[b]"Ase!"[/b]

The sudden stampede and collapsing hall had certainly stunned the small girl, so much so that she had to be dragged back by Ixion, who seemed much more focused on the situation one hand. She tried to find her attention span, but could only focus in on the cries of fear that surrounded the walls and filled her ears and lungs and O God she was scared. Ase drew back as the classroom in front of them collapsed and more demons appeared, face still stuck in it's always-glaring form as her chest heaved, trying to force the panic from her mind. Again, Ixion seemed much more ready for this, already firing at the approaching enemies, but Ase could feel his trembling body as she drew closer to him. Her hands tightened around Patron, forcing herself to calm down as her mind began to bloom with ideas, most revolving around just sprinting down the hall after the crowd of students.

It seemed that her partner had a similar idea, as he picked her up once more and began to do just that. The hoard of tiny demons followed, crying out with their loud screams as they attempted to catch up, but Ase had been given instruction and she was prepared to follow them. She slithered forward until only her legs were held up by the blue haired boy and her waist was splayed over his shoulder. Now, hanging upside down, she had a perfect view of the floor beneath Ixion's feet. It was moving, of course, which would have made the circles harder to summon if not for Patron.

"Don't you dare drop me!" Ase called back before lifting Patron as high as she could manage and slamming it into the sleek floor. The amber at the top suddenly lit up, and heat filled Ase's hands, burning her palms, yet she didn't let go. Magic circles burst forward in a zig-zagging line, forming a trail behind Ixion as he continued to run. The demons that had dared to follow them stepped into the circles and then burst into flames, eroding into nothingness. The hungry pants turned into ear-wrenching screams, and black fire sent strange light flares from behind. Ase let out a heavy, withheld breath, rising Patron slowly. The staff was smoldering in her hands, and the sweet aroma of burning wood, amber, and flesh filled her nose until she slumped over Ixion's shoulder, chest heaving as she coughed away the sickly sweet scent.

Ase managed to catch her breath eventually, raise her weapon again, and send another flurry of circles down the hall. Again, more black fire and screams, and this continued on and on until Patron finally burst into flames itself; right in the white-haired girl's grasp. She let out a pain-filled gasp, throwing the staff away with haste as it vanished into ash. Ase trembled as her body fell limp against her partner's shoulder, eyes focusing only on the ground below. There were more demons coming, she could hear it, feel it, but she hadn't the strength to straighten and try to think of a way out of this mess. Her hands pulsed with pain, her head ached, her entire body felt like it was on fire, but what did it matter now.

They would be dead within minutes if they couldn't get out of this damn school.

And, as if an angel from heaven had heard her pessimistic mental whine, a sudden white light burst from behind them. She strained her neck slightly, trying to focus on what was happening, but could only catch sight of a few licks of flame before she lost the ability to move all together. She had wasted a lot of energy already. Her ears, however, were not something that used energy, and she focused on the screams and roar of flames down the hall, deducing that whatever was happening was probably meant to help them.

"Ixion..." Ase mumbled, trying to kick her legs to catch his attention, "Ixion... Be... hind us. Fire."