[center][color=CFD3C6][img]https://i.imgur.com/QxwohJt.png[/img][/color][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/fl5E36F.png[/img] [@Dezuel][@rawkhawk64][@Hammerman][@Crazy Scion][@6slyboy6] [hr] "The key here is to grab him before you smash him, got it? Good," Rurik told Bak as he took aim- And then Vittorio got shot. [i]"Well that's probably not good..."[/i] He couldn't very well aim if Vittorio was lying on the ground... [center][b]- - -[/b][/center] As Vittorio began to fall, he'd have felt a hand reach out to grab him. It was Alto. As his delirious thoughts drifted through his mind, Alto pulled him closer, glaring into his eyes. "Wake up!" Alto commanded. "I've been told of this misguided vendetta of yours and now I've been stabbed over it!" He clutched his injury even as he spoke. He didn't exactly raise his voice, but he was clearly... upset. "So, right now, explain yourself! I want to hear it directly from you why it's come to this!" "Alto, you're bleeding-" Someone tried to interject, but an icy look silenced them. "I... am aware." [center][b]- - -[/b][/center] Rurik saw that Alto had caught Vittorio. How fortuitous. Well in that case... "Just a little more, Bak." He firmed his grip on Bak's gear. It'd do them no good if she charged off before he was ready. "WATCH OUT, SHE'S GONE CRAZY! SHE'LL KILL US ALL! TAKE COVER!" Rurik suddenly shouted in a mock panic. A moment later a dozen St. Laurel's students had all turned on them, taking fighting stances. No doubt they'd already been set on guard after the stabbing. He... probably shoulda seen that coming. ". . . their loss." He suddenly fished a leathery ball out of his pocket. With a squeeze it unfurled wings and it's massive eye blinked open. "Hope you have good timing, Clara!" He chucked it into the air over Vittorio and Alto where it began flapping to hover, it's one, bloodshot eye frantically glancing back and forth to survey the area. "Your turn!" And indeed it was. The next thing Bak would know G-Forces hit her and she was sent flying toward Vittorio as if shot from a cannon. Any students too slow to dive clear were scattered like bowling pins. Alto would not get his answers that day it seemed. He turned at Rurik's yelling only to moments later see Bak flying through the air at him. There was no time, it was either lose Vittorio or get steamrolled. He jumped away at the last second leaving Vittorio behind. As Bak flew she fired. BANG BANG BANG went the flak cannon and explosions rained down around Vittorio's position. The students that had managed to dive clear were thrown to and fro from the explosions, but all Vittorio felt from this was a pleasant summer days breeze. None of the force of it seemed to touch him. Speaks flew from the bleachers as he feet scraped deep grooves in the floor beneath her, slowing her down as she made her approach. Before hitting Vittorio she lifted one leg, allowing herself to turn slightly, and instead of hitting him head on she spread her arms wide and scooped him up in an embrace as she flew past. She pulled him in close, ready to protect him for the shock on the inevitable fall. [hr] [center][h3]The Park[/h3][/center] "Do not give it any heed, Christine," Clara spoke with just a little more force than normal. "Keep in mind what it is. A being that would drag children off into who knows what kind of hell. A being that not long ago tried to kill us all. I'm sure it does not remember you fondly from that day. No doubt its been rooting around in your sisters mind long enough to mimic her. Were I you, I'd be offended..." Even as she spoke, she'd directed the beholder that had led her there to move. It swooped down in front of D'Artagnan in coordination with Christine's earlier attack. It's one, massive eye was opened as wide as possible and it's wings outstretched, aiming to startle him or even just cause him to run face first into it. Even Clara did not expect that she was also coordinating with Yuuto who moments later burst from the shadows. "Keep your resolve, or would you rather it run off with your sister's body, perhaps never to be seen again?" A moment later Clara felt a small vibration. It seemed another of her beholders had been awakened. To her surprise, it had been by Rurik of all people, but she quickly understood why. Moments after Bak grabbed Vittorio, the beholder flying above would pulse, it's eye threatening to pop out of its body, and soon darkness would swirl around the two, whisking them away. A shadowy portal then opened beside Clara, and Bak and Vittorio came careening out, digging a furrow into the dirt. "Hey! Me next!" she heard Rurik yelling at the beholder. She pursed her lips, but then somewhat reluctantly repeated the process. The next portal opened up a little higher though, causing Rurik to flop to the ground behind Bak. He lifted his head to look at her. "That was on purpose..." he grumbled. She simply stared back at him emotionless before shifting her attention back to the matter at hand. Bak hit the ground on her side and slid roughly, hugging the boy to her chest. She looked around, confused. Instead of the concrete she had expected she'd slid through grass and dirt. This was some kind of park, it looked like, and instead of being surrounded by St. Laural's she could see that most of the people here were her friends. She let out a sigh of relief. That relief lasted about as long as it took her to release her grip on Vittorio. She laid him gently onto the ground and got her first good look at him. She felt a lump jump up into her throat and rolled herself to a better angle, managing to get her legs under her and kneel at his. "Vittorio? Vittorio, can you hear me? Oh no, oh no, no no no no no." She hovered her hand hands over his body, unsure what if anything she could do. Finally she decided the press her hands down over his wound, feeling the sticky wet feeling as the blood soaked into her gloves. "You will be all right. You are stronger than this, I know it. You have to survive this, you do not yet have your revenge yet, da?" She asked desperately. "It is all right, we will get Celestine and you will be all right. We can just.. Tovarisch!" She called out to Clara. "You must bring Celestine here, or, or, or something! You must do something!" She looked back down at him. The bleeding hadn't stopped. It didn't look like it was going to stop. "Please do not die." She begged. "We need you to live....I need you to live. My world is so small. I could not bear it. These friends you are always speaking of? These dear ones of yours? That is what you are to me. You understand this, da? If so you understand why you must live. Please, come out of the cold and live!" "Hold him up..." Clara eventually spoke, flipping open her grimoire. Out of its shadowy pages crawled a large spider than crawled across Vittorio's body, quickly weaving silk until the wound's bleeding was stopped. "It will hold for now. It was Alto, wasn't it? The wound was non-fatal to begin with, if only he weren't so frail. He will live." Well, she didn't really know that for certain, it was Vittorio after all, but in theory he should be fine. Bak wasn't so sure. Normally if Clara said something she took it as truth but... Since she no longer had to put pressure on the wound Bak went back to finding something she had to do. Anything that might help. Anything that could keep her busy. But there was really nothing she could do now but hope. Whether or not he lived was entirely up to him. Well, there was one thing. She reached down and held his hand. "Now... let us be done with this," Clara spoke, focusing once more on the demon. Yuuto had her little helper under control. If Christine didn't stay under control, she needed to be ready. Her book once more brought something dark into the world. From the shadows crawled a hulking beast. It was hard to say what it was. It had a thick hide and lots of muscles though. It could weather some fire and had an iron grip. That was all Clara needed... Meanwhile Rurik was now in a sitting position. He looked at Christine, and then at Kath, or what had been Kath at least. And then at Clara's new monster. And then back to Christine. It was so strange to him. Christine was almost always happy, no matter what. Always. But now... And back at Clara's new monster. "Yeah, about that..." Rurik pushed himself to his feet. "Wher-" Clara began, but Rurik walked right up to the monster. It barely reacted, he wasn't its target after all. Rurik then placed his hand on it and it froze up. Then it twitched a little. Then it blew apart into meat chunks and dust before finally turning into black vapor and vanishing. "What-" "So. Last time we did this you fucked it up," Rurik said to Clara, though his gaze was focused on Katherine. "Excuse m-" "And last time you even had those other two idiots helping you," he told her and finally glanced over his shoulder at her. "But you know, I didn't do too bad last time, so how about you just leave it to me." Clara had to take a moment. This level of blatant defiance from [i]Rurik[/i] was taking a moment for even her to process. Well, what she said in response took Rurik a moment to process, so it all evened out. "Fine. Very well. Go ahead," she said. What was the old saying? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes? Then Rurik was free to win all the prizes he wanted. Maybe he would at least tire the demon out. "Everyone else stand down. It would seem Rurik will handle this. Yuuto, that boy there is Mr. D'Artagnan, a member of our night school. Please... see to his safety." Rurik swallowed. Well, that had gone a little too well actually. Shit. Bak's attention was called back over to the scene playing out around her by the explosion. She hadn't been paying attention to what was happening, she didn't think she'd needed too. But now her friends were fighting one another on top of everything? What was Rurik thinking, blowing apart Clara's monster like that? "What are you doing? Why?" She asked shakily. "Because..." Rurik turned ever so slightly to look at Christine. [i]"If I don't find a way to stop this, Christine will be sad..."[/i] "... deep down..." He clenched his fists. "It's still Kath." He looked back at the demonic girl in question. "And I really want to punch her in the face."