[center][abbr=Pit][img]https://i.ibb.co/7VzgY22/pit.png[/img][/abbr]
Word Count: 4404 (+5 exp) (-5 Friend Heart)
[u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 284/80 
[b]Location[/b]: Esaka's High-Tier, Forbidden Kingdom[/center]
Pit's latest acquaintance went by the name of Ashrah, and she was a demon slayer. 

And, she'd admitted, she had a vested interest the divine for she sought to purify her own soul. Not everything divine of course (and Pit knew first hand that not every god was good), just those she sensed were virtuous. While Esaka apparently hosted all kinds of people that could be called deities - case in point the very dojo Pit had signed up with - the type that Ashrah was curious about were few and far between. 

"I saw your wings, that miracle-" Pit tilted his head in confusion before he realized she must have been talking about Palutena's Warp, "-and your halo, and so I approached."

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Halo?"[/color] This time his head tipped back in the opposite direction. He was pretty sure he didn't have a halo, not even a small one, let alone the linked triple rings like Sandalphon or the elaborate winged emblem that Lady Palutena herself sported. Eventually it was the subtle shift of the wreath in his hair that clued him in. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh, my laurel crown!"[/color]

Pit reached up and took it off, letting out an amused laugh when Ashrah seemed to stiffen in place. She cleared hadn't expected an angel to be able to remove their halo, but a halo it was not - though it [i]was[/i] pretty glowy now, so Pit could see why someone might think it was.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"It's more like... a radio antenna!"[/color] he said, rubbing his thumb over one of the golden feather-like leaves. His conversation partner didn't completely follow, so he tried again. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Like it strengthens the connection with Lady Palutena-"[/color] whom Pit had already told Ashrah about when they'd first got to talking, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"-and makes it easier for her to see and hear what's going on down here."[/color]

They could manage just fine without it, but who could say no to a little extra convenience? Pit placed the blessed wreath back on his head as Ashrah nodded. "A useful tool then."

After leaving the lift the two of them had initially started down a random path while they talked, but soon enough they'd ended up on tier's outskirts. Currently they sat on the edge of the wall that separated the high and middle tiers, overlooking the latter below them. Because of how the city spread out, the pools and even the low tier were visible too, though Pit had to really squint to try and make anything out in the bottom-most section of Esaka. 

So far chatting with Ashrah had been pleasant. Pit didn't feel bad about telling her about himself or his goddess, especially since she had freely told Pit plenty of herself already, with not a trace of deception or nervousness in her words. Not, Pit had thought somewhat ruefully, that he was all that good at telling when someone was lying. Still, he took the woman at face value, and over time that little niggling feeling from his sixth sense was all but forgotten, turned into simple background noise. The warm breeze was stronger up there and Pit sat back, putting his weight on his hands.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So why are you hanging around Esaka?"[/color] he asked after a moment, turning a curious look on Ashrah. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"There's probably more demons outside of the city than in... oh, is it because of the yokai? Some of them definitely feel like evil spirits."[/color]

"That would be the oni and their ilk. They've been rendered almost entirely harmless here, though I've cut down a few that have stepped out of line before," Ashrah replied. "But there is other evil that needs addressing. I can't just turn my back and ignore it."

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Tell me about it,"[/color] Pit agreed with a nod, though Ashrah ended up taking the comment literally. 

"The four kings, and among them the usurper of Outworld, Shao Khan," she said solemnly. "To depose him, myself and a few others broke away from the Mortal Kombat dojo and formed the Order of Light. Though the day he is unseated has yet to come, we fight and train tirelessly in preparation."

She pointed out their headquarters below them, which Pit recognized as one of the dojos he'd passed in the Mid Tier. His head was spinning a little bit - so he'd just happened to run into someone strong enough to have been in a High Tier dojo, and not only that but a potential rival too. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So you're gonna be fighting tomorrow too?"[/color] he asked, but Ashrah shook her head slightly, the veil at the back of her hat fluttering. 

"Our Order is still small, so to ensure there is always someone left in the case our members are defeated we rotate who participates," she explained. She made no mention of the respawning, though she wouldn't have found it strange in the first place. Pit had caught a few glimpses of her eyes beneath her head wear, and like everyone else bar the Seekers themselves they were glazed over in a reddish tone. "This time my sister Sareena will fight. Normally we choose each other as partners, but it is regrettably my turn to be one of the witnesses."

That all made sens– wait.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Partners...?"[/color] 

Pit had turned fully toward Ashrah, pulling his legs up from where they'd previously been hanging over the wall. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I thought you said you guys fought in Mortal Kombat? Isn't King of Fighters the one with partners?"[/color]

"Yes, King of Fighters is the team-based tournament," she corrected lightly, "and while Mortal Kombat is a showcase of individual strength and skill, it allows for a partner -a kameo- for quick assistance."

She hadn't expected Pit to suddenly jump to his feet and slap a hand to his head. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Really?! It took forever to find a dojo and now I have to find a partner too? Did I have to sign up with them? Oh no, it's after lunch! Can I still add one? Gaah!"[/color]

Ashrah more calmly got to her feet, hopping from the wall's lip onto the High Tier's ground. She quickly grasped that Pit would be participating in Mortal Kombat and she held up one hand with her palm open in an attempt to calm him. 

"If you've already registered then you don't have to worry. If you're chosen to compete you can declare your kameo partner the day of." She then tilted her head slightly, the dip of her hat the only indication that she'd moved it. "Did you arrive in Esaka alone? A kameo role still isn't completely safe, but it's much less dangerous than competing as a fighter if you have a companion that would be amenable to it."

Pit nodded if only to show he'd heard her, but he was still consumed with a bunch of thoughts. Most of the other Seekers were already participating, and even if it was allowed to act as an assist in a different tournament than the one you were signed up for that obviously wouldn't work if the timing wasn't perfect with the match schedules. Then there were Junior and Rika who were in a completely different city, and Primrose and Therion who'd declined to participate in the tournaments at all. He could still ask one of them but if their strengths were better used elsewhere then it would be better not to. He also couldn't ask Lady Palutena to abandon Skyworld for this while it was still in a fragile place, even though teaming up with her would have guaranteed their victory. And did Ms. Fortune know about the partner thing? Would she have to go find one too? 

Pit took a breath and then perked himself up by throwing his head back and puffing his chest out, placing his fists on his hips. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah, okay, no worries! There's no rush to find a partner. I'll figure it out!"[/color] He hopped down from the ledge as well, giving Ashrah a smile. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Thanks for telling me about it, I would have been blind sided otherwise! I can't ask any of my friends right now, but... I bet I can come up with something. I could even find someone nice like you and ask them to team up with me!"[/color]

Ashrah smiled lightly back, an air of amusement about her. "You do have someone like me right in front of you."

It took an embarrassingly long few seconds for Pit to get what she was implying.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Don't you have to sit this one out?"[/color] he asked with a furrowed brow. Ashrah, who so far had moved and spoken almost elegantly, gave one casual shrug of her shoulder.

"There are still others in the Order of Light who can witness. Like this I wouldn't be competing under the Order anyway," she said. After a moment she added, more seriously, "and I want to fight. This place is not Netherrealm - it should already be free from tyranny. I can help get us closer to that goal, and if I can slay the monsters that come to join Mortal Kombat on the way then all the better."

Pit couldn't deny her resolve. He'd known Ashrah for all of half an hour or so, but she was serious about this. The angel didn't have a lot of options either. He regarded her more intently as he really considered her offer. So far she had been kind, and she had to be powerful if she'd been part of a High Tier dojo. She was also a killer of demons and, as an unimportant aside, Pit sort of liked that wherever she was from named the places in their world the same way they did in Angel Land. Ashrah wouldn't be a bad pick for a partner at all he decided, but there was one thing that he'd have to make sure of first.

His face split into a wide, toothy grin and he held his hand out towards the woman. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright, deal! Will you be my kameo partner, Ashrah?"[/color]

"It would be my hon-" she started to say, reaching out to grasp his hand for a shake when Pit suddenly clamped his fingers around her wrist and pulled. There was certainly a lot more power in the angel than his appearance suggested, and Ashrah was forced to sprint along with him else risk being dragged. "-what? Where are we going?"

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"We can be partners, but first we have to test- your- might!"[/color] Pit said to her with a laugh over his shoulder, his smile having turned mischievous. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I bet there's a good place to do it around here, there was tons in the lower tiers! Do you know any? Something out of the way, more private?"[/color]

"Ah, of course," Ashrah said. A test. She wouldn't have had it any other way. She'd gotten her feet under her and with her free hand gestured to their right. "I do know a place. Go that way."

They were a white and gold blur as they streaked across the High Tier. As they passed through the most populated areas they slowed slightly, but ultimately it didn't take that long for them to end up on the opposite side of where they started. The tier's perimeter was within sight, but it was a few blocks away from where they currently stood. A fighting ring in the shadow of a tall building, simple but well kept, like a relic of the past when compared to the more elaborate rings and dojos scattered around the area. It might have been in part because there seemed to be less and less people as the tiers went higher but there were indeed no people currently around, save for a wandering [url=https://i.imgur.com/ix1MQ3r.png]dog[/url] that spotted the gold accents on Pit and Ashrah's outfits and plopped itself down to watch and possibly ingratiate itself to the winner.

Pit released Ashrah so he could walk the ring's perimeter, glancing up and around at the general area. Besides the building that hid this makeshift arena from the sun, there were other tall, wide ones that blocked the view from one side. Otherwise there were two alleys that led around it. It didn't need to be completely private, but for now Pit wanted to save showing off for tomorrow. A one-dog audience was fine, and if their bout got heated and drew in curious onlookers that would be fine too.

He turned to face Ashrah, who stood patiently on one side. Hanging by her hip and held tight in one hand was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/gTmfgVN.png]sword[/url] that hadn't been there earlier. As she shifted into a battle stance the blade began to emit a golden glow. 

"I'm more than happy to demonstrate my strength for you," she said. "I won't hold back, so you can fulling judge me as your partner."

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Good!"[/color] Pit replied, summoning his own weapon to his hand. [i]Not like you'll be able to once we get started,[/i] he thought as he twisted the bow's grip to turn one of its bladed sides around, its points now opposites. If she was fighting with a single sword then he'd start off that way too. his expression was still light, but when his electric-colored eyes met Ashrah's own gleaming one's she could see he intended to take the challenge he'd issued seriously.

They stood only about fifteen or so feet apart, and neither moved for several long moments. Waiting, gauging each other, even as Pit itched to jump right into action. Their observer grew bored and let out a loud, high-pitched bark to spur them into action. It worked. 

Pit shot forward as Ashrah took a single step back, casting her free hand into the air and shooting a ball of light straight up. As Pit lashed out with the bow-blade, spinning it into several diagonally cuts, Ashrah raised her own blade to block. She was on the defensive but held her place, unwilling to give ground or strike out before she was ready even when the angel's weapon made it through her block and triggered the point of no return. She hardly reacted to the shallow cut on her forearm, instead it was the return of her energy ball the spurred her to go on the offensive.

The light fell on top of Pit, and though it didn't deal much damage it surprised him enough that Ashrah's kris slipped through his slashes and stabbed into the angel's chestplate. She flicked her sword to the side and caught Pit's arm, though he released his hold on his bow in order to wield it with just one hand to avoid the worse of the cut. He backed up and spun his blade into a hard horizontal slash which Ashrah met with her own spin in the opposite direction, the swords clanging against each other with a spark of golden embers. With her longer reach Ashrah snatched Pit's chifon and simply shoved him backward, not surprised when he instantly recovered and swiped his sword at her midsection. An instant was all she needed however, and she phased forward into -and through- Pit's strike.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Huh?"[/color] he said as his sword struck her afterimage, and then, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oof!"[/color] as she planted her foot into the small of his back and kicked him when she suddenly reappeared. Pit spun around and raised his weapon, catching the wavy edge of the kris with the curved edge of his own sword just as Ashrah brought it down in an overhead chop. 

They strained against each other for a moment as a slip of own's blade would mean suffering a cut. Pit smirked then, and though this type of sneaky play wasn't really his style he did have to get one over on the martial artist to pull off his plan. He shifted the grip of one of his hands, then let go, grasping at air just behind the bow's handle. He pulled back with the same arm, drawing a line of blue light as he did. No need to aim point blank like this.

Ashrah realized what was going on even before the arrow head formed, but was too slow to avoid the shot. It was weak but it was an opening, the same way she'd created one earlier. She stepped back to readjust and felt Pit's blade bite into her side. She shrugged it off and dipped into a low block as Pit pivoted to swipe at her ankle, another spark of embers springing into life as the weapons clashed. She sprung up into the air, away from the angel, correctly anticipating that when she landed he would already have moved to intercept her. She phased again, her astral projection shooting through Pit. He stopped and spun around to guard against another back strike, only to find her on the far side of the ring and slicing the kris down through the air in front of her. A wave of energy formed from it and raced forward, and though Pit easily side stepped it the spirit slice gave Ashrah the small amount of time she needed.

She swapped her stance, a subtle change if not for the fact that the once vibrant kris now surged with murky purple shadows. Pit felt a chill run down his spine at the sight, its energy now distinctly dark in nature. There was no time to question it as Ashrah sprinted toward him and moved into a series of slashes, twisting and spinning the blade as she changed from a one handed to a two handed grip and back again - and though the roles were swapped now Pit met every pass of the sword with one of his own. She was strong, but not enough to keep the trading of blows going forever. She flagged before Pit's wealth of stamina, pulling her kris back and suffering a sharp slice to her elbow for it. Before Pit could press her she flicked the sword upward and the purple aura around it pulsed while a pillar of the same energy erupted from the ground at Pit's feet and engulfed him.

It lasted less than a second, and when it fell away Pit was revealed with his arms crossed defensively and his head ducked. He peeked out over his guard, tightening his grip on his weapon. That pillar had hurt, but it'd done something else too - he could feel it, slithering unpleasantly around him. A glance down showed that he felt it literally, as a thin streak of shadow circled his legs. He shook one them out as though that would dislodge the thing.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What was that?"[/color] he asked as his eyes snapped back to Ashrah. She'd taken the chance to put a few feet of distance between them so that she could swap stances again. To his surprise she answered, even as she banished the dark energy and her blade shown brightly once again. "It's darkness, perfect for smiting with light!"

She charged and leapt into a downward spinning slice, but Pit skated away with Thundering Sands. He sprang forward immediately after and his sword collided with Ashrah's once more. This time he was a little alarmed to feel himself losing the contest of strength, and Ashrah completed her swing to send Pit stumbling back as the dark debuff pulsed and faded. She chanced another stance change, her strategy to weaken him with her shadows in order to do more damage. It would work, because Pit couldn't avoid everything. He was sure she could still, especially if he pulled out more of his arsenal, but thankfully he didn't really need to.

Pit recovered quickly and swung the bow upward in a harsh reverse cut, catching Ashrah in the abdomen and slicing her all the way up to her chin. Even after jerking her head back to avoid an even worse wound, the sword sliced completely through Ashrah's wide hat. As it fell away it revealed her full [url=https://i.imgur.com/1XCNIW2.png]face[/url], along with her demonic markings. 

Pit's breath caught and his eyes widened. The dark energy should have tipped him off, but now he understood what his angel sense had been trying to tell him as it came back in force. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You're... a demon?!"[/color]

Ashrah clutched at her bleeding front, her expression pinching. She narrowed her eyes both in pain and at the sight of Pit's gaze hardening. "I am," she declared. "A demon of Netherrealm, but close to purging the last of the evil from my soul."

She was unsteady on her legs but she remained standing, Galeem's compulsion not allowing her to surrender. She began to take up her fighting stance once more. "I won't be stopped, not now. If you won't work with me now then just try and finish me-"

She gasped as she watched Pit close the distance between them within a blink and felt something sinking into her chest. She had expected it to be painful and cold, or maybe burning with holy light - instead it was warm, rejuvenating, and... pink.

This time she did fall, stumbling back and ending up dropping to one knee. Her kris clattered to the ground, one of her hands remaining clutched to her chest (the wound completely gone now) and the other gingerly touching her forehead. She blinked rapidly, her eyes no longer covered in a red sheen but pitch dark instead. Out of seemingly nowhere she was recalling the events of her life leading up to now - escaping the Sisterhood of Shadow, hunting Quan Chi and being hunted by him in return, meeting a group of ragtag warriors and traveling with them to the Living Forest... and then a bright all-consuming light, a tiered city not unlike those in Earthrealm, fighting and dying in endless tournaments like it was natural, breaking away to form the Order of Light with Sareena and...

Ashrah swallowed thickly, the same feeling of having the wool pulled from her eyes overtaking her now just as it had when she'd see Outworld for the first time and discovered that not all life was an endless cycle of misery.  

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"It might be a little weird, but I've teamed up with all kinds of people before, even the Underworld Army once, sort of,"[/color] she heard Pit say. She raised her head and saw that his sword was resting on his shoulder and his free hand was outstretched towards her. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So if you still want to be my partner for the tournament... um, I guess you probably have a lot of questions first though, eheh..."[/color]

Ashrah was not one to hesitate, and she didn't now as she accepted Pit's offer to help her up. She dusted herself off and looked up at the skyscrapers as if seeing the world in a new light. Well, that wasn't really far off from the truth. When she looked back at Pit she bowed slightly, a formal greeting this time. "I do, but as I meant to say before, it would be my honor to fight together with you, Pit."

She straightened up, noting Pit's relieved smile. It widened into a more natural one as he chirped, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright! I'll answer anything you ask, and since we're partners now in return you have to answer all my questions too, okay? Everything about Mortal Kombat, all the rules and even the basics!"[/color]

If he could be completely prepared for once that would be great. Ashrah agreed, and after she collected her sword Pit launched right into his first question, pointing at the kris. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Starting with is your power from yourself or your sword? Or both!"[/color]

"A good first question. A full understanding of your kameo partner's abilities is crucial," Ashrah said, and Pit pretended like that was definitely the reason he asked. "The answer is both, though a lot is owed to my Kriss. I happened upon it when I was escaping Netherrealm - it senses evil and whenever I slay what it finds I can feel my soul being cleansed. That is what enables me to shift between light and dark. I'm not sure where [i]its[/i] power came from, but I assume its a blessed object not unlike your crown or bow."

She held it out for Pit, apparently having no qualms about others handling the object of her salvation - or maybe she already just trusted the angel enough to hand it over to him for inspection. Pit eagerly took it for a closer look, but instead of feeling any holy energy he instead was overcome with a strong sense of vertigo. He frowned as he swayed on his feet as another feeling started to well up too, swirling slowly in his chest and threatening to seize his heart. A sense of urgency, of duty, a call not just to arms but for bloodshed. 

Pit passed it back to her quickly, shaking his head slightly to clear it and really hoping a headache wasn't going to form. 

"Intense, I know. I felt the same way when I first picked it up," Ashrah said as she de-materialized the kris. Pit's eyes lingered on it until it was gone, then moved to Ashrah's face.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I don't think that's blessed..."[/color] he told her. What was the opposite of a blessing? A curse? It felt kind of cursed. But Ashrah just looked thoughtful.

"Is that so... it must be that whatever it's made of, then, or how it was forged. Whatever it is, I'm glad to have found it when I did. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to come this far."

[i]Maybe I'm wrong?[/i] Pit thought. If it actually helped Ashrah purify herself then maybe it started off as a regular holy weapon and ended up tainted. He wasn't sure, and ultimately it wasn't his weapon to worry about, especially if it wasn't having any adverse effects on its wielder... the angel pushed the feeling of wrongness away (if he'd listened to it earlier he wouldn't have ended up finding his new kameo partner after all) as Ashrah cleared her throat.

"Let's find another venue to continue our discussion. On the way, can you explain to me what that thing you pulled from your chest was? That it could heal the body and the mind in an instant..."

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Mhm! Great, right? It's a Friend Heart! I'll tell you all about them!"[/color]

The two of them turned to head out of the backstreets of the High Tier and find a more comfortable place where they could talk. Their furry observer trotted along behind them, sensing a meal ticket.