With that, Yuuto stared out at the field in determination. He would win, and he would bring honor and prestige to his clan. That was the only acceptable result. Failure was not an option.

Gilliam didn't seem like he was listening. This was a front. In reality, Gilliam was listening harder than he'd ever had in his life. 

He could only really remember the beginning, that last dinner with the old woman before solemnly telling her that his work would be taking him away for potentially a long while. He remembered walking out into the night after she'd gone back to bed. He remembered the look on her face when she'd said good night.

The old woman was good, but this was to dangerous for her. If someone had come from the apartment to his home that could only mean, in his mind, that someone had come for him and the only people that would be looking for him were people from...from his past. A loose end. Something that had come to make prey of him. 

[i]Again.[/i]
The rest of the month had been a blur to Gilliam. Hiding, investigating, taking names, taking faces! Running down phantoms and jumping at shadows. He'd been everywhere. He'd been inside St. Laural's. He'd been inside Mephisto's, unnoticed. He'd infiltrated the police department where that detective worked, just to have a look at their unsolved cases. There would be unsolved cases if [i]family[/i] was about. He'd played this long, drawn out game of cat and also cat, identities and personas flowing into one another until he wasn't sure what was happening anymore. Frustration had followed failure. Hunger followed frustration. He'd let himself slip into his base self, the nameless, formless, hungry soup that made up the creature now called Gilliam. 

Then the master had come calling. She'd found him as though she'd always known where he was and her order had pulled him together. But even still, he was listening. Because the hunter might be here, one of those faces in the crowd. Because he might still be in danger. Because he would never allow himself to be someone food ever again.

So he heard Vittorio. And despite all that, the idea of taking out another danger appealed to him. Maybe that would make him feel better. Still though...

"Vittorio." He replied. "Before you settle on any one plan for this....disposal, please remember who your teammates are. We are professionals. You are an enthusiastic amateur. We could be a much stronger asset than you realize." He grins down at the boy, his eyes slipping from the crowd for the first time since he stepped out onto the field. "We'll talk after this. Lets focus on the match for now. Mister Yuuto, Master Vittorio's battle plan seems sound. I trust in your abilities."

Vittorio began to move forwards further, as Gilliam was speaking. Looking over his astral shoulder, now donned by the black raincoat. "Even a child can kill an adult if he has a gun and know when and how to pull the trigger." He paused. "But I understand. Tell me, Gilliam. Do you know about Ant lions and how they catch their prey? Perhaps you should dig into that role for the opening rush of flames that will surely come toward the one visible. Me." Vittorio gave a shrewd look over his shoulder to Gilliam, then set his gaze towards the middle part of the arena. He waited now for the opposition to come for him. His task was simple, he just had to keep them busy long enough for Yuuto to get things done. But it was hard to be patient, his thoughts were on one thing only. Alto. How he longed to get this fighting over with.

[hr]

A golden flash would cover Katherine and Cassius, as well as William himself. The entire group's speed, strength, and luck would increase by some amount even as Will weighed his options. Vittorio would be a hard opponent, especially as he wasn't sure if his imitated powers would be enough to touch his astral form. And of course, there was that ninja guy; Yuuto, his name was?

The boy would have to be careful.

Cassius cracked his knuckles. He'd spent the last few days... doing nothing. He'd needed to let his body rest. Unfortunately for him, any sort of training or practice with his power was akin to self flagellation. Painful. He barely even winced these days, but that didn't mean he didn't wear down after a while. But now, after so much rest to make sure he was in prime condition, he was restless and ready to go. Even after the matches they'd already had, but... those didn't count. Kath had pretty much steamrolled them, but this was different. He knew just enough to know this team would be a greater challenge. This was where the fun began.

"OK!" He grinned. "William, I think it's best you watch the flag! I'm going straight for theirs! Kath, I want you to play interceptor! If anyone goes for me or William, change course and hold them off or take them out. Sound good?" Cassius spoke to his team.  He thought it best they had a real plan for this one... even if it boiled down to effectively what they'd been doing all along.

William grasped the flag in his hand, all the while weighing the choices he had. Yuuto was a counter to him, an unseen presence in the field. All he can do was open his senses, then. A smile; perhaps he can just depend on Kath?

Katherine let out a hiss of air from between her teeth as she leaned back against one of the four walls of the little bunker they kept the flag in. [color=ed1c24]“A challenge, a challenge,”[/color] she said casually, lifting of the wall. [color=ed1c24]“My kingdom for a challenge. Seriously, I could have won those last two matches by myself and now we're getting worried about the Mephisto's B team? What did I ever do to lose your confidence?”[/color] She walked up to Cassius and jabbed him in the arm, maybe a little harder than necessary, but she did it with a grin and that was really the important part. Her weirdness of the day seemed to have, mostly, faded into the background. [color=ed1c24]“The only way Vittorio could win is if he depressed us into suicide. And his teammates are Anonymous Whatshisname and...”[/color]

She stopped, narrowed her eyes and unconsciously gripped her arm as sparks started to leap slight from her fingers. She crushed them into a fist. [color=9e0b0f]“The ninja could be trouble, but I'll make sure he doesn't bother either of you.”[/color]

[hr] 

Vittorio slid through his black raincoat and revealed his astral form for all to see, his tentacle like wings spreading out widely. The tip of each tentacle would point ahead towards the middle of the arena. The ghostly young man didn't hold back, he had to draw their attention and provide suppressive fire. It was part of the plan after all, to lure them closer to himself and Gilliam, so Yuuto could more easily get through. His entire form began to glow up slightly as he began to fire energy beams towards the large mid-section of the arena, like a proper artillery unit. Either they would come out to attack them or they could hide and allow him to gradually destroy parts of the arena.

"I suppose if the goal is are to show ourselves..." Gilliam said to himself. He bowed to Vittorio before bounding off across the field toward the pillars. There was no telling where the people Vittorio attracted were going to be coming from, so a higher vantage point where he could observe their movements would be ideal. Besides, they had to make it look like someone was coming for the flag.
He cross the field in large strides, dashing like a championship runner. He mounted the first pillar and didn't even break pace as he jumped from one to the next, all the way up to the diving wall. He landed on the last pillar and crouched down, waiting for any enemy movement.

[hr]

William had no long-range options, at least not until Vittorio broke the dividing wall splitting the arena (Wolf's Fear Bow didn't count; William wasn't afraid). Nor did he have any countermeasure against Yuuto, should the Ninja come for him. So all he can do was wait, wait for the battle to begin in earnest. But the boy knew this; he was determined to win. He was determined to prove himself... No, to exalt himself in a way that was moral and legitimate.

And if that meant waiting for the dividing wall to break so that he can finally imitate Vitt's powers, so be it. If that meant constantly watching his back for Yuuto, then so be it as well.

William suddenly felt a weight on his back. Katherine was leaning on his, eyeing him devilishly with a slight grin on her face. "Hey." she said. "I caught you looking at that wall. You want Vittorio's little temper tantrum in your pocket."

She suddenly gripped him by the arm, her body so close to his giving of a sweltering heat. "Don't bite your tongue."  She said, and pulled. Lifting the boy off the ground she spun once to build momentum before launching William straight up into the air, just strong enough that he would barely skim the bound field. From up there he'd have the ability to survey the entire battlefield.

She shaded her eyes with her hand as she looked up at her handiwork. A nine out of ten throw in her opinion. A 10/10 throw would be one that sent him right through the field and into the stands. She was ready to catch the boy when he came back down, but more than that she wanted someone to go for him. Her hand suddenly burst into flame, a sick flame curling and dancing in her palm. She was playing interceptor after all. If someone decided to go for Will, well, it was their funeral...

William recorded Vittorio's abilities as he gripped his flag, studying and copying the wings and the laser fire. And as he began falling, the studying process finished as a perfect copy of Vitt's ethereal wings sprouted from Ascot's back, wings that did not damage his clothing. The boy started floating, then, before awkwardly trying to maneuver in the air with his new wings.

An opportunity to shoot him down, an opportunity to go after him before he gained control of his new imitated power.

[hr]

"William... Katherine..." Vittorio said out loud in a soft manner as he ceased to shoot at the middle wall, spotting William at the top of the wall for a moment. He could have fired on him right there and now, but some part of him made him not do so.

"I'm sorry... you will won't be able to stop me. No one can at this point... not even me." He shut his astral eyes for a short moment before he began float closer towards the middle of the arena. "I'll give Yuuto some support... then I'll withdraw..." Vittorio said out loud towards the area he saw Gilliam had dashed off to. He allowed a soft upturn form on his astral mouth, as he began to press himself through the very walls themselves to appear on the other side of the field. His form passing it through, his tentacle like wings flapping about menacingly. He began to sing aloud, his voice echoing in a ghostly manner as if the end of the world was approaching.

The ghostly young man began to focus on that which he loved most in this world, seeing it all flash before him and then that which he hated the most. The things which had taken all the good things away. His entire form began to beam up in a blueish glow as he charged himself with more raw energy. "Raaaaaaghhh!"
After letting out a loud chilling scream he began to sing aloud, his voice echoing in a ghostly manner as if the end of the world was approaching. The voice draped in sorrow and pain, but also of hatred.

"Good times and bad times, theres nothing I forget... the sun shines on my lifeline, theres nothing I regret. Hold me and feel me, and wrap your arms around... because if you love me I'm quite clear... that heaven is near."

His tentacle like wings began pointing outwards opening fire on the enemies visible from where he was slowly approaching. His energy beams cutting through several of the pillars located inside of the arena, some going for the opposing team's flag chamber.

"Hear my confession, we were meant to be as one. You left me to the misery and no happiness to come, touch me and I'll give my blessing and desire... because when I feel eternal fire then my death will be here."

The cheers of the surrounding crowd did not unsettle him nor did it deter him, neither did it encourage him. He thought nothing about them, he felt nothing at all. Hollow. A specter. Someone no longer really part of this world, neither dead nor alive. Even so he wanted to go forwards. Humans always wished for a better tomorrow, all of them did want that. Even if their methods were different they all had the same desire for their hopes and dreams would come true no matter what.
"Bad times and street crimes... no matter where I go... some secrets preach and some fools teach, as we fight in this foolish show... I've became an angel to turn the world around, when it all comes down I'll know... that my heaven was here."

He manifested his friends and family as images around him, he looked unto them briefly after firing a few of his energy beams before letting them fade away. Before a final one manifested to the side.

It was Bak and he could hear her words she had uttered that time, where he was in total darkness before sleep has taken over. "If I go I am taking all of you."

"Bak... this lost sheep is trying to find it's way back to its herd... to greener pastures.." He said to himself in a low voice as he passed by the image of Bak. "Farewell Bak, thank you for trying... to save a lamb who was meant for the butcher's axe from the beginning."

Cassius took off running. He reached the area with the pillars just as Vittorio appeared, phasing through the center wall. 

[hr] 

"Ohhhh no." Lasers began flying as Cassius ran. He was lucky he'd already made it most of the way before the shooting began. He leapt up the pillars on the right side of the field. One, two- "Shit..." A laser sliced through the pillar beneath him. [i]BOOM![/i] He propelled himself forward with an explosion from his feet, sending him to the next pillar, his feet hitting the side of it as he rebounded off it with a second explosion, taking him to the top of the first wall. He saw Gilliam, all the way on the opposite side, already perched upon a wall. He gave him a playful salute before jumping to the second wall, and then... falling.

He tucked his legs in and let himself begin to teeter over the edge before pushing off and letting out the biggest explosion yet, cracking off a chunk of the wall as he sent himself rocketing forward to land atop one of the L-shaped walls on the enemy side of the field. He'd already blitzed his way nearly to their flag. Better yet, he seemed to be in less pain than usual, perhaps thanks to William. Hell, the enemy team seemed hard-focused on pressing the attack, their flag might be undefended... but something told him reaching the flag would be the easy part. Getting it back to his side of the field might be significantly harder. But he'd take what he'd gotten so far.

Gilliam sneered as Cassius flew completely over is head, well in to the depths of their territory. At any other time, in any other place, he would have been able to stop him. Snatch him with an intestinal tendril, intercepted him with white javelins of pure calcium, had him fly into a stream of scalding lukewarm acid. In another moment he could have stretched out his torso and made of himself a net, a fanciful catchers mitt if he was feeling jaunty, but more than likely it would have just been a gasping and hungry maw to snap him up and make him no more. That was the sort of mood Gilliam was in now. In this place, with who knew what was watching him from the audience, Gilliam wanted more than anything to simply get this over with. No pageantry, just merciless hunger. 

But he couldn't. To do so would be to hop face-first into an even larger maw, the maw of the thing waiting in the stands, that had been waiting in his home that night. 

He had made due with appearing merely superhuman so far. It would have to continue to serve him. He'd let Vittorio's offensive pressure the enemy while he turned to defense. 

From his crouched position things began to shift unseen underneath the skin of Gilliam's legs. They bulged unnaturally as the muscles underneath began to bulge, expand, replicate. He'd need muscles, of course, to match that explosive speed. Muscles and taught, springy tendons, and bone for reinforcement to make sure they didn't explode from the force of his moment. A normal mans legs would be broken from the way Gilliam compressed them down, the legs seeming to eat themselves as they compressed. He locked on to his target, not Cassius but his own teams flag, and pushed.
The force was so great that the top of the pillar he had been perching on was entirely shattered, showering the field behind him in small stones and, unexpectedly, chunks of red meat and splintered bone. The strain had been to much, it seemed. His legs had shattered as well when he'd released the tightly wound organic springs he'd created, but thankfully he was moving so quickly that he doubted anyone could spot that detail. 

The world flew past in a blur of green and white motion, but all he had to do was spread his arms. He felt the pole of the flag slam into his shoulder, then carve a path through his body until it got stuck on his rib-cage and was yanked from the ground. He felt himself flip through the air and begin to spin head over heels before he felt himself mercifully crushed  between the back wall of the arena and the sheer force of momentum behind him. For a moment it looked like a water balloon full of red fruity jello had been fire at the wall by an artillery canon, but only a high speed camera would see that before the wall itself shattered a fraction of a heartbeat later, throwing up a cloud of chalk like dust. Large stones from where the wall had caved in fell in a pile of the grass below, taking with them what looked like a steam rolled man and the now bent flag, and burying both. 

There was a second of stunned silence from the audience. Another one. Then another. Then a human arm burst forth from the pile as Gilliam stood up, shaking off the rocks and dust, and resting the flag on his shoulder. He cracked his neck, looked up at Cassius, and waved his finger at the boy as though he were a naughty child who had skipped dinner and gone straight for the desert Macaroons. 

The whole show had been as much for intimidation as anything. He would really rather not fight a boy that could cause flaming explosions. Those would be much more problematic than some simple blunt force trauma.

[hr]

William was falling slowly, slowly; at first, he thought it was because he couldn't control this new imitated power yet, but then it turned out that the 'Astral Wings' didn't actually allow flight. Nevertheless, the young man smiled as he waited for Katherine to catch him, and thought, Vittorio, your world isn't over yet. Galbrek... I don't know what to think about you.

He continued falling, his velocity artificially slowed by his imitated wings.

Katherine, meanwhile was weathering Vittorio's laser barrage by Yaking cover behind one of the enclosure walls. She watched as the lasers bounced into it and left scorch marks. Pitifully small ones for her taste. Yeah, the lasers she could take.

But did he really have to sing?

It was so irritating. She could have at least stood it if it was some sort of war chant, but this "woe is me" self pity horseshit was getting on her last nerve. Yeah, maybe fate had dealt him a bad hand but did he have to wallow in it like that? No. No one had to wallow in it like that. Wallowing was for weaklings and those without any pride.

Furniture.

The word just snuck its way into her head. Yeah, it was like that. Dusty old furniture. Sitting in a dead, empty house. A bed that would never know warmth. A kitchen table with no conversation surrounding it. A closets full of shirts that would never be worn again. She could see them, surrounding him. His masters. He was a slave to a bunch of ghosts. It was sad, and pathetic, and it pissed her off more than she expected. She felt hot flame start to lick its way up from her core and creep like a lizard into the palms of her hands. 

[color=ed1c24]"Alright, you want fire? Wait right there."[/color]

She dashed off toward Vittorio, completely forgetting about William's situation.

Vittorio threw a glance to Cassius, who quickly made it past him and over the wall leading over to where Gilliam was. Defending their flag. There was no way Vittorio would be able to catch up to Cassius, even if his beam attacks were plenty and his reach quite fine. That boy was fast enough to 'be there on time', all the time. The ghostly young man envied his power, would he have had it himself maybe he could have stopped bad things from happening. But the bad things had already happened. He turned his face towards the enemy team's part of the arena. "The only path is forwards..." He said in a low voice, readjusting his tentacle like wings to survey the area as some of the dust settled. Katherine. The fiery girl whom had been an acquaintance of a dear friend, she was now standing in his way, or rather dashing right for him.

"Show me your burning passion! Katherine!" He screamed in a pained echo-like manner, his entire form glowing blue almost as if lit ablaze, setting aim with half of his tentacle like wings at her shooting beams of energy, she managed to get past all of them and was getting closer. Seeing Yuuto appear out of nowhere and flinging a dagger like projectile at her gave Vittorio a good chance to try to pinpoint her next move, reaching out with his remaining appendages to try grapple Katherine to keep her in place.

Yuuto had taken off as soon as the match had started, using his Void energy to enhance his speed to dash off to the thick foliage. He quickly set several tripwire traps that would launch kunai at his foes to incapacitate them, as well as a couple of pitfalls. He then took the time to scope out the field from one of the middle set of pillars on their side. He'd pick this because the enemy's line of sight was hampered, and he could quickly cover just about anywhere. However as Vittorio advanced, Yuuto followed. He later thanked the Void that he'd chosen to do so, since he saw Katherine going for an interception. Yuuto leaped into the Void and quickly moved around her, before reappearing and launching a kunai at her. "Void this day state that you face me. Void say that you are first to fall." With that, he got into a ready stance, wordlessly drawing a collapsible bo staff from one of his pouches and extending it. It was time to prove his worth to his clan.

[hr]

Katherine wasn't going to catch him, but William didn't give up. It was uncertain whether he still gripped the flag or not, but the young man was able to observe his teammates' onslaught and more importantly, the powers they used. As he continued to fall, explosions burst out from the boy's feet at a moment when they pointed towards the ground, destroying the soles of his shoes but breaking his fall.

Landing on the ground, he checked once more as to whether the flag was in his hand or on its traditional place, before holding out his right hand and copying Kath's fireball; the power of the God of Stories was filling in for 'body heat'.

Gilliam was fighting Cassius, while Vittorio and Yuuto were taking on Katherine together. William had an array of powers to study and duplicate. But he sought more. His ego, the desire for exalted status that bound him, and the morality and desire for purpose that in turn limited said ego, all those dictated his next actions. Turning to Vittorio, William raised his left hand as his right held the flag, conjuring up a bright and shining sword. 

Worldslayer. A sword copied from Andras' Perfect Alexandria. A sword that destroyed all artifacts the opponent held should he harm the one who wielded the blade. And who had artifacts right now? Yuuto.

His copied Astral wings shining, William shot a volley of energy beams at Yuuto, making sure not to hit Kath by accident. His next words were:
"I am William Ascot, Chosen of the God of Stories! Yuuto Kūgekino, Chosen of the Void, I hurl my formal challlenge! Meet the one who will give you the humiliation of defeat - Fight me!"

[hr]
Cassius just stared wide-eyed as the dust settled. What had just happened?

"Apologies boy, but we can't have you just grabbing the flag so soon," Gilliam said, doing his best to slip into his role. Off kilter as he was deep down, he had a job to do.  Goals to accomplish. And, on top of all that, a match to hopefully win. "Wouldn't be much of a show for the audience."

"True! Then let's have some fireworks!" Cassius grinned. He pulled both arms back and then - [i]snap![/i] - flung them forward, two explosive trails of fire carrying forward toward Gilliam.

Gilliam grit his teeth and jumped aside, feeling the heat as the flames roared past. He already hated this. Anyone else. It could have been anyone else. Even Kath didn't actually seem to project quite this much fire! Deep in his body, his muscles began to coil once more. They'd snapped last time, so he'd try to be a bit less dramatic about it now. His eyes went wide as another explosion shook the arena, Cassius rushing right at him. 

Gilliam, however, easily leaned away from a punch. HIs twitch muscles were perhaps the most important here, to ensure he dodge everything- [i]BANG![/i]

Cassius's fist burst right next to Gilliam's head. The punch had missed, but when the boy's whole body was a grenade, sometimes close enough was fine.

"Gh... ugh... rrghh!" Gilliam rolled to a stop and then rose to a knee, clutching the side of his face. It... it... BURNED! It hurt! His flesh tried to knit together, but it was slow! The injury was shallow, Cassius hadn't been trying to do much damage, but the fact that the injury wouldn't go away... This, this was why he hated fire!
"That's it... [i]boy[/i]..." Gilliam spat. Screw subtlety. He wasn't in the mood anymore. The skin on his arms split open and bones sprouted like weeds and then twined together, forming a sort of latticework shield.

"AH!" Cassius flinched at the sight, and again when Gilliam suddenly bull-rushed him with inhuman speed. He threw another burst of explosive flames, but they broke against Gilliam's bone-shield. The next thing Cassius knew, he was batted aside, flying clear back to the L-walls, crashing into one. He coughed and hacked. That hurt... a lot more than his own flames, honestly. He was used to those. He staggered to his feet none-the-less. He wasn't stopping after only he first hit he received! "HURK!" But Gilliam was already there, massive, meaty hand wrapped around Cassius's throat.

Even trapped, he wasn't giving up. The air around him shimmered-

“GAH!” Cassius was lifted up and slammed into the wall again. 

“Now now, can't be having any of that,” Gilliam said, shaking his head as if scolding Cassius. He then Tossed Cassius up into the air and cocked a fist back. Cassius only barely redirected himself with a small, rapid-fire blast, Gilliam's fist sailing past and... smashing clean through the L-wall.

Cassisus tried to scramble to his feet, but once more Gilliam snatched him up...

[hr]

“aaaaAAAAAAAHHHH-” [i]BOOM![/i] Back on the other side of the arena with Kath and William, Cassius suddenly fell from the sky before he made an explosion to break his fall. Even then, he skidded to a halt almost all the way back at his team's flag holder. He was bruised an beaten. Moments later, Gilliam also descended, but far more gracefully, powerful, reinforced legs taking the landing in stride.

“Well, I believe we have everyone present right here. Don't let them out of our sight and we can end things now.” As far as Gilliam was concerned, there was no need to let Cassius's team ever see the other side of the field again.

“S-sorry...” Cassius coughed out. To his credit, battered as he was, he was already getting back on his feet – just very shakily.

William's reply was, "It's all right; in hindsight, challenging Yuuto was the worst idea I ever had."

He mutters, "Well, one of them."

[hr]

The lasers weren't a problem. Hell, even if they'd hit Kath wouldn't have let them stop her, but even so she zig-zagged through them on her way to Vittorio. She was just about upon him when he switched tactics, throwing his tentacles at her directly and binding her limbs, leaving her suspended in mid air.

"[color=ed1c24]Wh- Grr! Let go![/color]" she snarled. Ghost tentacles didn't fear getting burned she supposed, so she'd just have to muscle her way out. Burn proof or not, she turned the heat up, the hems of her clothes already beginning to char and curl back from the heat. But the heat itself wasn't her goal. She strained and twisted against the tendrils, aiming to stretch them to and past their limits until she was free! She'd prove she was five, no, ten times stronger than some sad ghost! 

"You can do it, Kath! Just hang on, I'm coming!" Cassius called out.

"Ah ah, I'm afraid you boys have bigger things to worry about..." Gilliam stepped forward, barring Cassius and William's path, looming over them with his imposing figure. They now had Kath where they wanted her. He'd handle the rest until the job was done.

". . . might need your help with this one." Cassius swallowed hard. Blasting his way through hadn't worked last time.

[hr]

Yuuto stared over at Kath, completely ignoring William's challenge. The most dangerous foe of the opposition was in front of him, completely tangled up in Vittorio's tentacles. The timing was perfect. Yuuto giggled. He felt The Void calling out to him. "Void Wisdom say: 'Attack!' Have at you!" Yuuto said, rushing at the entangled girl who was currently turning up her heat to try and break free. 

Wham!

The first of Yuuto's Void Pulses struck at Kath's temple, aiming for a quick knockout in order to subdue her. Just in case, Yuuto aimed several more blows at her body, making sure to try to avoid Vittorio's tentacles. Yuuto wasn't sure if they would hurt him if they were struck by the Void Energy. After about 10 more attacks, Yuuto backed off, before blasting at her with a Void Beam for about 10 seconds. 

There. That ought to incapacitate her. Overkill? Maybe. But Yuuto hated having loose ends on a mission, and until Kath was for sure unconscious, then the ninja was taking no chances.

Vittorio's spectral expression whilst fierce looking was not that of malevolent intent. What really mattered now was dealing with Katherine, William and that third person.

Katherine had gone on the offensive and gotten tangled up in his extended appendages, her heat could do little against Vittorio's astral form. But she was stronger physically, she soon began to pull and stretch his tentacle like wings, pulling Vittorio forwards with each pull. Vittorio was taken by surprise of the strength Katherine possessed in physical matters, despite this he kept latching unto her with his tentacles even when she was pulling, stretching and straining them. She was not getting out of his ghostly embrace.

That's when Yuuto had moved in and attacked Katherine, taking advantage of her entangled state. Even if Vittorio was now being forcefully pulled with her, like a fisherman trying to reel in a shark.

He wouldn't let go until she would be unconscious and unable to continue fighting. In order to minimize damage to himself and his team, but also deal with the opposition quickly. The sooner he could get to Alto!

"Sleep Katherine... sleep and wake up to a world without the false light. I will extinguish it." Vittorio said in a soft tone of voice, determined and believing he held all the cards in his hands. He would hold on to Katherine until she would appear unconscious whereof he would put her to the side in a gentle manner. Victory or loss in the arena would bear the same result, all those with the power to stop him were in here fighting. If he couldn't force his way through them his physical self would take the opportunity to find and stab Alto. The barrier of the arena would prevent the others from saving him from the revenge that was soon to be obtained.

Katherine grit her teeth as the barrage of attacks battered her body. 

[color=9e0b0f][i]"He will kill you..."[/i][/color] the demoness spoke in her mind, time seeming to slow down.

[color=ed1c24][i]"The fuck are you talking about?"[/i][/color]

[color=9e0b0f][i]"I can feel it. See it in his eyes. He stays his hand but only just. Most of your opponents held back out instinct. For him, I can tell holding back denies instinct."[/i][/color]

[color=ed1c24][i]"Shut up! Even if he wanted to he couldn't!"[/i][/color] And then there was merciful silence, but it was soon replaced by pain as the beating she'd been momentarily able to ignore came back to the forefront of her mind. When it was over, she hung limp in Vittorio's grasp, breathing raggedly.

[color=ed1c24]"I'll... sleep... when I'm dead..."[/color] Katherine lifted her head and spat blood at Vittorio's feet. Suddenly, despite the beating she'd just taken, the heat radiating from her body seemed to double, threatening to bake the skin off of anyone who got too close. [color=9e0b0f]"NOW LET GO!"[/color] Beams of plasma screamed loose from Kath's hands, blowing away the tendrils holding them. She fell to her back, and then aimed again at her ankles, blasting away the last tendrils holding her. She then adjusted aim and converged both beams onto Vittorio himself, aiming to at least throw him back to give her some room. She knew well enough that trying to truly destroy his spectral form was a waste of energy.

Finally she climbed back to her feet, smoke rising from her slowly burning clothes. 

[color=ed1c24]"Round two, asshole! This time I'm hitting back!"[/color] Kath clenched a fist, aiming to turn the temperature up further still. She'd see how he liked hitting her when she was this fired up! But she wasn't gonna wait. Dirt flew as her heels dug in and she flung herself at Yuuto fists first.

As Yuuto watched, Katherine suddenly broke free. While Yuuto had tried to take a more peaceful approach, it seemed that he would have to stop holding back. Besides, Yuuto was on this team for one reason. For whatever reason, Clara wanted the demon sealed in Kath. At first, Yuuto couldn't believe it. Few had ever been posessed by a demon and lived. Yet, the Void didn't lie. Kath had a demon sealed in her. Clara said by whatever means necessary, even approving lethal force. While the report to Mephisto would be interesting later, for now Yuuto had a cover to uphold. Even his family motto was "Before all else, the mission." It seemed that Kath's own stubbornness would be her undoing.

"Void Wisdom say 'Always remember noble foe who fights.' I am sorry, but you must die now." Yuuto said to Kath in response to her challenge, drawing his sword as she charged at him. Yuuto held back a scoff as he raised the lower part of his face mask, hiding all but his eyes. He then attempted to sidestep the attack, the feel of burning flesh telling him he hadn't avoided the attack fully. However, his opponent was open.

He charged his blade with his Void Energy, and swung with all his Void-enhanced might at her back. The blade would bite like a normal blade, but the pain would linger for so much longer. It was this dangerous aspect of the Void that caused Yuuto to mostly favor blunted blades and points over sharp ones. To one not trained to resist it, the Void was invasive and damaging. Being in the Void was dangerous for most aside from Yuuto, who had an immunity to its atmosphere that drove people mad. If it entered in via a wound, the pain would linger for hours, and could possibly infect someone like a disease. Yet, since he had been prepared for this eventuality, Yuuto had packed a sharpened blade. Hiding it in the Void to keep it from being confiscated by the officials until he was inside had been child's play. Yet, now, where none could interfere, Yuuto would make his first kill in front of a massive crowd. Kath would die here. The Void was judge, jury, and executioner in that matter. Yuuto was merely Her tool.

Again and again, he would slice, stab, and cut Kath in reaction to her attacks, always either dodging or hiding in the Void to avoid her more dangerous blows. He used the Void to enhance his speed, strength, and durability to help combat this most dangerous foe. The entire time, his eyes held nothing but a cold blank stare. There was no mercy, no quarter. The Mission demanded it.

Vittorio had gotten some blood on his astral form it stuck to his form whilst he was corporeal. Then Katherine's scream and powerful plasma began to blast his tentacle like wings away, one after the other. He recoiled and withdrew what remaining tentacle like appedage he had left and placed them in front of himself as he was struck by two beams made by Katherine. They shot holes in his astral form. He had been taken by surprise and having underestimated Katherine.

He gazed down and felt how his form was starting to gradually fall in on itself, he took the moment to gather himself, using more of his immense will to restore the holes in his form and slowly building his appendages back, but it took time. No longer able to attack Katherine or keep her captive.

As Katherine had flung herself at Yuuto, the latter had replied words to her which struck Vittorio and he stopped his concentration, only being able to restore three of his appendages and closing the gaping holes in his chest. 'What's going on? How is she this powerful... and why is Yuuto?'

Yuuto intended to kill Katherine! How and why? This was not what he had signed on to. He wanted to get to Alto, not cause Katherine harm! She was innocent much like his own friends, it was Alto which had to pay. Not her! Vittorio yelled out to Yuuto. "Stop it! Stop it right now! This isn't supposed to happen! It is Alto who has to-" He stood there for a moment, trying to fathom what was going on. Had Yuuto planned on killing Katherine? Why? Why had he not been told? This would stop the tournament in it's tracks and it would ruin his own plan to get Alto. And at that he flung forwards.

"Yuuto!!!" He flung his tentacle like appendages in a slashing manner where the ninja had been, but he only cut air and the ground. He gazed around and heard how Katherine was being harmed. He tried to fling his far reaching tendril like wings to shield Katherine, but when Yuuto's attacks came they've just sliced through them or and hit his target nontheless. He shot a beam of energy but the ninja was too fast, he just entered the void before he had a chance to hit him.

Vittorio's astral form floated around, trying his best to stop the ninja from killing whom they both had tried to best moments before. His ghostly face determined and angered.

To be stopped in a place like this? In this crucial moment where revenge was to be had? When he was so close?! There's just no way! The ghostly contender couldn't believe it. 

That's when he saw the similarities. A foe shrouded in darkness, and the girl before him being attacked. He saw flashes of the past before him of Charlotte and the one whom had attacked her. He had seen it once before, he did not want to experience it again. But this time he had the power. The power!

Vittorio's astral hands reached for his head and he bent his whole body slightly backwards as he screamed loudly, his voice echoing despite them being not in a place providing such.

His astral form would glow with a blueish hue, spectral looking flames would begin to form around it as Vittorio threw himself towards where he saw Yuuto. Exploding in a large blast of energy. But the odds of catching Yuuto with anything was difficult, there was a high probability he would get away into the void. But Vittorio was not going to helplessly watch again as someone he knew was being killed.

He did not know if he had hit him. His astral form began to shred as the dust around him settled, he looked over his shoulder towards Katherine before the entire form took a misty shape before vanishing completely.

The young man had tried.

William stared in horror as Yuuto genuinely tried to kill Katherine, horror that filled him as he knew that this was serious. And before he knew it, he had drawn a copy of Wolf's Bow, a bow that the more he felt fear, released magic arrows that would home onto its target and harm even the normally intangible.

"STOP!" he shouted as he shot arrow after arrow at Yuuto. "You can't do this!"

William Ascot had failed so many times, and by failing, he had made things worse. But he won't let Katherine die, not when she had shown faith in him. [i]Not today.[/i]

Then he noticed... Vittorio shared the same view; went up against his own School and team to save Kath. Hope filled him, mixing with fear.

He waited for Yuuto to manifest once more, no longer firing blindly and relying on the homing function of the arrows. Focusing on the inner fears that drove him, he aimed at the exact moment Yuuto manifested from the Void.

[i]If Katherine dies, I'll make sure you pay: Furnace of Rath.[/i]

He had gotten this card from Andras during the last attempt to draw a Ressurection Card. 

Shooting at Yuuto, he knew this; the Ninja won't die but he will definitely be left with one of those grim scars. He just hoped it wasn't too late for Kath.

[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/413624537876529175/464963449483558914/177.png[/img]

"Come now boys, ignoring you dance partner is a nasty habit." Gilliam said, crouched down on the ground while William shot at Yuuto. His skin began to ripple like the surface of a lake, disturbed by tiny white spikes that grew until he resembled a rather dapper cactus. 

He inhaled sharply, and puffed out his cheeks like a pouring schoolboy. As he did so it looked like hair suddenly shot out of him in all directions. But it wasn't hair, but thin muscle and nerve each tipped with a needle of hardened bone. They shot from every available stretch of flesh, such to appear as though Gilliam himself had exploded. Maximum coverage, to pierce the boys before him and obscure Yuuto's dark work.

Cassius realized what Gilliam was doing at the last second. She threw himself in front of William, catching the dozens of tiny barbs with his body. It hurt like hell, but he didn't even care. Kath was being hurt. 

Kath felt the sting of the blade's first cut. She'd known weapons were allowed, but somehow the pain of it still caught her off guard. She couldn't say she'd ever been sliced open by a sword before. The intensity of the pain overtook her mind completely. She froze up, back arching as if it would hold the wound shut and lessen the agony.

She turned, slow, jerky steps to try and find her opponent. Wait, had he said he was going to kill her? Was he stupid? He couldn't get away with that here!  But then he was upon her again, another slash across her side. Suddenly it was getting hard to breathe. That was probably bad.

[color=9e0b0f][i]"What did I tell you, girl? He will kill you."[/i][/color]

[color=ed1c24][i]"No, he won't! He can't!"[/i][/color] Kath snapped back at the demon.

[color=9e0b0f][i]"Fine. Can or can't, will you just let him slice you to ribbons?"[/i][/color] The demoness scoffed. [color=9e0b0f][i]"I am but your humble servant. Use me."[/i][/color] The offer was made with derision in her voice.

[color=ed1c24][i]"Fuck o-"[/i][/color] Kath gasped as she felt another cut across her leg this time, causing her to stagger, only barely catching her balance at the last moment. She grit her teeth. Now she was angry again. The demon had one point, if she did nothing, this was only going to get worse.

And yet it didn't matter. He was like trying to catch an oiled snake, and her body wouldn't move the way she wanted, a problem that only worsened with each failed attack as she was punished by another slash. And when she did think she had him, he slipped through her fingers like smoke. Then, there was a flash of light. She'd been vaguely aware that Vittorio was trying to get involved, not that she had the presence of mind right now to comprehend that he was trying to help.

She stumbled away from where light came from, and for a blissful moment there was peace. She was left alone with only the pain already coursing through her body.

[i]THUCK![/i]

Vittorio's assault had indeed driven Yuuto away, at least for a moment, but with it's target gone, William's arrow merely stayed its course... right into Kath's ribs. She tried to breathe in, but her lungs already began to flood. She could only choke and whimper as she fell to her knees.

"HOLY SH-" The MC exclaimed, but Gloria slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Not to worry folks, we have back-ups for situations like this. In the event of fatal wounds, our safety enchantments will heal the injury and put the victim in stasis!" the sister explained. A moment ticked by and blood dribbled from Kath's mouth. "A-any second now..." she swallowed hard, “oh dear...”

Katherine meanwhile stared off into space as her vision faded. She was surrounded by darkness, but then a sudden warmth washed across her face.

[hr]

[color=ed1c24]“H-hello?”[/color] she called out, her voice echoing into the nothingness. [color=ed1c24]“Wh-what's happening?!”[/color]

“You're dying,” a calm voice replied.

[color=ed1c24]“What? No! That's not supposed to happen!”[/color] Kath shouted, but she could barely move. There was nothing to fight back against anyway.

“Don't be afraid, child. I'm here for you,” the voice told her. “It'll be OK. Come to me. Reach out for me.”
[color=ed1c24]“Wh-who are you?”[/color] Kath didn't want to. What if this voice meant to take her away? She wasn't done fighting! She had so much left to do! But the darkness only seemed to deepen. The fear began creeping in. She didn't want to fade away all alone like this.

She lifted her hand.

And suddenly someone took it. Their grip was warm and firm.

And then it hurt. It became crushing, followed by a stabbing pain like nails digging into her flesh. She was dragged forward. She saw a familiar face, sneering at her with jagged, cracked teeth. 

[color=9e0b0f]“I will not let us die here because of your weakness!”[/color] the demoness caught her face in searing grasp with her other hand. 

She screamed.

[hr]

“-calm, folks! It's entirely possible that the safety mechanisms aren't kicking in because it's not as bad as it looks!” Gloria tried to reassure the crowd. “Ah, see? She's getting back up!”

Indeed. Kath slowly rose to her feet with a sudden steadiness to her legs. She gripped the arrow and tore it free in a spray of blood, but then the wound seared itself shut. Fire crawled across her body, from wound to wound, each one vanishing in turn. Even her clothing put itself back together.

"Out... of... my...  WAYYY!" Cassius threw his arms out and his whole body crackled and snapped before letting off an explosion that caused the ground to jump as if a cache of dynamite had just gone off. It tore all the barbs out of his skin and simultaneously burned the wounds shut. It also sent a wall of pressure, flames, and raw heat at Gilliam like a freight train.

When the dust settled, he didn't even care to look for his opponent, just Kath. She was standing! But... something was wrong. She didn't look right.

Gouts of fire sprouted from her body, and from them sprouted horns, a tail, and one wing. One of the horns was cracked in half, making it clear for those who had been there – it was her. The demoness. Her scars hadn't yet faded, and neither had her memories of what they'd done to her.

[color=ed1c24]“Surprise. It's me,”[/color] she chuckled darkly. She lifted a hand ponderously, Kath's blood still dripping from it. She swirled her fingers and the blood began to flow off her hand, also drawing Kath's blood from where it had pooled on the ground, until it formed a dark, red orb floating above her palm.

She turned her head and looked into the stands, directly at Clara. Oh, she'd put two and two together easily enough, [color=ed1c24]“Hello, you treacherous bitch,”[/color] she said, mostly for her own benefit, but if Clara could read her lips that was fine by her. [color=ed1c24]“Not today.”[/color]

She lifted her hand up and aimed skyward. The orb of blood began to glow like it was molten metal before it burst. A nova of force exploded outward, flooring anyone not sturdy enough to withstand it as a pillar of flame shot straight up. It hit the arena's safety barrier, lighting it up like a Christmas tree, but it was weaker at the top.

After a brief struggle the energy barrier gave in and crumbled.

“H-hold on, folks! Please stay calm, the barrier will recharge shortly! Hey you kids down there, give it a rest for a bit! We can't have onlookers getting injured here! Do that again and you're disqualified!” The MC, Adenium, called out.

[color=ed1c24]“No worries. I won't be around for that,”[/color] the demoness smirked. In a swirl of flames, she rocketed into the sky before the barrier could shut her in again. A newly grown wing sprouted from her back in a shower of sparks and she flew off into the distance.

[hr]

Gilliam was lucky the explosion boys focus wasn't on him, otherwise he would never have been able to spring away before the fire engulfed him. But his focus was elsewhere, on the girl that had just shown as brilliantly as a star and flown the coop. So as Gilliam jumped up over the stream of fire there was no second blow that came to obliterate him, and as he landed he was given just a moment to look around and reflect.

The stadium was in an uproar, obviously. He could already see people making their way down to the field, stern and hard faced people that would no doubt be full of inconvenient questions. Mostly directed at Yuuto he supposed, but it would still be troublesome for them to ask him about the boy that he now, so very clearly, was not. It was better to make himself scarce, and perhaps to grab Vittorio on his way out. See if Clara wanted anything done with that traitor. He didn't imagine they'd lose anything by going, even if the whole thing wasn't called off due to three demonic incidents in a row he didn't imagine his team being welcome to continue.

He was deciding whether it would be worth it at this point to go non lethal for his escape through the stands when the other boy, the one that the explosion thrower had taken a multiple puncturing to protect, had started speaking to him. 

William felt it. The sound of something breaking in his psyche. Hate, for himself and the world that continued to styme him. Desire to be good and rightheous because he just can't handle conciously doing wrong. A self-absorbed streak that just wouldn't go away even if it screwed him over. He was done. He was nothing.

As Casssius ran away, chasing Katherine, William looked at Gilliam, saying, "Amazing, isn't it? How I've just crossed the line to being irredeemable, yet I still don't want to do anything morally wrong? Amazing, now that I know that no good guy will help me ever again?"

He was obviously in shock, just speaking to hear someone talk. No threat there. Gilliam turned to leave.

He said in a hateful tone, a tone that made him hate himself all the more. "It's over, you know that? I am a monster as well."

Gilliam stopped.

William drew Worldslayer, fixed his gaze at Gillam. "But I will take you down with me."

And then the boy charged, astral wings sprouting out from his back to block any new projectiles, literally breathing fire from his mouth - one last gift from Kath. A black, burning feeling, slow and slick, coursed through his head, as between every breath, he shouted at Gillaim: "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! YOU MADE ME A MONSTER! ALL OF YOU! YOU ALL MADE ME A MONSTER!"
Worldslayer swung as Ascot shut his mouth, only to breath [i]Ice[/i]. "I AM A MONSTER! YOU MADE ME ONE! I AM TAKING YOU DOWN!"

Monster? He was calling himself a monster? It was so unexpectedly galling Gilliam couldn't help but turn back. It was lucky for him. If Gilliam hadn't stopped there, hadn't half-turned back, he would have been caught full on from behind by William's fury.

The boy flew at Gilliam, sword overhead, flames leaping from his mouth. Gilliam was caught flat-footed, barely managing to raise up his arm and grow it outward, expanding into a makeshift shield of skin and muscle. He felt the hateful fire bite into his flesh, his cells screaming in agony as the fire poured around this small defence, lapping against his chest and legs in waves. His hair caught, and he could feel each individual strant curl, scream' and die. As they screamed, so did he. William, Gilliam, and his body all screaming together.

It was almost a mercy when William's sword swung down, carving off the shield arm at the shoulder along with a good chunk of Gilliam's head. But even all this, the screaming of his entire body, wasn't enough to drown out William's words and those were the only things that kept him in control.

William's attacks sent him into agony. But his ignorance made Gilliam furious.

His free hand shot forward and clasped over the boys mouth, muffling his words even as Gilliam felt the the cold from it lasing its way up his arm, choking and killing his cells. It was different than fire. Instead of burning away, screaming their agony, he felt them disconnect. Shutting off, one after the other, as though they were slipping into sleep. That must have been what death felt like. A truer death than that by fire. It was maddening, but still he held on.

"Do you have any idea of what the word you're throwing around so flippantly means?" He asked through gritted teeth. "Monster. Monster. You spill some paltry amount of blood and you think that gives you the right to compare yourself to me! Monstrosity is not something that is conferred by those around you, nor is it born in some hot moment of anger and grief. It is a cold process, a sacrifice you choose to make. To shave off all regrets, all connections, and any responsibility towards others. It is a declaration that you will exist apart from humanity and forever discard the pain that comes with being a man!"

His hand was completely frozen, the white frost slowly creeping up his arm, and still he didn't even look at it. He kept his now singular eye fixed on Williams. He looked at this creature held before him, of a species Gilliam had forsaken long ago, and his gaze softened. "You're in such pain. Perhaps you should consider it?"

Then he reared back, his arm distorting and bulging with muscle, before slamming the boys head into the floor with enough force to shatter his frozen hand and send the dead parts of himself scattering across the grass in all directions.

Gilliam raised a leg to stomp it for good measure, but a shout drew his attention. The officials that had started rushing the field were very close now. It was really time to get going. Luckily for him Katherines tantrum had opened the way out, and he'd already done this sort of thing once before today. He crouched down, his legs bulging again before shattering as he shot away as he had earlier in the match, this time out of the arena and into the stands themselves. The people scattered as he landed and spider legs began spewing haphazardly from his body. He was uncoordinated, the legs appearing unevenly from any patch on his body that hadn't burned or frozen, but he scuttled and leaped through the screaming crowd while trying to keep close to big clumps of them to act as human shields in case anyone thought about being a hero. He wouldn't be able to find Vittorio in the state he was in, but Yuuto certainly didn't need any help escaping.

[hr]

Yuuto could only stare as his foe transformed and then escaped. Well, that hadn't gone as planned. He stored his blade away as the officials came out. Well, being questioned would be an inconvenience. He had to find Clara and get her next orders... after he made a report to Mephisto. While the same route Gilliam took wasn't available, Yuuto had his ways. As the officials neared, Yuuto looked at them.

"Am sorry, but cannot stick around. Void say there is still mission to complete. Questions will be slow. Goodbye." As the officials stared dumbfounded, Yuuto disappeared back into the Void and made a hasty getaway. As he came outside the stadium, he ran out of his stored Void energy, reappearing inside some bushes that grew against the outside of the building. 

The young ninja leaned back against the cool stone wall, assessing his injuries. Nothing too terrible, but he'd be sore for a couple of days. Katherine was a dangerous foe. While he'd avoided the brunt of her attacks, he'd still gotten some burns as a gift from her. He also had some bruises and a couple of cuts from where Vittorio had tried to attack him. Yuuto sighed. He couldn't really blame his spectral teammate. His orders had been top-secret, with only Yuuto and Gilliam having been told of the plan. He'd have to contact Clara after he recovered some more  Void energy. The mission still wasn't complete.

[hr]

The demoness had no doubts that the three fools who'd challenged her before would be after her. No doubt they saw her as unfinished business. At the very least Clara would. She had to imagine this was her doing. It was her lackey that had gone for the kill after all.

And at this rate, she was screwed.  That blast had been about all she'd had in her, and even then only fueled by her host's lifeblood. She hadn't had nearly enough time to recuperate and that damned fiery cage she'd been kept in hadn't helped.

No, she needed to recharge and then figure out her next move. And she had to be fast, her pursuers were quick. She set down in a park. Humans liked to congregate in these kinds of places right? To... look at grass or something.

It seemed practically deserted.

[color=ed1c24]“Dammit! Why?!”[/color] She spat. Oh, right, the tournament. They were all off enjoying their blood sport, the one thing she could kind of get on board with. But that was so inconvenient right now!

“Something the matter, young lady?” an elderly voice reached her ears. Oh good, at least one old man was here. That was... something. “Oh my, you're rather frightening, miss. Were you perhaps planning to partake in the tournament? I'm afraid you're quite late by now.”

[color=ed1c24]“Oh no, I just left there,”[/color] she told him, doing her best to sound kind. Only one person wouldn't get her far, but it was a start. Unfortunately she couldn't kill him like she normally would. Drain his blood, inhale his soul and all that. When this was over, she needed to be able to convince her foolish host to keep her around. If Katherine decided to evict her, she was fodder. She was fully aware how big the target on her back was. Hell, her siblings back “home” would probably be able to kill her in her current state. After using them as footstools for so long, she certainly didn't expect a warm welcome if she had to go crawling back.

No, she needed to get enough power back to stitch Katherine's body back together. If she tried to return control now she'd bleed out in seconds. Actually, more than that, she needed to kill Clara. Kath... probably wouldn't hold that one against her, right? Maybe King too if she could manage it. Unfortunately Alto was probably off limits.

“I see? Something else then?” the old man asked.

[color=ed1c24]“Actually, yes, there is one thing you can help me with,”[/color] she strut her way over to the man. [color=ed1c24]“It'll only hurt for a moment, don't worry.”[/color] She licked her lips and lifted her claws. Surely she could justify borrowing just a little blood, right?