[center][b]Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon[/b][/center]

[u]Emily[/u]

Warmth spread and soaked into her sleeves and near her legs, only slightly darkened the fabric. She had ignored the sting in each movement and no indication of her pain reached her face. Emily forced herself to remain calm, even if she wanted to scream from it. Her wounds from Steve would need treatment soon but that was the least of her worries right now. 

She watched in unmasked horror when Vignar stalled a second too long and got nailed by the Ragwurm's spikes, the thing curled about his form into a dangerous bear hug. The spikes ripped into his skin with driven determination to protect its holder as Emily felt her hands farther tied. If she and Diane left then Vignar would die and Fran was lost. Inwardly she flinched at seeing Vignar being torn up by Steve's constriction, a sympathy for his experience since she felt a similar thing not too long ago. Impulsively she had her back turned towards Valor and started to rush to Vignar's aid only to have Cerberus's voice rip into her skull. Her feet skittered to a sudden halt when she felt his bark boom through her mind, rattled it.

'Emily!'

"He's killing him!" Emily snapped in protest at her spirit, her voice filled with fear and panic."I can't just stand by and watch it!"

'And how will rushing to his aid help him?' Cerberus growled in a cold manner as he laid out the bitter facts for her. 'What could you do other then get him, the hostage and yourself... Killing Steve doesn't solve anything other then risk both holders and the fact he'll just re-materialize again.'

Emily just gritted her teeth in silence while Cerberus continued, ignoring her anger growing within. 'You know how to end this. It's the only way...'

'There has to- 

Cerberus's patience with his holder had reached it's limit when he abruptly cut her off. [i] Some times a sacrifice is in order to save lives, you should know this yet you refuse to make one.[/i] 

'I've made sacrifices.' Emily mentally spat at her spirit, her hands tightened into fists while the moments ticked by. To those watching her, it would seem as if she was weighing her options and realizing her possibilities were growing smaller with each passing moment. Slowly she had began to back way and appeared to be seeking a way out of the beamed cage, clearly hesitate to leave her allies. 

"My hands are tied... I can't attack without risking my allies but I can't retreat until Fran releases the cage and allows us. Besides I have no promise you won't kill them and then vanish into the desert once we do. I can't imagine Sean will last much longer without medical treatment." Emily stated calmly, body rooted to the spot. She noted the singing had continued to unnerve Valor and added towards Diana. "I think that's enough singing...please."

Cerberus hadn't finished with Emily and again continued, ignoring her conversation with the spirit and dying man. 

'Sacrifice is a choice. All those lives you've ended and killed were out of self defense, not your [i]decision[/i] to end them. Now at least one death will happen, no matter what you decide to do. Who dies is up to you... And you have to accept that.' 

Wasting little time, Cerberus then spoke to Vignar's spirit. The three headed dog didn't waste time or inquire about the man's current condition but instead asked about a simple possibility. 'Think your holder could order his pawn to cause a distraction? I've already forced Emily's hand into doing the rest, but I need an opening to push her. If Sean dies then so does his spirit.' 

Her then turned to Diana's spirit. 'When Emily moves, tell your holder to give Emily a boost.' 

The moment Valor was distracted and Fran removed from the line of fire, Cerberus aimed to make Emily finish this. The time for talk was over and now they needed to end this threat. There was only way to do that and it was by eliminating the meat shield, one or another. Though Emily wouldn't agree, Cerberus knew one or more sacrifices had to be made. Fran would likely be a casualty, and possibility even Vignar, in Cerberus's mind which was impossible to avoid. After all as long as his holder lived, even when she spite him, that was all that matter to the monster.