[IC] MONSTORY

[Dead Cruiser]

"The fact that he is human is, frankly, cause for concern. No abilities or strengths beyond that which a human is capable of, and yet he took both of my legs from me. His motivation is also worth consideration. For Dramatic Theurge, vampire hunting was just his job. For Psychotic Episode, it was his personal passion. And now, for Guillotine Cutter, it is a duty, a show of his faith." Cerasus made a tight-lipped kind of face as he continued, "I wish I knew more about his skills and abilities. But as I said before, I nearly paid with my life by underestimating him and his cohorts. I paid too much attention to the vampire and half-vampire, and practically ignored the human as he ripped off half my limbs." He seemed a bit embarrassed by saying this out loud, and quickly added on, "I was feeling a bit under the weather as well, I should say. In any case, I don't have any direct advice for you. Just be your usual self and I'm sure you'll win."

With that, it seemed that everyone had decided to go to bed. It was June 26th, right around 5 A.M., the time Izzy usually went to sleep. Riley departed to whatever place he went when he wasn't with them, and Cerasus wandered into a classroom to collapse on the floor somewhere. It felt a bit odd having what was for all appearances a boy her age sleeping so close by to her. When Izzy could pretend that Cerasus was younger than her, it didn't bother her so much. In any case, she was going to meet with Trevor again tomorrow, and decided to sleep until he came back around. She found her usual place and settled into for the day. Vampires usually slept in a coffin, right? She and Cerasus slept on floors and desks.

Hours later...

Trevor showed up some time after sundown. Again, he had gotten lost on the way here. An annoying side-effect of the barrier Riley had put up, but it helped in making the building an idea hideout for Cerasus. It hadn't even been part of his fee, he had just done that on his own.

"Good morning, Izzy," he said, putting his flashlight down to illuminate her while he rummaged through his bags.

His shirt had been ripped open the night before, and Izzy had partly hoped that it would lead into a chance to see Trevor wearing something more casual. Letting his hair down, as it was. No such luck, as he wore a similar shirt and pants today, just as he always did.

[Riven Wight]

Izzy gave a growled sigh when Cerasus finished, and ran a hand through her hair. He didn’t know anything about Guillotine Cutter’s fighting, which meant she was going in blinder than she had with the other two. He was a human, and did more damage than those with some sort of vampiric ability.
“Great.” She pulled her hand from her hair. “So, pretty much just keep doing what I’ve been doing, and learn in the process.”
When Riley left and Cerasus headed to bed, Izzy slowly made her way to her claimed classroom. She rummaged through her backpack, which was now filled with the clean clothes Trevor had kindly brought, while the plastic bags had her dirtied outfits shoved in them. Finding her pair of spare sneakers, she pulled them out, placed them on the floor, and shoved a pair of socks inside one.
She sat on a set of desks she had put together, their tops fairly cleaned from days spent using them as the world’s hardest mattress. She placed one foot on a knee and brushed off some of the layer of dirt that had coated her sole. She glanced to the closed door, then back to her foot. After a couple moments of trying to use matter generation, she sighed in defeat, and laid back on the desks.
After a while, her mind racing with everything from the night, she fell into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Izzy had overslept. By the time her nightmares abated, allowing her to truly fall asleep, it had been late. Unsure what time it was, consciousness had just decided to return to her when Trevor's familiar footfalls greeted her.
Her eyes sprung open, and she sat upright with a yawn. She could feel her hair sticking out at odd angles, and quickly jumped from the desks, pulled her hair tie out, and brushed her hair with the brush she had left on another desk near her pack.
“Evening, Trevor,” she returned his greeting lightly and smiled at him as she replaced her hair tie. She blinked in the light of Trevor's flashlight as he sat it down. She looked him over, searching for any sign of his injury from the previous evening. But even his clothes were just as semi-formal as when she had last seen him. Part of her still could not believe he was here, alive, his presence sending a flood of relief through her. The image of his torn body flashed through her mind, making her shut her eyes and push the thought aside with a shake of her head.
“How... How’re you feeling?” she asked as casually as she could, tossing the hairbrush onto her backpack.

[Dead Cruiser]

"Feeling... about the same as usual. Certainly not like I'd been maimed in the last twenty-four hours, if that's what you're asking." Trevor said this without any bitterness, almost like it was already a funny anecdote for him.

Cerasus wandered by the door, poking his head in to see what was going on. Trevor, hearing him, looked back to see his face dimly illuminated by the ambient light of his flashlight. The two locked eyes for a moment, neither person's expression betraying anything meaningful beyond basic recognition of the other. Cerasus then withdrew his head, and continued wherever he was going. Trevor shrugged and looked back at Izzy.

"So it's true, Mister Cerasus has grown again. He's a looker, too; I'm almost jealous. He nearly looks like a totally different person, but I can still see traces of him in his face."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy cleared her throat, then nodded. “Good. I didn’t know if there’d be any side effects...” Her voice dropped off. She looked at him, her head cocked slightly. “You know, you're oddly calm about that.” She gave him a half-smile, wishing she could be as nonchalant about it as he seemed. Perhaps that was one of the joys of not remembering what happened.
When the sound of Cerasus’ steps echoed down the hall, she glanced to the door a moment before he looked in. Amidst the nightmares of the day, she had all but forgotten he had changed to appear around her and Trevor’s age, and her gaze lingered on him until he left.
Izzy shrugged at Trevor’s comment about almost being jealous. “Sure, he’s handsome. But there’s nothing to be even almost jealous about, if you ask me.” She went to a desk and sat atop it, crossing her legs beneath her. “Oh, do you still have my phone?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor shrugged, "Mostly I'm just trying not to let my mind linger on it." In response to Izzy's dismissive remarks about Cerasus, he mused, "Wonder what he did to turn you off like that. Besides turn you into a vampire, I mean. He's been civil enough with me. Standoffish, maybe, but he's not tried to eat me." Izzy asked about her phone, and he dug into his backpack to find it, "Yeah, one sec." He retrieved it and tossed it to her, and then produced a pair of soda bottles from his bag. "Coke or Diet Coke? I can never taste the difference."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy shrugged and looked to the floor at Trevor’s musings. “He spared me by turning me,” she said quietly, reaching up to place a palm against where Cerasus had bit her what felt an eternity ago. “But the guy’s infuriating.” She placed her hand to the desk and looked to Trevor as he dug around in his backpack. “You try living with him for a week!” Even so, she gave Trevor a small smile. “Yeah, there’s always that.”
She easily caught her phone when he tossed it. “Thanks.” She quickly unlocked her phone, checked the charge, then placed it in her pocket. When he pulled out two soda bottles, she grinned. It felt like ages since she had had a soda.
“Coke.” She wrapped her ankles around the legs of the desk.

[Dead Cruiser]

"Here you go," Trevor responded to Izzy's answer, gently tossing her the bottle. He seated himself on a desk not far from hers and merely looked at his bottle, not yet opening it. "Here's a thought. If you naturally put on muscle, does that mean that you can eat whatever you want and keep your figure? That's a pretty enviable trait, even to a guy."

[Riven Wight]

Again, Izzy caught the bottle of Coke easily. “Thanks, Trevor.” She pulled her legs onto the desk, crossed them beneath her, and turned to better face Trevor as he sat on another desk. At his question, she held the bottle in front of her, looking at the familiar red-and-white label. “You know, I haven't thought about that. I’d imagine so. What I wonder, is if it’ll taste the same.”
She carefully twisted the cap. The satisfying fizzzt of the release of pressure inside echoed in the room, accompanied by the sweet, syrupy smell of the drink.
“One way to find out!” With that, she removed the cap, held it up a moment in a cheers motion, then placed the opening to her lips.

[Dead Cruiser]

"I think I read in a book once," Trevor mused, now sipping at his own drink, "That anything a vampire consumes that isn't blood turns to ash in their mouth." Looking over at Izzy, easily drinking her Coke, he shrugged. "Guess that myth's a bust. We'll see about the other one, though, about vampires vomiting up blood after eating anything." He was obviously playing with her, as his wolfish grin had returned to his features.

It had been a while since Izzy had seen that smile. She had very nearly lost it forever. Could she continue to jeopardize Trevor's life by keeping her near her? Her life had been thrown into a whirlwind of violence, and the person closest to her throughout it was the most vulnerable. There was also the matter that Trevor had just mentioned; as a rule, vampires drank blood. As she currently was, Izzy didn't feel any compulsion or hunger. She hadn't eaten for well over a week, and for some reason she didn't feel any worse for it. But what if the urge to drink blood came, and the only person on hand was Trevor? She didn't really want to think about it, but it was a possibility she was forced to face.

[Riven Wight]

Izzy swished a gulp the soda around in her mouth at Trevor’s comment about his readings, then swallowed the sugary drink. Though it was less refreshing than she remembered, thankfully, it still tasted about the same. “Still tastes like Coke,” she confirmed. “Darn.” She snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. “I was looking forward to finding out what ash tastes like.”
She cocked her head as he mentioned another “myth,” his familiar grin making her smile back. “Oh, gee. Thanks a lot!” she said sarcastically.
She looked at him for a moment, the mirth that glittered in her eyes fading. His smile, his jesting, the life in his eyes had all nearly been snuffed out scarcely a day ago. Had been snuffed out, if only for a short time. Because she had brought him into this side of the world. A world of monsters, where even she could pose a danger to his life.
Izzy held the soda bottle in her lap and looked down at it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a short moment.
“Listen,” she began quietly, opening her eyes. “You’ve gone above and beyond, and I appreciate your help to no end. But what happened last night...” She shook her head. “This life isn’t made for humans. The more time you spend around all this,” she gestured to the classroom, indicating to not just the building, but everything it had come to stand for. She lowered her hand and looked back to her soda bottle, “around me, the more danger you’re in. I don’t know when I’ll...” she faltered, “I’ll need to drink blood, but if you’re the only one around...” She shook her head. “I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.” She took another breath, then looked to him, her face hard and gaze pleading for him to not argue. “After tonight, we shouldn’t meet anymore. Not until I get this mess straightened out.”

[Dead Cruiser]

Trevor's expression stayed rather neutral as Izzy spoke, his eyes thoughtful as he watched her. "I figured you might say something like this." He leaned back on the desk and seemed to mull over what she had said. "What happened last night... I don't want you to think it was your fault. I don't remember much of it, but I know I put myself in that situation, and you're the one that saved me. As well, I don't want you to think that I'm doing this out of self-sacrifice." He paused to think again, taking a sip of his drink. "It's really more like self-satisfaction. I'm only helping you because it's what I feel like doing. You might think pretty highly of me, but I think if you knew me better you'd be pretty disillusioned." He hopped up off of his desk, finished his drink and put the empty bottle back in his bag. "But... I think you might have enough comic books for now. I'd hate for you to read too much and get overloaded. I guess I can be done as your shopper for a while, too."

Trevor started to head out the door, but paused halfway there, and turned back around to face Izzy."There is something I'd like you to do for me, though." He took a few steps forward, coming rather close to Izzy. "Finish this. Whatever it takes, end this mess, and become human again. I'll wait for you. I'm looking forward with all of my heart to chatting with you again." He held out his fist, and bumped his against Izzy's. "Good luck." And without another word, Trevor turned and left.

About three hours passed. Cerasus had continued to wander around the school like a ghost. He seemed to walk around a lot more since he had acquired this form. Apparently he was enjoying having such long limbs. Riley eventually turned up, and tracked down Izzy where she had been sitting, thoughts and feelings from her meeting with Trevor still fresh in her mind. He looked uncharacteristically distraught, almost haggard.

"I'm sorry, I messed up." He said in a dire voice. "Your school-chum got kidnapped."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy held her breath, watching Trevor lean back and waiting for his response. When he paused, Izzy looked back to her lap, rolling the half-full soda bottle in her hands as he continued speaking. She shook her head at his comment about himself.
“From what I have seen of you, I doubt it.” She looked up as he moved from the desk, watching him put away his already emptied bottle then head toward the door. Part of her did not want him to leave, wanted to invite him to stay a little longer, that their last meeting, even if just for a short while before they could hang out again, did not have to end yet.
But, “Thank you, Trevor,” was what she said instead, reminding herself that the sooner he was away, the better. “For everything. You’re... a really good friend.”
When he paused and turned back toward her, she stood as he spoke.
“After everything you’ve done for me, just name it.” Her gaze met his as he stepped toward her and gave his request. She nodded, her expression resolute. When he held out a fist, she raised her own, putting as little force behind their fist-bump as she could. She only nodded again in thanks to his well-wishes, and watched him leave, listening to his footsteps receding through the halls.
For nearly the next three hours, she tried to stay busy, though there was little for her to do in the school. After trying to read a couple more comics she had difficulties investing her full intention into, she had even considered stalking Cerasus for a short while if for no other reason than to keep herself occupied. Instead, she decided to explore the school, to see what she could find that looters and vandals had not already staked claim to. She passed Cerasus a couple times in her search, but offered only a nod in acknowledgement.
In a storage room in the basement level, she found a filing cabinet that someone had forgotten to empty. Though the files and pages inside were weathered and many sported water damage, it was here, rummaging through pages in various stages of decay and trying--but failing--to not think about Trevor or the last battle standing between her and humanity, that Riley found her.
Torn between irritation, dread, and the anxiety that he had come to declare the date of her final fight, she looked up from the file she held, its contents consisting mostly of childishly scribbled essays. When she registered Riley’s appearance and expression, she inhaled and quickly sat the file down. A knot formed in her stomach.
“Riley? What’s wrong?” She held her breath.
Izzy stared at Riley for a moment in shock as his answer sunk in. She felt suddenly sick.
“He’s...what?” The hunters. It had to have been the hunters. Her hands clenched, and her nose and lips rose in a snarl. “How?” she snapped. “When? Where’d those foul, loathsome beasts take him?!” She stormed toward the door, then stopped in the doorway and faced him. "I swear, if they so much as touch one hair on his head..." she finished the statement with a seething snort. She had sent Trevor away, and he ended up getting kidnapped. If Episode had no issue with killing him, there was no telling what the three would do now.

[Dead Cruiser]

Riley followed closely behind Izzy, "No, I'm entirely to blame here." He sounded genuinely apologetic, a very strange change of tone for him. His usual sleazy frivolousness was gone. "It'd be one thing if this happened two days ago, or before that, but I promised to take him on last night. Still, I didn't see this coming. It was one thing that Episode threw his cross at him; that could be considered part of combat. Truthfully, humans that are a part of this world, including those in my position, usually don't want to affect regular people." This could be the reason that he was seemingly always avoiding Trevor.

"I don't try to actively bring people into this. I won't stop them, but I won't encourage it, either. Guillotine Cutter, though... He didn't hesitate at all. Not the least bit shy, that guy. This is a complete blunder on my part. I totally misjudged your opponent's capabilities and powers."

[Riven Wight]

As surprising as Riley’s tone was, Izzy’s gaze darkened as he spoke, as if, had he not modified their deal, Trevor’s kidnapping would be just as tragic to him as the boy’s death had been. The expression intensified at his statement of Episode’s actions being nothing more than “part of combat.” But there was a far more important issue to expend time on than his listless attitude toward the well being and involvement of “regular people.” She did not want his explanations. She wanted to take action.
“Guillotine Cutter,” she said through her teeth. She squared her jaw and looked Riley in the eye for a moment. "You saw him." She turned again and headed into the hall beyond the large storage closet, her steps clipping furiously on the cracked tiles, her hands still clenched. She headed to the stairs leading to the main level. “Where’d he take Trevor?”

[Dead Cruiser]

While not panicking, Riley continued to explain the situation in his concerned tone, almost ignoring what Izzy was saying. Perhaps that was how he panicked? "He must have been watching your fights with Psychotic Episode and Dramatic Theurge. I negotiated with the three separately to keep that from happening, but he outsmarted me." He shook his head. "The barrier functions even if you're followed, but it's not like your friend lives here. He could find him if he looked." Riley closed in behind Izzy and put his hand on her shoulder to ensure she was paying attention. "He sent me his conditions. They're the same as before: you two will go at it one on one. If you win, you get Damocles' legs. If he wins, you tell him where Damocles is. He didn't say anything about your friend. I assume he sees the boy as a tool. Or a weapon.

"He chose the time and place himself. Your high school athletic field, which proves he was watching your fights, since he specifically requested it. And he wants to fight tonight."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy faltered near the top of the staircase at the thought of Guillotine Cutter watching her, unseen, but the action was nearly unperceivable. On the main floor, when Riley placed a hand on her shoulder, she stopped and turned around with an irritated snort. He still had not answered her question. Her gaze bore into his, annoyance mingling with the rest of the emotions on her face.
Her nails dug into her palms at the thought of Trevor being used as a weapon against her. Fear flashed through her eyes at the request to fight tonight, but only for a moment. After all, that was exactly what she had planned on doing, officially or otherwise. Whatever it took to get Trevor away from the hunter, away from this wretched world.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” she growled. When she continued, her words were rushed as she turned from him to head to the front door. “You said you misjudged him. Did you see what he could do? What am I going up against?”

[Dead Cruiser]

"Good, that's the spirit." Riley seemed, not pleased, but satisfied that Izzy was ready to fight. "I'm afraid I don't know enough to help. But this is still my mistake at the end of the day, paper over it was I might. So I'm going to give you a little more of a hint. If you do this, you can rescue your friend. If you can rescue him, you can beat Guillotine Cutter." He held up two fingers. "First, forget how heroes act in those comic books you've been reading. Second, forget about your humanity."

Minutes later...

After she had finished hatching a plan with Riley, Izzy sped over to the high school as quickly as her legs would carry her. The fence was cleared in a single bound, and she soon saw Guillotine Cutter waiting for her in the field. The priestly man with spiked hair and piercings. His eyes, now that she was looking more closely, almost seemed to look at her gently. As she had learned from Riley before she left, he was a man that denied the existence of aberrations. And in doing so, he eradicated the existence of aberrations. According to Cerasus, the archbishop of "the church," and a man Psychotic Episode had warned to be careful of. He had stolen both of Cerasus' legs from him.

"Ah, have you run over? You must be exhausted. Though if you are unable to turn your body to mist, you must be a novice to such abilities." He spoke in a tone so polite it was infuriating. And his eyes narrowed at Izzy as he did so.

He wielded Trevor's body with one arm, his hand clasped around his neck. He was okay, for now. He hadn't been hurt, and he was conscious. Of course he was, he was to be used as a hostage against Izzy.

"I-Izzy, I'm sorry, I-" Trevor tried call out to Izzy.

"Please do not speak without permission." Cutter calmly yet firmly said, his hand closing tighter around Trevor's throat.

[Riven Wight]

Izzy turned to Riley once more when he offered another “hint,” a frown pulling at her mouth. Still, she listened intently, not wanting to waste any time on arguments. If it could help her save Trevor, she would take it. She nodded slightly at the first, but inhaled sharply at the second. Slowly, stiffly, she nodded again.
“For the record,” she said a few minutes later before she embarked on her mission, standing in the doorway with her back to Riley, “it wasn’t just your mistake.”
With that, she rushed to the school, the road leading to the athletic-turned-battlefield all too familiar. Only this time, she traveled it for more reasons than just to retrieve Cerasus’ remaining limbs. Now, she had a life to save. No matter what she had to do, she would get Trevor to safety.
Reaching the field, she slowed to a stop and sauntered the remaining few yards to where Guillotine Cutter waited, Trevor with him. She only glared at the man when he spoke, her chin lowering slightly and back perfectly straight.
She looked to Trevor when he called out to her and held her breath, trying to keep her expression hard and unreadable. Her muscles were tight, and she just managed to keep herself back, to not lunge at Guillotine Cutter. Her face twisted with fury when the man cut off Trevor’s words, and her hands clenched. She tried to wipe the expression from her face, her neck twitching with the effort.
“Nice to see you again, too, Guillotine Cutter,” she said stiffly, then crossed her arms. “Though, from the last time, I didn’t think you needed to stoop so low.” She nodded toward Trevor though her eyes stayed on Cutter, every ounce of willpower going toward keeping her cool. “Are you that afraid?”

[Dead Cruiser]

"Unfortunately, Mister Theurge and young Mister Episode have already left for their home countries. I was left to face your camp entirely alone. Without a hostage or two, how could I balance the situation?" Said Guillotine Cutter, clearly and calmly, utterly unashamed. "They who held Damocles' arms, and gave them back like honest fools. Chivalry? How bizarre." He adjusted Trevor's position relative to himself, easily swinging him around with one hand. "In other words, Mister Damocles must have recovered to quite some extent thus far. Dear once-human girl, Thrall of Damocles, I cannot allow myself to be injured in a head-to-head fight with you."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy’s glare darkened as Cutter moved Trevor. Holding her breath, she watched for any sign the action hurt her friend, the desire to attack Cutter resonating through her with a vengeance. But she had to be smart about this. Trevor’s life--and, ultimately, her own as well as Cerasus’--depended on it. She only hoped what she and Riley had shortly discussed before her departure would work. She closed her eyes for a short moment as he continued speaking, taking a couple deep breaths and forcing her hands to unclench.
“Poor, pitiful little Guillotine Cutter,” she began, her voice stiff despite her efforts to sound sarcastically sympathetic. “Abandoned by your companions. Sent on a suicide mission by your church. So desperate without your aberration bodyguards, so heartless as to capture an innocent human.” Anger made her tone sharp as she said the last. “If it wasn’t for Theurge and Episode keeping Damocles’ attention, I’m betting you’d have been the easiest one for him to take down!” She smirked at him, her gaze locked with Cutter's and trying to avoid looking directly at Trevor.
She took a slight step forward. “Tell me, Guillotine Cutter,” she spat his name, “what is it you gain from all this?” She gestured to the field around her without taking her eyes from him. “Fame? Fortune? Or do you just get to continue to live in your little world of denial?”