The Abyss pulsated with its ground shaking, with its inward pulled out skies molding the peaks of the mountains and the dirty, damned soul stained skies forming a swirling storm to come and crash on everyone gathered and still in their stable existence.
Amidst them all stood the fusion of two, gazing over the gathered who were ready to clash with her - one more time, and clearly for the Abyss it will the last. The bits and fragments of Data flying in the flickering and twitching motion as they were exposed by the shapes of the place coming undone, the geometry eroding in the exposure of its actual nature.
Amidst this crashing and disintegrating, coming undone world, a ray of light fell down through the bleak and twisting landscape. A radiating light of an aura crowned a new visitor to arrive in this wretched place - which Nephuna met with a quite known, familiar curled smirk of Runa's; shaped on her lips she faced the Valkyrie whom raised her weapon in an invitation to fight, and test their strengths.
"Oh? And who would you be? A Valkyrie?", Nephuna said in a calm tone of Runa's, her voice splitting into two at each word spoken, "And judgment will be done by both sides a challenge awaits EVERYONE", a growling yell of Nephy's rage pushing through.
Raising a hand, Nephuna would call together an army of summoned spears. Ripping into the air like glitches in the matrix of time, the weapons would come around and turtle up. Shield upon shield like a great phalanx, braced together in tight formation that weathered Kanbaru's storm. Immediately as the waves crashed uselessly against it, they'd spring outward and upward and aim for the whale summoner with incredible speed. Maybe she could deflect some, if most but it was simply impossible to deflect all as they came down to eviscerate.
"I'm not your liar, whale! If anything, I've always listened to you. You've been a fun sparring partner and WHEN THIS IS OVER I WILL REWRITE YOU WITH MY NEW TOWER AND MAKE YOU THE SLAVE YOU ALWAYS WERE MEANT TO BE!" Runa didn't take things personally with the whale, Nephy did.
In the spiraling crashing noise coming from the line of spears being destroyed by the precise series of shots coming from the cloud of smoke, multiple Nephunas blink near the source of it; right near Marianne after she's fired. As the parts of the spears flicker in the air, before fading away into nothing, erased, Nephunas inspect the weapon she's used and her pose, some are taking notes. Five of them are in total hovering around her, moving in the blink of an eye.
"Interesting move, but we saw that five minutes before." Runa's voice called in a soft intonation, as Nephy let out a bloodied snarl and would slash out in unison to slice at the target's head, chest, legs, and feet in a blinding and sparking display of unity and strength. "I think you don't have a full understanding on what is going on here. I... AM *THE* DATA. A MASTER ABOVE YOU." Nephuna's voice cracks and swaps between Nephy and Runa's personalities, violence banging against cold precision.
The voice rocking and shaking in two in the wild yelling and calm flow, both lacked hesitation, both lacked and did not desire to have anything that could hold them back - and true to that beings of Data could've feel the shifting transition that would appear in the underline of every line of code Data possessed: Nephuna's structure of being reforming and reshaping the Data, subjugating it, twisting it in both directions of linear processing, seeping through it like a virus. Just erased spears pulled back from the shards and back into their shapes right from the non existence, restored from being undone, recovered from the Data itself.
"I AM THROUGH PLAYING GAMES!" The central and apparent main Nephuna has not moved an inch in the center. Nephy jerks Runa's hand around and forces her to skewer herself with Nekuromata, slicing into her black heart to unleash power outward. Both beings inside feel and share the pain together. Runa's side of the mind expreses itself with a frown shaped over Nephuna's face, a clear sign of displeasement oh how the blade pierces through the flesh, ripping it apart. "That's rather unpleasant. Why one would have for a nature to be released this specific way..?", a question rhetorical was asked, as they both knew why and how; a question which was answered by Nephuna herself as her voice descended into a loud howl echoing through the area and the time around it.
Black and shadowy images of wolves are unleashed from her chest, clawing out with claw and fang as they descend upon the gathered spectators to mop up the rest. Specters that knew nothing other than hate and murder.
In the distance afar, on the edge of the event horizon, created by the swirling and decomposing data, collapsing into itself, a lonely Nephuna was pulling up a pair of massive speakers to stand one beside the other. A click of a button followed made speakers to produce a soft dull clicking sound, and from there, moving in shaky dancing motions Nephuna approached a nearby standing record player and put a round vinyl piece onto the turntable, a needle dropping on the groove soon after. A tune started to play, slowly gathering in its powerful emotion across the battlefield as the said Nephuna beside the player started to dance around the speakers like if they were some sort of sacrificial fire.
All the while, several Nephunas have gathered at the beating heart of the tower. The usual cavern walls of the abyss are collapsing into green data stretched out over black void as the computer mainframe is directly under attack, deforming under the continuous assault of attacks. Several copies are unleashing powerful strikes into the glowing blue core, and it begins to crack under the pressure. It's seals are powerful, shaped as massive chains held together by a gargantua lock, requiring much more force than this.
"Come and stop me now. All at once, if you can. If not I'll leave you to waste as I seize control of this Tower."
The Abyss is no more, the Tower exposed in its digital nature completely. It's now a fight for the Tower itself.
Thomas exploding onto her with the power of the golden eyes was something Nephy had never expected. She had thrown away the runt as a useless hanger on that lacked the power the other team members had. Now she is getting pulverized and nearly obliterated as a violent hit of great energy cracked her cold shell and sent the wolf flying. She landed several yards away, colliding with a cavern wall and falling to the ground in near pieces.
Her fake body is breaking down, her face coming undone like an old mask. Her veins are black with the witchcraft that powered her struggling to keep working after all the damage sustained. Like an automaton falling apart to rust, Nephy is breaking down and coughing up black bile.
"What the hell is all of this..." She'd wheeze through heavy pain, attempting to stand herself up. She couldn't even see Thomas or Kanbaru, having been flung so far away. She'd attempt to pull herself up but instead fall flat on her backside, letting out a pained gasp.
"R-runa! Runa!" She'd call out, desperation settled in her voice.
It felt like the end for a moment, that her life of pain and struggling would end here in this damp and ugly pit, a thought that terrorized her cold heart.
A contrast to all the noise, it was peaceful. Quiet and silent, with only faint echoes of explosions coming from far away, the battlefields Runa left in her one final attempt to escape the cold and methodical rage of Katie’s. The demoness used her spear to hold onto and help herself stand still and walk onward, carefully, enjoying every second of this moment of peace. They were at the eye of the storm. It was all brought in here and now they could enjoy this short moment of peace. Runa stepped carefully, slowly - it could’ve looked as if she was wandering aimlessly, but she knew perfectly where to go - one gift to herself from the knowledge of the future. Careful, slow footsteps to shuffle along the dead sandy lands of the Abyss. She walked alone, through the desert, through the barren landscape, with a massive fire storming behind her.
"I am here, Nephy. I am here.”, the wolf would hear to be said above her as with a grunt the demoness would finally drop sitting on the ground, breathing heavily and grunting still, blood leaking from her wounds. Her hands softly clutched at Nephy’s shoulders and pulled her closer, to her, head resting on demoness’s lap.
"I think...I think I'm dying..."
Nephy struggled to pull herself up, supporting herself on Runa. She could barely move and possibly suffered from a concussion. The world was spinning and images were not clear. She only felt Runa and her flickering presence, and gravitated closer to it for comfort and safety.
"I can't...not the true death. Not here! We're not ready yet!" The wolf barked, summoning her remaining strength left.
Runa’s body felt as real as it ever was, the demoness had to put all her remaining strengths and her entire will of existence into supporting her being from slipping away; the waves of time and data corruptions were washing over her, aiming to claim her and make her disappear forever. She struggled against it with her whole being - as usual, never showing it, her smile as cold and cheeky as always.
As Nephy were coming closer to her, Runa pulled her closer, holding in her arms, while she struggled to sit properly, tossing away the remains of her ruined clothes, leaving her sitting in her shirt and shorts alone. The warmth of her wounded body collecting over Nephy, giving her the sought comfort, as they were to gaze from the distance at the sign of the great collapsing.
“Don’t you think it is… rather poetic that in the reach of freedom, it being so close to us now; we have to suffer the lowest of our existence..? We are very close, Nephetos. Take a rest right now, look at the fruits of our efforts”, Runa said, lifting her hand up to point at the dance of fire and glass in the distance, which reflected the flickering shades of Abyss being corrupted.
“All we need is one last push”
"I know...we can make it...I want to try...we need to come together."
Nephy's fondness for poetry was lost at the moment in her desperate state. She'd strain to pull herself together and use Runa's legs to support herself up onto her bottom, sitting next to her.
"Come into me and we can finish this...now is the time. I offer myself to you, and I'll be your weapon to shatter this jail."
Runa’s hand, warm and soaked in blood caressed over Nephy’s cheek, rubbing it softly like this and looking eye to eye with her when Nephy spoke up. A frozen smile on the demoness's lips held still as she parted her lips to speak.
“A secret there is to reveal to you. In the state I am in now… this power of ours would work the most extraordinary. The most marvelous of all times”, Runa said. It was true, her essence stained and corrupted by the shape of entropy allowed Runa to reshape it according as she saw fit. She closed her eyes and concentrated in her inner sense, her inner existence and twisted the remaining bits of herself to form a shape. To form a circle. Her lips unstuck from the smile to part and press against Nephy’s in a warm blood soaked kiss. Pressing Nephy closer and feeling the circle starting to fill.
Their bodies flickered against each other, shape of breath shared and to become united, the shape of eyes watching at each other were to reflect the endless corridor of possibilities. Hands touching pushing through each other. "Let's claim what is ours."
Nephy returned the kiss, squeezing Runa's hand desperately like a child gripping it's mother. She'd open herself up to the flickering demon and offer all the strength, power, and pain that made up the wolf's being. It was time to bring down this jail by any means necessary, and as Runa said to claim what was theirs.
"Let's do it, together!"
Two became one.
***
A bright light of explosion was to be observed from every angle of the Abyss, and the whole realm was to become subjugated to this light for a moment or two. The concept of the “moment” itself was to dissolve in this light, as the time stood still only to expose the spraying shade of the blue light piercing through the ground and lighting up the ground under everyone’s feet, the corrupted and damaged matter of the Abyss itself was to become gripped by the light and squeezed in its firm, unyielding hold.
And then the world started to twist, its shape turning and coming out of its rigid condition; the broken caskets of the old world shattering and sweeping into dust as the winds were to crush through them and to erase their shapes from existing. The mountain peaks were to touch as they leaned and bent towards one another and ground peaks were to disappear in the cracks of reality falling apart. Grounds were to touch the sky with its broken edges and the sky itself exposed in swirling darkness, the shapes of the souls imprisoned there shifting the clouds into the grimaces of vile rage, pointed downwards onto the reality which was to close up on the top.
The falling and shaking Abyss revealed its true form - an isolated prison of no exit, an inside wrapped sphere.The heart of the abyss is laid bare and exposed, a large blinding light that is sealed over by powerful chains enshrined by god like denizens long long ago. The only way out is through.
Flickering into existence and taking shape, Runa and Nephy's combined body is able to stay together in a single sphere. Clad in a long black cloak with striking contrast of white and black in her long hair, the ultimate challenge in Abyss floor prepared herself. The Nekuromata flickering with the edge that Runa's spear had as its main attribute, the raging winds blowing and bringing the dust up through which the figure were to approach with of little effort and attention to the raging nature with the floating crown of Runa's spears shaping a massive fan behind her, edges aimed at whatever was in front of the approaching warrior.
A line was to be said with two voices, speaking simultaneously. "This world has opened up at last. Revealed its true shape. There is no escaping this place, unless..."
The pair of cold eyes of two souls held cold rageous fire as its owner looked over the folded and twisted landscape. "...Unless it is to be destroyed. It is to be done. And you will be, together with it".
Now that was not how she “expected” things to go - but expectations in case of Runa who defied time by her existence was a matter of somewhat different approach compared to creatures of different perception of time, one would say “normal” perception of time, but the term of normality made of little sense to Runa. As she viewed expectations different from others - they were more of a sketches of the future to come into a shape, shaped up from the multitude of perspectives her abilities allowed her to see, to take into consideration and narrow the events into the outcome she saw the most fitting for the collective of her presences. Even though the slips occasionally were to happen anyway.
But new circumstances were nothing but a new context for a new path to shape forward from where they ended up being in their existence. The turns of events were to unroll this way and now Runa had only to put it into a new perspective and onto new tracks - after all it was easier than putting them back on the old tracks.
The demoness shifted and flickered in the air, disappearing from being seen by anyone - in presence and sight she just vanished into nothing and from the same nothing she appeared alongside where the dragon fell. The dragon which was back to being Katie - despite everything the little Princess managed to get that beast to come into senses. It picked Runa’s interest for thinking through it later, but as of now she had other things to do.
“How fitting that you would end up laying in here”, the demoness was to say to the laying Katie. They both were to find themselves into a massive crater - a gigantic hole in the earth, a wound inflicted into the Abyss from the explosion and erosion old and massive - yet the ground around the place remained cold and lifeless, and was not touched not by moss, not occupied by a variety of creatures and monsters inhabiting the place. And it was not only the rocks alone - instead of the rocky ground on which one would expect to find themselves, Katie and Runa stood on a piece of structure made by a hand knowing of art and craft - and unlike the structures of the fort they were at before, this looked way more grandiose and rich, regal and signifying power.
They were standing on top of the palace which too was brought down from above to find its grave in this dark world. The various signs and marks of the crater and the palace were to look inward imploded, as if the ground itself was to blow up from inside, as something tried to burst out of the darkest depths of this place, and yet it was clear that the collision happened from above, creating massive walls of rocks to surround them.
“Remember my story about the world above us which once found its death and fell into here, like in a rain? It started here.”, Runa said as she made her way towards Katie, in a calm pace and her usual smile frozen on her face, “I do think it is a rather impressive exposition of how hungry this place is. The Abyss. It yearns to swallow everything on its way. It erupted here, reached over the above and pulled the world from above into itself, devouring it. It matters little if it is a single person or a nation. Such is the nature of this place. Hungry bottomless pit.”
A blackened blaze is what Runa found as if drawn naturally to the distortion that was Katie. The fiery energy died down, slowly but it did so like a dying flame, until the blackened etches formed into a familiar dark coat. Katie was no worse for wear, for the most part, scuffed and face down into the ground seemingly unconcious. Whether the sheer impact of her fall caused the crater or it truly was some relic of a time once told, it was hard to say, but she was beyond the help and the distance of the others. As Runa approached, a soft crack filled the air and a splintered section of the palace's pillars fell off like a jagged lightning bolt in front of Runa's feet. It was a bad omen, a sign of misfortune, but probably the only warning the demoness would get.
A plume of blackness manifested out of Katie, forming into a scaled spectral fist that launched itself outwards towards where Runa was standing. Whether she dodged or not wasn't really a concern, the arm's owner slowly lifting herself off the ground. "I really, don't give a shit. Lecturing like that is bad for my migraine," said an unamused Katie, already back to her feet and scuffing off the dust from her attire. The arm remained behind her, still attached to her frame and hovering like a massive cannon ready to fire again. "It's not often I get pissed like that. Maybe I should thank Riku for the pep talk."
Runa’s emotions and reactions were hard to read by anyone - and herself in that case as well. She felt the rising mass of energy forming around the downed girl, the shape of it coming to seep into the ground on which they stood and infecting the marble of the palace with a tingling flicker of electricity shifting and acting out of place - yet visibly Runa paid little attention to that omen. It was not about omens from now on, it was not about survival and winning either. A multitude of roads opened before her and she had to narrow that labyrinth down to a singular path.
The black haze to shape and manifest itself into a massive fist launched towards the demoness, to which she only flickered and moved aside from its trajectory, seeing Katie to rise up from her as hazy state and now standing face to face with her, the blackened cloud of her anger still held into a formed fist, visibly twitching from its readiness to strike once again if desired.
“I am not surprised. In the end, all of this is just a challenge to you all, adventurers. No matter”, Runa said and crossed her arms on her chest, her eyes cold and passionless as never before, “Yes, the princess managed to break against all odds. She is quite an interesting character. Things lay ahead of her, but she remains the most elusive. Evaded both you and me. Quite an interesting trait.”
"Out of everyone here, you're the one that always makes the least sense. Every time too. I bet you have experience in that," Katie said deadpan. The fist behind her began to fizzle away in drenched black smoke as the air itself contorted and burned. "If I'm remembering right, something, something, you and that mutt want out. It's all since come back to me, and every time I remember you being the most annoying one." Katie sighed to herself more out of the effort than anything else, already unlatching her blade and pointing Pendragon right at the demoness. "Frankly, I think I blame you for this whole mess. Or, well, I've got all this lingering rage still inside and you're the closest thing to kill," said Katie with a faint gleam in her gaze.
"It's nothing personal. You just piss me off," she said before gunfire filled the air and Pendragon lighting up.
“Oh, thank you for the compliment”, Runa said in regard to the line of making no sense to Katie, “I do feel it is only fitting for you to be at disadvantage to how you see things, but it is a matter of a perspective in the end”
Runa shrugged and watched the fist of anger fizzle and drench away, leaving a trace of smoke and burned air behind it, a cloud of shadows rising and coating the space around Katie as the girl then drew her blade out and pointed it at the demoness standing idly.
“Wanting out is only natural, is it not? But then again, no matter. We are at the different disposition now and the time of talking is no more”, Runa said looking at Katie and that sword of hers, while stretching her hand somewhat sideways in order to summon her spear, which soon shaped up in its form in Runa’s hand, alien and flickering as was herself.
“I do not take it personally, of course I don’t. We just happened to be at the place of space and time here, and we are at war which will help us both. So come. Lend your help.”
A shot rang out, echoing and bouncing between the marble of the palace and the rocky walls of the crater, as the charge was fired at the demoness, who again, met it with a flickering shape and disappeared from its trajectory, only to appear again in a fragment of a moment later - Runa’s dashing motions shortening the distance between her and Katie with the blade of the spear aimed at her in a simple and direct attack
"Nice trick. You must be the life of parties down here," Katie mused. She was already charging at the demoness step for step in a flicker of speed, blade swung low to high with enough force to smack back the spear the moment the metal clashed. Violent sparks rang out between the two, Katie's strength and experience hardly displayed in her motions. "I never took you as the fighting type. You left that part up to Nephy, so maybe you shouldn't bite more than you can chew." War or not, it meant very little to Katie in the moment. Already with the distance closed between them, she balled her free hand into a fist before launching a flat out punch into Runa's face. Or stomach. Or wherever really, as she aimed in the demoness' general direction, heels ready to pivot and dash towards the next spot Runa wanted to flicker towards.
"If it's having your head lobbed off, I'm happy to help."
The metal clashed, the metal caused the sparks of the fighters’s energy to fuel the air with shades, the weapons swinging and finding each other in the trajectories both girls put them into caused cascades of stretched out shapes of color painting the paths the weapons went in before the collision and after them. Even though Runa indeed did not appear as a fighting type, her agility with the spear was more than obvious to show she was more than capable of using this weapon and putting it into use. Even though the direct attack the demoness put on was rather easy to evade and deflect, Runa herself deflected and evaded well.
But it came out to be that her dashing was not the only way to abuse time and disrupt it. Right as Katie’s fist made its impact with Runa’s stomach, pushing through the solidness of her body and causing the demoness to take a step back, or two - pushed behind; a flickering motion was to appear again, but coming not from Runa.. But from another Runa, who appeared right behind the girl, the very same spear in her hands, flickering and aiming to strike down at her in a motion which made the appearance of the reality before Katie’s eyes itself to acquire cracks on its surface.
“You might want to consider saving that energy of yours”, both Runas said in the momentum.
"And you might want to watch where you step," was Katie's response.
Her instincts told her to turn and turn she did, Pendragon raised up as more metal kissed metal, pacing her steps as she spun away from between the two Runas. No sooner was she away did the first one find her foot stepping into a cracked portion of the ground. It gave away immediately as debris and crumbling terrain fell into the distance, the dark abyss that made for the ruin's pools. Katie was already back in position, Pendragon still aimed at both now. "You should have paid attention to that omen. Don't you know it's bad luck to hang around a raven?" she said with the shadow of a smirk. With two of them that made for two targets each for Pendragon to ripple and fire off bullets dense enough to rip through stone on impact as they launched out of the blade's mechanism.
Pair of spears hit the empty spot, making the ground to crack and shatter under the force of both strikes as Katie made her way away from between two Runas and gained a position to aim at both of them now, with the marble ground underneath them all to once again remember the sensation of scars to run through as the floor started to crackle and pieces of structure disappearing in the black pit of the Abyss under one of Runa’s foot; taking a moment for them to once again find a better positioning.
“Not bad. Usually it takes this little trick alone to solve it. You are the second one to do this. Congratulations”, one of the Runas said, the other applauding to Katie once after - only for both of them to flicker away in a quick dashing motion - away from the shots fired at them which left the drilling holes in the stone around them and two spear wielding figures to shorten the distance once again: one using the other’s spear as a platform for a jump during which she disappeared from the view into the flickering absence, and the other one once again aiming the piercing strike at the firing girl, slashing directly at her weapon of all things.
"Call it luck or call it a curse, but call it what it is. An advantage."
Katie continued firing off shots, the air billowing with smoke from Pendragon's discharge. No sooner did they ripple in the air and crack sound with force did the two demons flicker out of time again. "Oh typical. Are you going to do that the entire time?" Katie jumped away from the one rocketing towards her, blade brought up to slash upwards instead of blocking or deflection. Once more the sheer force in her swing was enough to send the air flowing, if not blow back the demoness entirely. But no, she wasn't supposed to play defensive. She wanted the demoness' head, didn't she? That notion alone made her pivot a step forward before rocketing at Runa be it blown back or not. Pendragon dancing along her fingers like bladed death, she slashed voraciously and without mercy.
As Katie went offensive, her swings aiming to push the demoness further back to stun her and further to launch at with a rocketing speed - the second Runa from before appeared once again from the position unorthodox for appearances in general even for the demoness herself. The raven aiming to blow the deadliest of slashes, cutting through the air and making it to flicker similar to how Runa herself did, made the first one to evade and play defensive - but then out of from under Katie’s feet the Runa who disappeared amidst the jump before, rocketed herself - the inertia gained by her in the jump - which she only accumulated as she flickered out of the place - was now to come out in the full force. Even though it was to come upside down in perspective, the power itself was there and the demoness’s kick was aimed at the attacking raven; enough of the force to disrupt her attack at the very least.
“Entire time? Now you make no sense to me. How amusing.”
But with the second the third would come as well, with the support of the first one they were to close up on Katie and start striking at her with the piercing strikes of the spears, aiming to abuse her offensive assault; the Runa who was to launch herself upwards was to slash her spear against the air, making the reality to shatter and crack once again and the small shards, reflecting fragments of reality with the edges sharp the demoness was to launch at Katie, throwing them at her with the spear and leaving the deep blue cutting shades of color to follow the thrown pieces and disrupt the coloring palette of the place they fought at: each shape of a trajectory disrupting the colors to be seen through.
"Oh so you can do more than buck and dodge," Katie mused at the demoness' manuevers. The multiple copies were little more than body shields for her to contend with as far as she was concerned. Pendragon was swiftly brought down with the brunt wide width of the blade taking the kick meant for her. Runa's-well one of them-boot met with the weapon before Katie threw them both backwards with a followup swing. Skidding backwards, she suddenly found herself in the opposite position from just a moment before, swinging and spinning Pendragon to deflect and physically bat away the spear strikes aimed for her by Runa's next onslaught.
The air shimmered once before cracking, splintering more so from the demoness' abuse of time than anything else. It was beginning to get annoying and even a liability as those same shards of fractal reality came pelting at Katie like an ice storm. "How nice," she muttered, spinning Pendragon horizontally in one hand until the blade became more akin to a buzzsaw. More importantly, it was a shield against the fractal barrage as the shards burst on contact meeting the spinning metal. "I can do this all day Runa so let's cut this short-"
A heavy weight seethed somewhere in her chest that made Katie flinch. It burst at her nerves with a sharp pain and made her stumble about, some shards getting through and hitting her leg with equal pain. "Shit," she hissed, knowing full well the familiar sensation drawing upon her. She tore away the shard from her thigh and kept up her defense even as the fatigue of her prior rampage finally caught up to her in spades.
“So can I. Days and hours, weeks and minutes are of no matter to me. Or to us. However you would like to comprehend me”, Runa said with little additional tone put into the words - there was no hate, no cheeky intonation, no smugness. The words were cold and merely informative - informing Katie on the fact that this can go on, go on more and more, and the demoness would know of little fatigue.
The storm of shards of reality itself were still storming at Katie who covered herself behind the shield of her weapon as Pendragon adapted to Katie’s tactic in its spinning protective shape. Runa - or rather Runas - kept on pushing with the same tactic, only to drag on time a little more: the Runa in the air was using her spear piercing through and castiving more of the sharp reflective shards at Katie, managing to land a few hits. All while it was to come as a cover for two demonesses on the ground to shorten the distance between them and Katie, and while one was to push at the spinning weapon in order to stop its defensive shape, the other was to come from a flank and pierce the ground underneath Katie’s feet in order to send cracks across it too, the reflective shards forming underneath the raven, forming its spikes upwards, aiming at her and soon to burst at her like a closing beartrap.
"Tch."
Gravity distorted and bent along Katie's form. As if handled by an unseen force her body was launched off the ground and away from the Runas and their pronged assault. Pendragon remained spinning in her hand and with a hurl of her arm she threw her blade like a shuriken right at the one sending the shards her way. Pendragon hissed in the air as it traveled in trajectory, slight indentions made along its surface and wherever else it made contact with as space ruptured around the weapon before finally cutting through the attacking Runa. It grinded and cut into Runa's front and midsection before slicing through completely. The demoness, one of them at least was left with two halves flying with the dripping segments of her upper and lower torso sucked into the whirlwind that was Pendragon like a black hole.
Throughout all this Katie continued dodging and moving, running along the ruined structures of their environment parallel to the ground with little gravity to stop her. Some shards made their mark, piercing her coat and leaving red blotches along her inner shirt. These were soon dissolved away instantly with blackened flames as dark ichor came out of a coughing mouth. Black blood seeped and was spat from her lips as the tension of the black dragon's usage strained her body more and more.
“Oh no”, one of the Runa’s said once the launched Pendragon aimed directly at one of the demonesses and cut her in half, leaving the cut into two body to fall limb and disappear into the spinning blade of Katie’s sword, lost from sight in the crimson explosion. “How unfortunate”, the other one said and gazed between that crimson cloud of dust and bones and Katie who kept on evading the piercing attacks of the spear and the shards; the ground from which she jumped away by altering the gravity explode into a mass of broken glass taking from reality, crumbling into a mess of poking sharp edges.
“Anyway”, another comment spoken - right from under that mass of broken glass by Runa who appeared from under that broken and twisted shape and launched it directly at the spinning Pendragon, causing the bear trap of the shards to explode like a grenade - the sliced up glass was to be spread all across the area, pushed onto to spread across by the Pendragon itself. Runas who remained on the battlefield flickered on the spot, allowing for the shards to come pass by inflicting little damage to them.
The entire field became a landmine of glittering edges and sharp reflections no thanks to Runa's latest move. It nearly reminded Katie of another person fond of glass but she refused to acknowledge either familial relation, at least not in the heat of a fight. She continued flipping and jumping back, defying the air around her. Staying still was hardly an option at this point and Pendragon was soon called back to her, spinning in the air and caught back in her hand. More and more red began to coat her uniform but her step didn't falter even as she landed on the top of a lopsided pillar. With both hands on Pendragon's handle she lurched back and slashed downwards at the area below.
At once a viciously black stream of energy burst out from her sword. Like fire it consumed everything, taking with it the rain of reality shards aimed her way. Moreover, it engulfed the remaining Runas in its sheer density and mass, the black energy eating them apart in its wake with a hunger that consumed the battlefield until the ground looked much like the land above with dark flames latched onto much of every known surface.
The massive tower of black light erupting from the blade once again summoned into Katie’s hands, fell crashing onto the palace, onto the ground on which they took battle and in that crashing the tower of black energy fell and collapsed into the mass of the fire, which in its endless hunger devoured the place around. The raven standing still on one of the columns was to see how the black fire clinged and spread through, catching up onto everything in its way, spreading and taking everything into itself.
The gasping flickers of the fire were to reflect in the cloud of glass shards which were now levitating idly in the air; the black light reflecting and forming lines and connections between each shard. Now all looking like a massive brilliant made out of black agony, its lines flickering in the fire alive and hungry and its edges slowly turning and shifting, moving; making the diamond to ever change in time, pulsating, and yet to remain still in time.
The Runas that were on the ground disappeared in the flickering darkness, consumed without a sound made and now unseen. For a moment only the storming of the fire was to be present, as the fire sought out to consume even the sound ambience into itself. But then a voice would appear from one of the other pillars. As calm and cold as usual, Runa’s eyes directed at Katie’s, demoness holding her spear still for the moment.
“Devastating blow. Can you do even better? I am sure you can. I admire your ruthlessness, even though you don’t even know if you can land a fatal blow or not”.
Katie's answer was another volley of shots at the sole remaining Runa; for now. "You already know I can do better. Or did you forget the big black dragon?" Katie deadpanned. She cared little for the beauty of carnage that was their battlefield. The ruins looked even more ruinous and the power exerted from Katie's efforts left even the ground scorched hard. Another round of coughs seeped in Katie's system with more black blood splotched from her lips and spat out somewhere into the glass inferno below without care. "You ready to give up yet or what?"
“Of course you can, but you are holding back too, are you not?”, Runa replied and dashed with another flicker from the incoming series of shots aimed at her, moving in zig zags across the fallen structure of the ruins, evading both the fires of Katie’s power and the fires of her shooting.
“The nature of the events unfolding here are slightly off from what you might acknowledge in your perception. But no matter.”, Runa replied and as another series of shots were fired at her she waited for a little longer before disappearing into the flickering motion - and so the projectiles fired disappeared with her; only to emerge from a different angle together with the demoness evading them - only the projectiles were now flying towards Katie herself.
All while the shapes of Runas to emerge from the zig zagged trajectory of the first demoness were to come into existence and in a jointed effort one was launched upwards with others to follow with a flicker: the jointed hands of numerous Runas fused the spears they held into one to form a massively charged weapon, looking at this point like a gigantic magical drill which sought the collision with the ground - and of course with Katie which was on its way.
"Does it look like I'm holding back," Katie deadpanned with another splurge of black fluids boiling from her lips. If Runa was expecting the beast from before she'd have gladly gotten it were it not for the pain deeply rooted inside Katie. It was as if her stomach was trying to consume itself and every nerve felt like a firecracker of stinging pain. It nearly made Katie buckled and certainly was enough to make her handling of Pendragon wobble and shake at best. The demoness easily avoided her shots just as Katie avoided her own, the bullets redirected back towards her from Runa's mimicry of time. Leapt away from her perched position, Katie saw a myriad of different Runas all converge on her spot each with a spear each that was conjured and molded to form one singular point that no doubt rippled through this time frame.
"Fuck you-"
The drill lurched into a barely raised Pendragon as fractural sparks of time and leaked space emanated from the collision. The same spectral arm from before was summoned in some attempt to punch the lance away, only to falter and spurt out with another lynch of pain coursing through Katiee's body. The drill did it work against Pendragon's flat side but the momentum was too great. Katie was immediately forced down and down into the wreckage that blazed beneath her with the lingering wisps of her curse igniting the air hotter than any of her black flames. A great crash resounded as a plume of dust and debris marked her collision with the area baked in it.
The drill kept on pushing down and down onto the Katie blocking it with the Pendragon - the massive spinning spears fused into a singular force piercing through the space and time and quite literally spinning it around itself, like if a machinery rotor made a hole in the continuum and through which the said rotor would spin it further around. The fragments of time and space were flickering in the collision of Katie’s blade and Runas’s joined spear, the flickering shards and pieces of past and present, reflecting on each other showing future - many futures in which both would see the images to possibly come, or possibly never to appear.
Fighting the drill would be like fighting the force of space itself, it was the weight of the world falling on Katie’s shoulders and forcing her down into the ruins, pressing her down into it, as if aiming to make her one with the said ruins. Dust and dried blood flickering in the air and shifting through the reflective mass of glass from before, as the landscape for both of the fighters was to fuse into the blackened shade of flickering absence, robbed off of its contents.
From afar, where the rest were to see it, it looked like a massive circle of flickering black, where the fire collided with itself across time. The heat rising up and with it the drill gaining more of the momentum in its intensity, a singular voice to come to Katie through all the noise.
“Try it.”
Power.
Despite her natural prowess and own experience, it was clear to Katie the enemy in front of her was greater than her own strength. It was severely obvious she was lacking in. Power. The endless pools of her own curse beckoned at her mind among the taunting words left by the floating Runas. It was an option but fatal at this point, and she could already feel that beast begin to consume at her heart, tearing into her own chest. She lacked. Power. There was something else. Something greater than that desire; a deep and unending urge to kill. The enemy before her was a target. Something she wanted to vent at, to throw all her frustrations upon. To kill.
Power. Kill.
The two words blended in her flickering mind among blood and rubble and the unending noise of the lance drill with consciousness sliding in and out of reality. They melded into their very concepts but burned away with that same passion that she sought. She wanted power. She wanted to kill this demoness. She wanted both. More. There was more. Something pulsed near her hip and she latched onto it without thought like a parasite. No sooner did she do so did a new energy enter the air and she screamed. A horrendously choked noise echoed in the Abyss as the fractured sky started to crack once again; but whereas before in the dragon's rampage there was destruction without relent, now there was the tell-tale sign of coding and token numbers, data glitching as the Floor itself was affected, as if something was overloading its systems.
Power. Kill.
These two ideas made itself manifest through Katie's flesh as a storm engulfed her broken body, eating her apart in a viel of black until she emerged again. The lance stopped, breaking down at its core molecule by molecule. Even the flames parted away suddenly by a gale as Katie stood like a point in the storm, the Bastion card fully absorbed into her.
"......."
And then it came to a roar. The roar. It came from Katie and from the deepest pits of her entire being. It was obvious to Runa - to all of them as they looked down from behind the glowing, flickering, reality shattering shape of a drill. They could not read what exactly happened, but they could sense the shift, the change in what Katie was to appear the moment before and in how she was to appear before them now. The change came together with that roar.
The chuckle, it was a reaction from Runa. Looking at them from Katie’s perspective she were to spot them spinning and floating, clinging at the handle - or handles - of the combined spear, shifting around. They were all the same, and yet they could have some difference in their appearance, some were to have different hairstyles, some wore different dresses. But they all looked down at her, the mass of blue eyes was all directed, pointed down at her, looking into Katie’s eyes, with the cold deep blue of the color drilling through in the gaze, as if aiming to look right through her. It was as if the ocean of the Abyss itself looked deep into Katie. Coldly. And after the roar came quiet. Her entire self consumed by and coated in the black of the veil disappeared and then reemerged anew - bringing the splash of energy tremendous and destructive, causing the reality behind the reality itself to finally show up as behind the shifting shattering reflections of the Abyss, the glitches of the Data emerged to be seen for the eye of anyone now.
“Finally”. Runa said, seeing these glitches to emerge, all while the great lance of hers came to the disappearance once Katie’s energy explosion disintegrated it, it followed with the variety of Runa’s to flicker away too; leaving only one to stand before newly appeared Katie, eye to eye, face to face.
“Now you see. Now we both see.”
Runa's words were met with a slash through her that crept from her shoulder to her abdomen. Before the demoness could finish Katie was upon her, eyes empty and the intent of a killer marked across her features and aura. The glitched data that made the Abyss' falls faltered and soon stabilized back to normalcy. There was no rampant outbreak of madness like before, only the cold and calculation of the Bastion card puppeting Katie's body. Something was wrong. The slash did more than harm Runa, as a great entropy ate away at her body....no, her data. All things were data in the Tower after all, and even this Abyss prisoner was no different. The final death loomed upon Runa as her body broke itself down into fractal code and numbers. Erasure. Katie slashed again, this time at Runa's arms until both were lobbed off and dissipated.
Purged forever from even the confines of time, let alone the Floor's data.
Katie now too moved like a pure force, pure power - just as she desired it to be. Her body was fast and she quickly closed the distance between her and Runa, sliding through her appearance and slashing through, slicing her body into pieces. And more so this time it leaked with more than just her time, or presence - now it leaked with the Data.
Heavy weight of entropy touched upon Runa’s shape and presence, biting away a bit of herself as yet another body of hers appeared atop of the column once again, looking down on Katie and her own body fading away into the leaked data.
The touch of death creeped through her body, feeling its cold rush rushing through her presence, as if trying to find something in there.
“Better, much better.”, the demoness said, looking around the Abyss amidst which they stood still, despite all the damages done. Not the first time this place took such a damage, but certainly now of all times they pushed up to the limit, and it was just a bit before pushing it further on.
She was standing there. Watching closely. Watching with a smile - and this smile meant little in regard to her usual smirk shaped on the lips. A cold and distant smile as if it was imprinted on her face permanently, on the never changing, constant, unamused face; it was not the case for the smile she wore on her face at this very moment. It probably was a detail of difficult significance to others and easy to remain unnoticed by many around her - or could be by everyone - but it was not to be missed by herself: Runa looked at the scenery unraveling before herself with a smile expressing an emotion of something that she would probably try to explain as joy. It was not to be put simply into the words as the source of that emotion lied elsewhere - it lied not in what she was watching to happen in front of her, it was not what caused it, and it was not what it was meant to cause further on as well. No, it was none of it, and all of it at the same time; the source of what she felt as joy was what she saw in that coenscision of events and all the numerous, countless branches which she saw, in which she was. She saw it all, she was everywhere, she felt it and at this very moment, her fragmented, scattered all across existence found the moment to align towards and in so to layer into the one specific spot of utmost precision. What she planned, had come to fruition. All the little details, all the little movements. All was moderated by Runa - Runas, all of them - to find a loophole in the great plan of the Abyss and its fate and reach for that loophole and abuse it in her favor.
It was far from over though. There were still things to be done. But to feel all of this come into a single point of time, to moderate it into existence was a joy frilling the soul of the demoness, even though her eyes did express only the glint of intent somewhat uncanny to appear in the depth of the bottomless blue.
The dragon arose and it brought the excessive parade of pure power and destruction. The beast which once slumbered inside of one, now has awakened and growled, shaking the walls of the cavern with its loud growl full of pure undirected overconsuming rage. Its shape grew only more and further led to the cave around them to shake and to crumble, its walls painted with cracks and rocks falling out of them. But it was only a mere beginning.
Standing still and watching, watching this rage in taken shape to grow in tensity, Runa only observed for the moment. Waiting for the beast to take the form which would show to her the path of its totality - the path which denied being looked onto, the path which denied the future. The path of destruction, the path of overconsuming destruction. The path of apocalypse.
The demoness looked around and, watching closely at what was happening around her - Kanbaru addressing Thomas and Riku, pushing them into a fight, Akiko who already was seeking out the opportunity to strike the dragon at its possible weak point. But there was a resonance of hesitation formed in a cloud of doubt lingering over Nephetos's head and seeking deeply in her eyes. Runa sensed it, was not very difficult to for her as she knew the undead samurai all for too long of a time to pick up on things alien to her behavior like that on a moment. Without a word said she rested her gaze onto the space before Nephetos and a moment flicker she was standing right in front of her, eye to eye.
“Your hand is not as quick and merciless as it tends to be in times of different than now, Nephetos. ”, Runa said with her usual smile, “We have come to this moment, Nephetos. We have reached it, or would I say we made it to reach to us. And yet something holds your hand from the grip on the sword. What would that be?”
The remnants of what used to be the phantom Touka had nothing left to say, nothing more than harsh gurgles and curses towards the other girl, vibrant and hateful. The JSTR paid no heed of these intrusions as it continued to hold comfort to its living vessel, a saintly expression painted on a face only Kanbaru could see. But before such grand goals could be accomplished and they set on such a path, there was the Tower that stood before them. Indeed, it was their only obstacle unless one counted Akiko's stubborness. That was neither here nor there when they had so, so many steps to lay forward, some of which included the two coming closer to them.
As the first to break free of her delusions, it was natural Runa would seek Kanbaru out. It was a meeting long overdue, the parasite in Kanbaru's head prodding her temples in a certain direction. Was that excitement? Some sort of euphoria? It was something that caught the JSTR's attention as it made Kanbaru notice not just the demon, but the demon her pet tag along. The others of their party still remained in their own little fantasies, no doubt walking in circles like Riku and Thomas. Whatever was to be said would have no ears to lend to. The JSTR focused itself peculiarly on Nephy, though the wolf could not see the specter.
The whale followed her parasite's prodding, turning with surprise to find Runa approaching her for the first time since they'd fled the pizza party. She startled, shifting behind the JSTR with a hysterical laugh as she rubbed at her eyes to try and erase any signs of her breakdown. It was a fools errand but she made the attempt and emerged with a flicker of her bravado sliding into place, but with Touka's bisected specter gurgling on the ground she was far from boisterious.
"Somehow I'm not surprised to see you two together so amicably. Call it familiarity but you strike me as good friends." She said, leaning against her nun for emphasis before stepping forward to clap Runa on the shoulder. "Good on you. Glad to see you have someone special making this hole in the ground a little more tolerable. We'll have to find the time to dish all the dirty details while Nephy's busy, kay?"
Nephy was sat up on an old and cracked stone wall, blasted apart from age or ancient battles. The ruin was her perch and from it she looked down on Runa and Kanbaru. She'd kick her feet idly as she licked her nails between her fangs, coated in the blood of some beast she had slain some time ago. The kill still tasted fresh on her tongue, an intoxicating taste.
"I do not like the whale, Runa. I don't know what you see in her. She is much too clownish."
The wolf launched herself off and landed next to Runa, running a hand through her ragged mane which would pull out some mangy hair.
"And she carries something else with her. I don't know what it is yet. I just feel it." Nephy's instincts could only skim the surface of the parasite deep in Kanbaru's heart. All she could tell is something was off, and Kanbaru appeared like she had two heartbeats instead of one at times.
Runa’s presence was as flickering as ever, her shape alternating between spaces and between points of view as her ghostly shape appeared here, and appeared there. She alternated between times and shapes of adventures to come, and witnessed some glimpses of the fantasies forced upon them to witness, to perceive. She found it all quite amusing.
Nephy soon found her way to appear in the place, sitting idly and approaching Kanbaru, as the demon would finally do too, making sure that the other adventurers were too busy at the moment to have even a hint of the conversation they were about to have. The demon stepped quietly and silently, as if she was not here in the first place.
“Oh yes, I do feel it too quite as well too. And this is what we actually need to discuss. Or rather, with what we has to have a discussion”, Runa said and approached Kanbaru with a light bow: “I must apologize for this inconvenience but there would be no other way to have this… talk a heart to heart between us here and we do need to have one indeed in order to… work through the situation we are having at hand”, Runa said, her words are as usual full of mist and smoke, no clear intentions only directions her voice would take.
It seemed quite a bit of work and setup to prepare just to gain an audience with the duo, but the JSTR was no stranger to lofty goals and such like that. Although, much like Nephy, there was some apprenhension to be felt among the two parties. For every bit of fascination and interest the JSTR held towards the wolf, there was an equal amount of disdain and dismissal aimed right at Runa. There was something about this blue demon that sent every motion inside Kanbaru's head to kill on the spot, to rend apart and tear whole as she dared to make a mockery of standing before her. The rampant and killing impulse faded just as fast as it came with no such justification of why coming from the JSTR.
Perhaps it saw something the whale didn't, something in the demon's past; or perhaps her future. Regardless, it held begrudging pervalance towards Runa until it faded back to indifference. All the while, the JSTR focused too much on the mangled wolf that served as Runa's companion. Much like the demon, there was something very fascinating about....ah. There it was. How interesting indeed. The virus could see why its vessel took such a fond liking to this chosen one....but these were ruminations for another time. The question of the hour hung in the air above both parties until the JSTR directed Kanbaru to speak out what they both knew what was wanted.
Ever since the pizza party the JSTR kept its sights on Runa, for despite her alterations and splinters in time and space, her goal remained all the same; getting out of this hellhole.
It was fittin in a way that the white haired companions to Runa and Kanbaru were radiating such hostility, both nun and wolf radiating an intense desire to murder their partner's counterparts. But neither gave way to homicidal impulses and instead opened up discussions like the civilized people they weren't. The quantness of the situation roused further levity in the whale who through an arm around the multi phasic Demon's shoulder and pulled her into a sidewards hug, trusting her parasite to keep the two in the same phase state.
"So, you two have come for me and my friend's help to get out of here? Not surprising. We are rather good at that, and lucky for you two we happen to be in the business of helping other's dreams come true. In fact we can get Nephy here a miracle substance called Shampoo that would make her hair the fluffiest, silkiest, loveliest thing you ever touched!"
Nephy's ears go flat and she gives a not subtle hiss when Runa is snatched up in Kanbaru's embrace. She wasn't worried for Runa, moreso frustrated her one companion was getting touched by this oddly smelling whale. She hadn't forgotten the motorcycle bike either, she had scrubbed her cheek for hours.
"Does this have anything to do with the boy?" Nephy asked Runa, knowing she had been acting funny since their encounter. She had wanted to intervene in several Tower members now, and it was beginning to bother the wolf. Yes, it was good for the plan but playing with their food like this was not something she liked to do.
"Or is the little red girl. The weird one with the invincibility?" Nephy listed off the various things she remembered, struggling to make sense of things.
The motion of Kanbaru’s hand to land on Runa’s shoulder made a slight flicker in the shape of reality around them - Runa did concentrate her presence in here for that forming embrace was to land properly and in so they were now with Kanbaru in a sideways hug, despite demon’s more frequent flickering on spot. Kanbaru’s arm would acquire a flash of various distorted colors, as if the light itself would have troubles coming through the shape of the demon girl. Who kept on looking around with her eyes cold and deep, two blue mirrors reflecting who - or what - ever she was looking at, and giving not chance of reading through her mind what was there in her head, and what did she want.
“Boy.. and a girl… and more. They are all important, Nephy. Kanbaru here too is important. And her mysterious companion will too”, the demon replied, looking over her wolf companion and then landing her eyes at Kanbaru again. She certainly did know more than she led on.
“As for your services yes, your help would be the most crucial now. Me and Nephy; we must leave this place. We must leave the Abyss. And I am sure we realize here what is the way for this to happen.”
False.
It played over and over again in Kanbaru's mind, and she could feel the entity behind her deepen its smirk. False. They didn't need the broken boy or the red cloaked girl. All that they needed resided in only one. Something shimmered behind and above Kanbaru, not too dissimilar to the effects shifting around Runa's constant state of influx. Physical hands rested on the whale's shoulders with an all too real grip as a great shadow loomed out from her back, hunched over the girl. Dissipation inversed on itself and flesh formed fully with the JSTR manifesting for the first time in outside observation. Its lower half crept out from Kanbaru's back like a shadow while the saintly nun continued resting its hands on its vessel.
False.
It stared in its serene mask at the two but more importantly, focused its full brunt towards Nephy. There was a low but shrill noise that only the wolf's trained ears could pick up on, reminescent of metal shrading against each other. It was probably the best method of communication between the JSTR and its newfound liking because its sentiment was shared to the wolf. No, there was no need for the others. There was one among them with the power to weaken the Abyssal walls and barriers that kept them imprisoned, especially whatever law held Runa in place. A dark force of energy resided in the one named Katie, and this sentiment was shared to Nephy and its vessel.
It was one thing to feel the JSTR against her but she could certainly come to enjoy her in the flesh, especially when she was hugging another babe as well. The impression of lies drifted through her head, her parasite telling her that Nephy and Runa weren't being very upfront with her. That was fine. Kanbaru knew the best way to address deceit was her special brand of blunt force honesty.
"I can see you two want out, and it just so happens my friend and I can do that for you if you're willing to help us get the pieces we need. A particular piece, with a nasty habit of stabbing her problems, and who just so happened to befriend an old compatriot of mine. You've probably seen her already. She's kinda like Nephy here in temperment." Kanbaru looked back over her shoulder past the nun, winking at the irate lupine for added measure.
At the feeling of the wave of power crashing against her and the sight of the shadow clawing out from Kanbaru's back, Nephy drew Nekuromata. There's a clean pull of the blade and it flashed briefly, poised to strike.
"Runa she does not come alone! Something is inside her!" Nephy warned, expecting a fight immediately. Her instincts were telling her to flee, a first feeling for a long time of dull mundane encounters throughout the abyss. Something else as powerful as them was inside here now, which rung alarm bells in the wolf's head.
The information about Katie hadn't gone ignored. Nephy had been attracted to her for unsure reasons, but now knew clearly what the raven had been holding in her heart.
"It wants the raven, the black haired one. What do you want with her? What power does she hold?" Nephy's tone became more demanding. She'd look to Runa to see what she would do, prepared to fight or even perhaps flee if the warnings she felt were true.
Runa watched the appearance of JSTR with some silent amusement - while not showing any signs of emotion to be expressed, besides the usual held back smile shaped on her, the lack of any action she took was the sign of her being impressed and intrigued by this turn of events.
“I imagined your shape differently. It is always elusive to the eye, perhaps it is due to your nature being of such elusive and never lasting shape?”, Runa asked, looking up; she did take a slight step aside though, watching JSTR to take form and then approach Nephy with some sort of communication situation. The words further revealed by Nephy made Runa to tilt her head and ponder over their meaning - in her case it was an attempt to discover what was already discovered, to remember what was never forgotten because was never realised. Such was the way of time for her.
“A raven, huh? Now that’s interesting..”, Runa said, looking back at Nephy, Runa’s smile held no meaning to people not known to it; but Nephy could read its message this time with the light tilt of Runa’s head - “the hunt is soon to be on”
“What kind of power would that be..”
Now wasn't this interesting. The wolf's actions betrayed her true values, and the JSTR would have raised an eye if the programming allowed such human monikers. Why did any of that matter to the wolf? Katie was a means to an end, and the end was escaping was it not? Surely the wolf was no stranger to pawns and pieces, to sacrifices that needed to be made for her own survival. That was the law of the Abyss, the only law of instinct Nephy should have known in her fractured existence. All the same, it caught the JSTR's amusement to see her so riled up on a suggestion. No, there was no hesitation of it; in order to escape, they would need the force inside Katie to act as a conduit.
It reminded Nephy as such, flashes of a bestial thing laying waste to the lower dwellings of the Abyss, that which Nephy caught sight of and knew. There was no point playing pretend. The wolf knew exactly what sort of things festered inside that girl and how its power could be utilized in weakening the barriers. All this and more passed from parasite to vessel to wolf, and eventually to demon. It was simple, truly. All that was needed was just a push and Katie could unravel the festering inside her. And then, the two were free to utilize that chaos for escape, to shatter the walls foever.
"Funny you call her a raven when she's a brunette. And what's with the panic, I thought it was obvious I had the JSTR here with me. After all she helped me fight you." Kanbaru folded her arms as she found herself bereft of a huggable demon. She'd make do inverting positions with her nun, finding herself the one draped over her back, arm curled to tenderly cup the shark's cheek in her hand.
"It's all rather simple. We need Katie, or rather, we need the monster beneath the skin. For reasons we...don't see any point in telling you, killing her is strictly off the table, and really it wouldn't help you. But if we all come together, we can isolate her from the more bleeding heart members of our party, and I know Akiko won't lift a paw to help. Then, oh then little corpse wolf, you can get to do what you're best at and push her over the edge." Kanbaru said laconically, only to blink as the faint gurgles of a specter reached her ear.
"And, obviously, you can't kill Ami to do it. But with all those prickly spirits inside you, someone has to know how to haunt a broken little girl like Katie, no~?"
Nephy didn't like this one bit. Katie and her weren't exactly what you could call friends but something about this felt deeply wrong that the wolf could not place. She couldn't dare entertain the idea she liked Katie and wanted to protect her, but the cold looks both Runa and Kanbaru gave and the idea of ripping out the beast inside. It sounded too much like things the wolf had experienced herself.
She would sheathe her blade and give a forlorn look to Runa, and then back to Kanbaru.
"It will not...hurt her. Right?" The wolf asked to Kanbaru, her voice lower than her usual malice filled tone.
"We need her alive. For the beast. Of course."
It was already decided. The JSTR physically wrenched its lips into a near-deranged smirk as it felt what occurred just further away. A change in the wind, a spike in the air. They didn't need Nephy and Runa, only their cooperation and that much was enough. Akiko had proven herself useful after all, worthy of their mantle and namesake. By choice or chance, the deed was already done and all in the area could feel it, from Runa to Thomas. The world around them shook as one by one the occupants in the cavern were roused from their delusions.
The air became heated and charged with a sickening energy as the Abyss itself shook from a sudden force breaching it from the inside out. A monstrous noise rang out through the air, one that rattled Nephy's undead bones and threatened to unravel her from the very core. Yes, there it was. That was what they were looking for.
Confusion in Thomas’s voice spoke enough on itself, more so than anything it spoke of his distrust towards everything, mainly in Runa herself as she stood there, looming over the knight boy like a mirage or an ill spirit. Maybe she was either, or even both of these things. She leaned over to Thomas’s face, getting closer so her eyes met with his eyes - in the direct gaze. In that gaze Thomas would not see any emotion, in the deep blue of Runa’s eyes there was nothing clear to be seen except for the said endless blueness of her eyes, as deep they were, they were also cold and almost lifeless - in a similar sense of how an ocean is to be seen lifeless - a mass of water stretched over the land with the waves shifting; so were her eyes, light lightly shifting reflected in them. but the blue of the color remained cold and impenetrable.
“You did not, but you will learn. This is how power is acquired. It might look intimidating at first, but you will be able to learn. You will”, Runa said, before leaning even closer, so only Thomas would hear her words: “What I did is to make sure of your future survivability. You may thank me later”, she said with the voice of hers never changing at all, which possibly added some uncanny undertones.
She moved her head away after that and nodded to Riku, giving her the usual smile as she responded: “Indeed, he has. That knowledge will open many doors for him to step through and discover things which may potentially bring him in the spotlight of a world. One of them at the least of it. It is quite a lot”. Runa said and stood up, motioning to Riku, Thomas and the others to stand up as well: “We have not much time to spare, unless you want the ill spirit to catch up on us. Follow me, the tunnel will provide us quick passage underground”, Runa said and went into the said passage she opened a moment ago, taking the position of leading the party of adventurers onward.
She stepped into the entrance and further into the tunnel - the walls of the cave narrowed the path down under the ground into the rocky area, otherwise prepared for the escape prior to: the staircase made out of the stone for easier descent as well as various plants and moss of fluorescent nature - which were put too specifically and with a certain sense of measure on the walls for them to be growing there naturally - to illuminate the corridor; even though despite that calm and somewhat shy presence of green-ish light making sure the walls were to be seen - the end of this passage was covered in the distant darkness, impossible to understand where it would lead towards to.
Nevertheless, Runa led the party of adventurers on - for some time they would all remain in the narrow tunnel of the cave, with little of anything to look at, with an exception of moss and fungus growing on the walls of the cave. A hum could be felt coming from somewhere outside of these cave walls, a hum on the frequency so low it was impossible to properly hear, but the texture of its presence would most certainly be reflected on each of the adventurers one way or another. It felt like a breath of the water massive. Or something that lived there.
Soon enough Runa was to break her silence once they all approached what seemed to be the end of the tunnel, her voice as usual calm and undisturbed by anything: “Watch your step now. The passage might get a little tricky now.”, she said and stepped into the darkness.. which resulted to be a little pocket of shadow, casted on by the steep angle the passage took. Past that angle, following Runa, the adventurers were to see a wide and open space of the underground cave, stretching onwards to the places beyond the eyes could see, the walls shaping the cavern towered over the party and made them look tiny compared to these walls, stretching downwards, into the blackness of the Abyss. The path were one for them to take from that exit - the continuation of the passage they just used went along one of the walls from one side and with the bottomless pit from another. The cave was illuminated by the light sipping through the cracks in the walls on the sides and above them - it was rather unclear what the light itself was and what was its source, but one thing was certain enough - it was not strong enough to cast away the darkness of the pit gaping below the path they stepped on. It was enough only to make them see towards where the path continued - the set of staircase once again, disappearing into the what looked yet another ruinous building, wood and stone of the building structure merging with moss and rock of the cavern forming some way of entrance into what otherwise remained unseen by the darkness of this place.
“We are almost there. Our way out is through that staircase”, Runa said and made the first step along the path before them.
In her almost typical manner, Runa appeared as if out of nowhere, almost as if a spirit of the Abyss itself, seemingly materializing out of the vile air of the underwater prison - to appear beside the rather energetic Kanbaru and the newcomer to join the party. Twists and turns of the ruinous structure of the fort revealed not only the demon herself, but both Thomas and Riku to follow her through the passages and hallways of no actual sense: though both of them looked worn down, they were both alive. Leaving the Fable pair to take a short rest the demon stepped up to take some leftover of the food alien to her and take a bite, while observing over the newcomer; coming up to her she took a light bow, leaning her torso down and greeted her with a smile curled on her lips.
“Welcome. It is rather surprising to witness yet another traveller here, and more so one known to others. My name is Runa. Pleasure to meet you.”, Runa said, even though neither her voice nor her face expressed any tone of actual surprise or astonishment; her tone in fact remained as calm and neutral as ever and her eyes of two blue cold crystals gazed idly over the newcomer, looking her from head to toes. Seemed like if she was expecting the newcomer to appear in the end, but there was no clear indication towards any of that. After a moment of pause, Runa spoke again, feeling the familiar creeping shade of cold to touch over her skin: “I am afraid though that we would have to delay the proper introductions. The foul spirit has once again caught up on us. We have to move.”, the demon said simply, feeling and seeing both the degenerative effect of the presence of death pure and corrupting, the shade of the fog venomous towards the air itself it seemed as the structures around them all started to expose their fragile and ruinous nature and being.
Runa with taking no extra time, went past both the resting adventurers and the newcomer, aiming to reach the far deep end of one of the constructed hallways and with a spear summoned in the hand of hers to break through the seemily firm wood; breaking through it with ease and exposing the tunnel passage leading out of the fortification they were resting in.
“Unknown to be exposed into existence, such we will be safe from the pursuing presence of the spirit foul for some time. Yet we have no said time to spare and we should be in haste. After all, you all should not stay here for too long and I see no clear desire in your eyes to stay either way.”, she said and went past back to check up on adventurers again.
“A word of advice - do not try to predict this spirit’s motions and how they would to unravel in the future”, Runa said to Akiko as she stepped past by her, “The noise you saw once you were to look into me would be as dense for you to witness again, if you would attempt to do so with this spirit. Concentrate on fleeing at the moment”.
With that said, she stepped towards Thomas and Riku, to check up on them as well, “How is your wound, young knight? And how are your eyes? A moment of reflection of course you would like, but I am afraid we have to move now.”, blue eyes would then look at Riku: “Be sure to help him if he requires it. Follow me through the tunnel. The rest will catch up.”
Time passed by much faster than it should’ve been; but it was surely no surprise as Aurora for that whole hour was quite invested and busy into fixing her bolide back in shape, making sure to repair the most crucial damages done to Spike, while more cosmetic and less important pieces like the body of paint (which frankly was a mix of paint and dirt at this point), she quickly patched up with some quick plasters of adhesive tape.
“Blue electric tape! Always a winner!”, she said to herself, not paying much attention at the moment to the fact that bright sea blue color on the dusty yellow looked rather alien, but it did bring some hand-made and post-apocalyptic feel to how Spike looked; which in a sum of everything probably gave Aurora some bonuses in terms of how she appeared before the crowd and how her potential fans would perceive her: a road warrior. No matter the fact that she was in fact an ex-coffee machine.
“Speaking of coffee..!”, she cheered to herself as she approached a coffee machine in the repair shop and ordered herself a cup. An AI and the android made a little chat about the coffee and ingredients, before Aurora heard the announcement.
“Don’t get too stuck with the coffee only! You too can become a racer one day! You just have to belieeeveeee!”, she said to the coffee AI as she went back to Spike. It was not clear if the coffee machine was ready to follow her advice just yet. Aurora though had enough faith in herself and Spike; but more than anything else she had most of her faith put into speed itself.
There was no time left for her to spare on anything. It was running short on her, slipping through her efforts, through her attempts to make haste. The only thing in her mind that kept her hopes alive and going was that Montag was already on his way to help the girl - after all there was quite a lot of time she spent on distracting most of the guards and police workers in here, the mayor himself and the various guests he had in the villa - who were most certainly quite amused by the display of the poor to come on the party; most certainly in a way how a person would be amused by a theatrical performance.
She was sure there was an opening large enough for the detective to act. Even though she herself remained rather useless to the whole operation in terms of action, she could at least win some time. Such was her mindset when she opened the door to the villa in full determination to get to the second floor and reunite with Montag as soon as possible. Soon enough though that mindset was taken away from her.
Through the ruckus in the kitchen she saw Montag, held down by a woman with a clearly seen pulsating tattoo on her neck - the pulsating with dim and deep blackness, swelling, almost shining on the surface of the skin. Abigail could have sworn she saw what she saw, even if her mind was not giving a space for that seen image to be processed through anyhow. It was alien, it was not meant to be - yet there it was. So were the woman’s words.
It was unheard and impossible to make sense out of - but what Abigail looked as clear was the eyes of Montag locked onto woman’s in a gaze hazy and almost lost to its owner. She knew that haze in a life mundane - opium, alcohol. That looked the same, but it felt different, Abigail could not really understand why, her mind could not make any direct understanding on what was going on, yet her guts - and frankly her fate - were screaming that something was wrong. The pulsation of the woman’s tattoo only made this feeling stronger and more intense - it was as if something inside of Abigail’s heart was making her heart to rush more intense, and that tensity was speaking to her on some deeper, inner level of her entire being and existence.
Usually people would call it an animal within, a rageful instinct driven beast. But in that case, Abigail felt something different from that. Something that spoke to her in the language of faith. She was not able to put it into words, she only knew it like she knew how to breathe. Whatever was happening to Montag was wrong.
And so her body moved accordingly. Woman’s body spoke of danger, her words unheard were spoken like a venom to drop into Montag, and there was only one clear thing to do - to stop her. Abigail rushed through the kitchen, closer to Montag, trying to push through the bystanders, various cooks and waiters running around, stumbling as she went, getting up on her feet again and in that motion, clinging onto one of the waiters and pushing him right into that woman’s aiming to stop her from holding Montag by hand and talking this venom into his mind. Next thing Abigail did was to grab onto Montag’s hand and pull him away from the woman, trying to break that weird connection of their eyes.
The party had long since subsided, and with a hearty meal in their stomachs even the most wary of the party had decided it was a good time to get some rest. In fact it seemed as though the whole group was asleep at this point, whether it was in their own little corner or by the table some of them had been eating at a few hours prior. For Thomas, the latter applied. Except he wasn't asleep. He was resting in wait until he was absolutely sure that the rest of the group wouldn't be able to notice him sneaking around. For the boy had his own intentions to carry out, and he wanted to make sure that he didn't get any unwanted attention.
Gently, he got himself up on his feet, unable to resist a brief stretch of the arms before lightly stepping towards the exit of the fort. His plan was nearly foiled almost immediately however, when he almost tiptoed directly into the sleeping Riku. He was surprised, not least because he hadn't realised how close she'd been the whole time. But nonetheless, after a few long seconds of bated breath and so much muscle tension it would make a statue look like an athlete, Thomas was reassured that the girl hadn't stirred and continued on, this time making completely sure he wasn't going to knock into Katie or whoever else happened to be sleeping in his vicinity.
Once Thomas would pass by all the sleeping adventurers and come closer to the exit from the fort building, he would be able to see through the entrance as well as through the cracks in the walls a lonely figure sitting outside. The Abyss knew no day and night cycle, so it was the same eerie gloom of the Abyss to linger over the barren lands with the dim light barely making it through into the depths. It appeared motionless completely to Thomas’s eyes, almost completely impossible for any change to occur in here. What would make this impression to have even more sinister sensation is for that lonely figure being Runa - the demon was sitting almost in the very same position she was found by Thomas earlier in the day, before they ventured on killing the monster. Sitting and gazing into the horizon, again her notebook in her hands as she was to scribble in there, adding some details to her sketch - unseen to Thomas's eye.
Riku hummed in her sleep, a troubled one with an onset of bad dreams and dark feelings. She'd squirm around in her sleepsack, hearing something rustle about her. Thomas had already moved past her when she awoke with a cracked eye. Sleep wouldn't be worth it this evening considering the quality so far. Still in a groggy haze, the princess would sit up on her bottom and stretch out her arms. Some water might help her and moving about to lull her restless body back into sleep.
In the darkness now two people stirred about, and they'd soon collide as Riku bumped into Thomas right at the exit of the fort. She stumbled backward with a gasp, shocked out of her sleepy stupor.
"Oh, sorry!"
They seemed to meet this way consistently.
Thomas had to make a conscious effort not to make any sudden movement or sound as Riku surprised him for the second time in the past couple of minutes, this time while she was conscious. Even after she spoke, he simply stared at her with wide violet eyes for a few seconds, as though he was completely unsure of what to do or say. And, having just noticed Runa as well, he began to feel like his plan of sneaking off completely unnoticed was beginning to fall apart.
"N-no worries. I didn't realise anyone else was awake..." He spoke in a far less animated tone than the girl in front of him did, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb anyone else. The last thing he needed was Kanbaru or Katie on his case.
The boy took another couple of seconds to think before speaking again. "Hey, could you maybe not tell anyone you saw me up and about? I've just... gotta go do something and I didn't want to disturb you guys or anything. I was hoping I'd slip out without anyone seeing." As if prompted by his own words, he looked out through the cracks in the wall again to check if Runa was still in that same position as before.
Runa was not. In fact, in the moment of slight collision between Thomas and Riku, when they two got distracted with each other, the demon moved, and now she was standing in the door frame, calmly looking over both of them. With a smile she usually has, she made a light motion with her hand, gesturing to follow her and outside of the fort building - to whom that gesture was directed though - was it Thomas, Riku, or both of them - was not very clear.
"Not tell anyone? Why? Are you leaving?"
Riku probably would've left alone but Thomas's insistence on keeping things secret aroused her curousity immediately.
"Are you going to go do something dangerous? Cuz I just did a couple hours ago. I fought a monster all by myself." There was a boastfulness in her tone that she did not entirely intend. She'd pull away a moment to clear her throat. She felt she was being watched by someone, but had always felt that way in the Abyss. It was never safe anywhere entirely.
Then she caught sight of Runa, a bit surprised she hadn't noticed her earlier. "Hey! Haven't we met before?" Her voice rose up and she quickly covered her own mouth to not be too loud.
"Are you two working together? Is that it? I saw you two talking..."
Riku's question could probably be answered by Thomas' own expression, which was, as was becoming a theme so far, surprise. He didn't bother to question it though. After all, he'd seen Runa flickering around plenty of times by now. Having her go from one space to another quickly, without either him or Riku noticing, didn't seem like too far of a stretch.
"Uh... well, I'm not sure really..." Thomas replied vaguely, speaking as though his mind was in a completely different place before. Without another word being spoken though, he followed Runa outside, seemingly not bothered about Riku's knowledge of what he was doing anymore. He could probably trust her anyway, after all. As long as he came back.
The Abyss looked all the same as before - the wasted landscape of different appearance from what it was when the travellers arrived to the fort before. Nothing changed - nor the land itself, nor the light casted on it - it was all the same shade of foggy light barely piercing through the mass of twisted waters surrounding the place and barely touching the ground with the light bleak and lifeless. Same was the land through which they stepped, slowly and steadily - Runa leading the party of two further on. Passing past the fort’s entrance, they first were to walk through the ruins of the desolated buildings, growing from the ground like broken twisted flowers of wood. Runa knew what was on Thomas’s mind, she also suspected what was on Riku’s mind, but as per usual she needed these people to word out what they are to do. Such was demon’s nature
“And so you rise from the slumber of yours, Thomas. Dedicated by the motion in your thoughts to follow through.. but where to? What for?”, Runa asked as she looked over her shoulder to meet with Thomas eye to eye, “What are you searching for here?”, she asked as she stepped further, carefully and slowly leading the pair through the alleys formed out of the broken buildings, giving an impression like if it was a real city for the moment.
“And you? Riku. There is more in your heart here than just monster searching. There is little doubt you would follow Thomas here so I did not ask you anything, but why would you be so persistent?”
Riku kept herself steady on the rugged terrain of the Abyss. She had to be careful where she placed her boots and kept her eyes to the ground for much of the time. Ocassionally looking up to keep an eye on Runa and Thomas and keep close together. The blasted apart landscape was exciting, thrilling and a bit terrifying. Runa's question aroused Riku from her focus, making her pause and think a moment. She hadn't thought much about it.
"Oh, I don't know. I want to get to know you guys better. I wanna prove my worth around here. Plus, something about Thomas seemed interesting! I swear I've seen those eyes before...but...I just can't quite put my finger on it."
She'd give the boy a hard stare, observing his details before putting it aside. No way he was associated with that family, they had just been legends and myths. The similar appearance was uncanny, however.
"Hm?" Thomas turned to glance at Riku, having sworn he saw the girl study his features, though it seemed like if she was she'd lost interest by now. It would make sense though, given what she'd said just seconds prior, something that piqued Thomas' own interest. If he was thinking along the right lines, then perhaps this was another piece in the theoretical jigsaw puzzle he was piecing together in his mind. An idea built only what he'd noticed from subtle notions or actions, or things that had been said. But after the pizza party, and after this especially, he was more convinced than ever.
The boy wasn't sure whether to answer or ask a question first, but given that things were still brewing in his mind about the girl, he quickly decided it would be better to answer Runa's question before anything else. After all, there was no use avoiding it. And either way, he figured the guide already knew what his answer would be.
"I'm searching for someone, to confront them." Thomas answered, looking ahead to Runa, and even past her. "I hadn't planned to but... I guess something you said earlier gave me that extra push I needed."
“Prove your worth, hm?”, Runa asked Riku with a sudden stop as the demon then turned around and looked directly into the princess's eyes, “But to who? Yourself? Or others? Seeking confirmation in your strength would keep you astray from the power you really strive for…”, Runa said to the princess and then thought to herself “and possess”, but she did not say anything in that regard and only gave a short nod to her before addressing Thomas next.
“Speak her name, Thomas. All present here know full too well who you want to challenge as there were little people - and even less of an enemy - you have encountered since your arrival here. Speak her name because in wording it out you would find the needed determination. Confess your thoughts to words”, Runa said as she looked in Thomas’s eyes as well; demon’s eyes again starting to shift in the shade of their color as she observed the pair before her, before noticing something she did not before.
“Hm.. Interesting. Since you spoke so Riku, it is a glint not in the eye but of your both traces into the past that you somewhat share. Peculiar.”
"Oh! You got a death wish! You just wanna fight whoever? Like that Ami girl?"
Riku asked to Thomas, putting her secondary thoughts aside to focus on the matters at hand. "I guess I can't make fun of ya too much. I'm hoping for the same thing! I wanna mess up Ami, and get her back for our last duel."
"So who's butt are you hoping to kick? I hope it's not mine. Is it Ami too? Someone else?"
She'd spare a glance to Runa, wondering what the cryptic demon was getting up to. Did she know something they didn't? Well of course she did, she was Runa. That didn't mean Riku would just happily stay ignorant though!
"What do you know that you are telling us, huh? You look like a devil with those horns y'know, and I don't trust devils!"
"Ami? Uh- no, not her." Thomas scratched the back of his head, looking over to Riku and then back to Runa as the tension turned up a notch. As the tension increased though, so did Thomas' anticipation and curiosity as to what would come or be said next. The fact that Runa seemed to know more about them than she initially let on almost made the boy forget all about voicing his purpose for why he was there in the first place. But finally, he said it.
"I wanna..." He paused for a moment, exhaling. It felt a litle weird and awkward to just announce it like this. "I want to confront Nephy." Thomas paused again, letting it sink in now that he'd said it. Words always seemed to have an amplified effect on someone when they were spoken, not just thought.
"Now... what is it that you know about us that you're not saying? How are our pasts shared?" He continued, backing up Riku's own, if not slightly more upfront, question. The more the demon seemed to speak, the clearer the picture in his head began, though that still made it no easier to fathom.
“And I am not asking for trust. Trust is earned, not given.”, Runa spoke calmly and with no change in her voice and glance of her eyes as she as looked at Riku with a soft smirk shaped on the lips and a light chuckle to emerge as well. She took a short pause seeing that Thomas is gathering his strengths to speak up at long last, his body language revealing to Runa some of the tension possessing him as he was to finally speak of his plan.
“Thought so. Intriguing. I wonder where it will lead you. Nephetos won’t think twice before slashing your body apart and consuming your soul, and frankly it would serve her a quick snack similar to a slice of pizza you travellers experienced.”, Runa said looking into Thomas’s eyes, in an attempt to read his emotions and what really drove him to such a decision: “Though you might as well acknowledge that “push”. Things lingering within you are asking to come out”, Runa said and then stepped beside slightly, watching over the pair before her, to once again look over who they were and where the said trace of past were leading to.
“Peculiar that the girl who reads the past did not tell you that. Unlike other… friends of yours, who have a distinct shade of past individual towards each of them, yours… come from the same space momentum. You are of same birthplace, if you may.”, Runa spoke to Riku and Thomas, words somewhat more direct than before.
"You want to fight that crazy wolf that attacked all of us!? What!?"
Riku had to stop and take a breath from the shock. Was Thomas serious!? That wolf had even given Kanbaru trouble and taken on much of the group all by herself. She was deadly and immensely powerful, and had thrown Riku across the lagoon like a rock.
"Thomas, listen to Runa. Nephy will kill you, and eat your soul. Maybe not in that order. She's way too dangerous, you can't just go throw yourself away like that! How would you even find where she was anyways!?"
Runa's comment about the same birthplace finally comes up to the surface.
"Are you saying we're both from Fable? Huh. Well now I even have more of an interest to make sure you don't get sliced apart by a wolf! Thomas don't be stupid!"
Thomas was half ignoring what Riku was saying to him. Not out of defiance or irritation, but the boy was simply just stunned by what Runa had said, and what was then confirmed by Riku as she spoke the name of the land he'd come from. Violet eyes hung wide open, slightly agape and quivering lips showing the face of a boy whose mind had just been well and truly blown.
"S-so we're..." He looked between Runa and Riku, gesturing to himself and the latter. "We're both from... I had no idea." Actually, the boy had had some idea, but the weight of the realisation beared down upon him upon him in such a way that it didn't even matter at this point. His eyes finally settled on Riku, unsure what to do. There was such a rush of varied emotions within him that he felt like hugging Riku or asking her a million questions, or just crying. Given his last memories of Fable any of those options, and the others that went through his mind like shooting stars in the night sky, would've been appropriate. Instead, after a few seconds, his face softened into a wide, genuine smile. His eyes even seemed to well up just a little bit.
"It's nice to know I'm not alone. You have... no idea..." There was still pain in his eyes though, and as his smile faded it was with those eyes that he looked over to Runa again. "But I'm going to find Nephy. Maybe..." He knew how foolish this would sound even before he said it, but at this point it was an excuse more than anything. "Maybe there's some way I can reason with her. Without things having to get violent. Or too violent, at least."
“She will if he would allow her too.”, Runa said simply once again, simply stating the things already quite obvious and just reflecting them for Thomas to hear and ponder on. “Even though the desire pushing him through and onward towards where the mad wolf is resting is of no difference from your desire to find peace in defeating mentioned Ami, Riku. It is a sign of a warrior who yearns for the blood of their enemy to wash the taste of defeat still lingering and staining your dignity.”, Runa watched directly into Riku’s eyes as she spoke, a soft smile on her lips contrasting too much and too hard with the words she was to say.
“The difference is haste. After all, Thomas, your dignity is useless if your head is detached from your body.. unless of course you find the existence of a head tucked away in a vase to remain alive for as long as it produces enough of pain to sip on to be comfortable for you”, Runa said with a smirk - not clear if it was a joke or not, either way it surely was not to be taken lightly.
“Remember what I said about her madness, Thomas? Her madness is a worldview so strong that it warps the world around her. Unless you are capable of sharing that view with her, your attempts to word with her are to reduce you to yet another pebble on her way. And be honest with yourself, your desire to find her has nothing to do with reasoning. The only reasoning here is the strive for power that guides you”
Runa said and then looked at Riku once again: “If the name of the real you two come from is Fable - then yes, this is what I mean. And this is what I say.”
While Thomas was having a wave of feelings wash over him over the news, the princess failed to appreciate the weight of what she had just said to the boy. To her, she hadn't been gone from Fable for very long and had her many reasons to want to stay away and avoid her home. Though, the emotion that Thomas displayed did get Riku's attention.
Runa's words too would cut through her argument. She'd pull away and throw her arms against her chest as she wished to stubbornly insist that they were two different things. Her chase of Ami was different to her! Words failed her, and she could think of no arguments for herself.
"Okay. Thomas. I'll help you. We've got similar journeys and even the same home. I can't let you go get yourself killed. Which is why, I should tell you with all due respect and kindness that trying to talk to Nephy is really, really stupid."
"But. If you insist. I'll come help you. You shouldn't have to do this alone. Right Runa? You're helping too. It's official now. I decided for you."
She'd give a tiny smile to the demon, finding a way to get her back for poking at the princess's words earlier.
As he'd expected, Thomas' hastily thought deathwish of an excuse was met with heavily valid criticism from the other two, who seemed to be having a little spat of their own. But, before he managed to think of something else to say, Riku surprised him with an offer to help the boy out. He hadn't expected it given what Nephy had done to her earlier, as well as the way she'd reacted just now to his intentions for sneaking out in the first place.
"Well... only if you're sure. But thanks, Riku. For having my back, and not letting any of the others know about this. I owe you one." He offered the girl another smile before turning with a slight look of uncertainty to Runa. Whether she'd help them or not was one thing, but getting to Nephy in the first place was a completely different matter. The Abyss was huge, and the samurai could've been anywhere at this point. Luckily, the one person that could lead them to her was standing just a few feet ahead of them, giving the two that same smirk she usually did.
"Do you know where she is?"
“It is stupid, most of all for the reason you are still hesitant about your true motives for that, Thomas. Don’t hesitate to confess them to yourself and follow them as it is your desire for this fight”, Runa said with a shrug; Riku deciding for the demon was only met with an all familiar smirk as Runa looked at the girl with a light bow - more of a cheeky one than anything else: “It is only of my duty as a guide for you adventurers to help you out in finding your way through this land wretched and wasted. Even though I of course can not guarantee your ability to survive through this endeavour, I assure you to help.”, Runa said and then once again motioned her hand in a gesture to make Riku and Thomas follow her, once again leading them through the ruins of the city.
“You don’t need to look for long. The Abyss is a land vast and huge, though the Mad Wolf is always on the hunt, she is always in the motion. Her senses are of another world, outer world. If you may”, Runa said, finding it peculiar and amusing to know the same trace of the past leading these two to the same place Nephy was from too. She did not say anything in that regard though. She knew how dangerous the words could be.
“She would find us sooner or later herself, but there are some hunting grounds she favors the most. Surprisingly the lagoon you all appeared at is one of these places, but we should venture to the other place. It would be easier to wait for her there”
"The other place? Where is that at?"
Riku popped up next to Runa, eyeing her intently. Her gray eyes shifted over to Thomas, wondering what he thought on the matter. This was becoming real, a true fact that they were going to go after that wolf. It filled Riku's heart with a upward excitement, the dread and fear pushed out for now.
"I wanna kick her butt too, for calling me scum. No one does that, especially when she'll figure out who I am. Then she'll be really sorry. Let's find her first, before she tracks us down. If we have the element of surprise, all the better."
"This is going to be fun. We're going to be a real good team! I have a good feeling!" Riku let her excitement spill over, wide awake and full of energy regardless of the lack of sleep.
Who she is? Thomas took notice of those, to the other two at least, seemingly mundane words. But given the state of mind Thomas was in right now, nothing that either of them said slipped past him without thought. Was she someone of importance then?
"Mm, yeah." Thomas nodded back to Riku. Though he wasn't exactly one to emote it as obviously as Riku did, at least not at the moment, the boy did feel genuine excitement build up like butterflies in his tummy. He was nervous, sure, but it was definitely comforting to have someone else coming along with him now, aside from Runa. And as for the question he had for Riku, he figured he'd save that for later. After all, one question would only lead to another, and he didn't want his curiosity to bring their endeavours to a grinding halt just because of his own curiosity. After all, this whole thing had been started by him.
"Will we be able to get the jump on her even if we manage to get to this other place first? We didn't even notice her last time until she came to confront us."
Runa led on the party of two through the alleyways of the ruins, turn after turn, slipping under blockades, through thinner and more narrow passages, making sudden turns and climbing through the rubble. It could felt like a labyrinth of neverending structure, with no logic behind it either, a randomly formed shape of nature. Runa flickered every once in a while like she usually did, making sure that neither Riku nor Thomas are lost in the way. Both would feel that the labyrinth is way too bigger than it looked from the outer perspective, it was fusing with itself, looking like it looped onto itself and was just an anomaly on its own, a part of reality laws broken here and making no sense.
“Don’t mind the dizziness. It is natural here. It will soon pass”, Runa told both as she ventured on, “The ruins are not natural, when the world above has broken apart it also brought some of its magic back into here, colliding with the world of the Abyss it led to the most… unexpected results. Do not have fear, I know the way. We are almost there.”
***
“You should prepare for some guests to arrive” Runa’s voice and shape in one of these flickers would also appear elsewhere - unknown to Riku and Thomas. In the grand lake, covered over by a thick rocky formation of a cave, within which grew trees - actual wooden trees to emerge from the rocks and vine around the walls of the cave to cast a green shelter of the leaves over the water of the lake crystal clear. A little heaven amidst the desolated lands of hell.
***
The wolf samurai lay in a deep meditation, eyes closed and kneeling on her bare legs in the small shrine she had built hereslf in the murky grotto. It was a poor substitute for the well designed temples from her old home, but it was as good as she could make it. A carved wooden arch hung before her, with a broken bell salvaged from the ruined city. Nephetos sat underneath it, only able to hear the noise of the bell every few minutes. A ceremony designed to open one's body up to the spiritual world beyond them. Runa's voice slipped in during this time, fitting as a voice from the beyond.
Nephy's cold eyes awoke, opening fully and alert as the warning was received. The wolf craned her head upwards to the arch above her, letting out a deep exhale. Her worn and transformed body felt the weight of her journey deep in its being.
"A perfect time for an offering."
There she would wait, for Runa to deliver those two souls to her. Then it would be time to feast.
***
The paradoxical immensity of the abyssal labyrinth Runa guided Thomas and Riku through was noted by the boy, but especially with Runa's explanation he figured he needn't question it. Nonetheless, it was still as interesting to look around as it was occasionally mind-bending, completely individual to any place he had been to before in every way possible.
As Runa flickered on in front of them, though not so much that the two ever fully lost sight of her, Thomas moved over to Riku, walking alongside her. Maybe it would be a good idea to have some plan of what to do once they actually got to Nephy. After all, Runa hadn't said anything about where exactly they were going yet, and that wasn't even considering the rampant, murderous wolf that they would confront once there. And if they were getting close now, they wouldn't have much time to strategise as it was, anyway.
"So... do we have a plan?" The boy turned his eyes to Riku as he spoke, a mild amount of concern in his expression. After all, this was going to be his first proper battle without half of the team at his side. "I'm not really sure if she has any weaknesses we can exploit, but at least if we know what we're doing we might have some kind of advantage over her."
Soon enough all of the three could finally see the gap of landscape to be seen through the broken structure forming the walls of the labyrinth around them. It was the very same landscape still - the very same they got used to for the hours of spending their time at the fort and around it; even though this time once Runa led them out of the close and tight space of the alleys and corridors onto the wasted grounds and everyone was to look around, they could see that indeed the fort they were at was a long way away from them, too uncannily far away - closer to the edge of the horizon.
“Here we are.”, Runa said and made a soft gesture of her hand to show around the landscape - it is here the travellers would see an opening in the ground - leading down under the empty lands as the gaping maw was inviting them to follow down into the rocky cave.
“The plan? You tell me, Thomas. You are eager to fight Nephetos after all, as well the girl here so eager to help. What are you going to do? What are you two going to do?”, Runa asked with a smile.
***
A voice over Nephetos’s ear was soft and floating through the time like it was out of outer place indeed. It was somewhat, given the demon spoke through time and space, her voice breaking the laws of reality.
“The boy. And the girl. Both possess powers more than they are aware of as of now. Sharpen them enough for them to become aware of what they are. It would make a more fruitful reaping”
"Hmm. She's likely to be alone. We can confront her together, and use numbers. But...didn't you want to try talking to her first or something?"
Riku turned to look at Thomas, after all this had been his mission.
"We got numbers and surprise on our side at least. But yeah, I don't see any way this won't be a tough fight."
The princess took her scythe from her belt, unleashing the weapon with a large spear stretching up into the air with a sharp blade at the end. The princess took it in both hands, ready for a fight with her crossbow and bombs at her belt.
"I'm sure whatever you come up with is fine. I'm prepared for anything. So is Runa. I think. I don't even know if we've been introduced properly but hey there will be a great time to do so later!"
That was right, they hadn't even really introduced themselves to each other, not yet at least. But as Riku went on to say, there would be time for that later... hopefully.
"Yeah..." Thomas nodded in agreement, before giving Riku's scythe a glance up and down. He'd seen it in action before, but up close to it like this he could see just how hefty it was, and equally how dangerous it probably was as well. "And the thing I said earlier about talking to her, well... it was really just an excuse. I didn't think you'd wanna help me, so it was just something I said because I... I guess I was desperate." The boy seemed to say those last few words as though he was genuinely confused that he'd felt that way. Did this whole thing mean that much to him? Whether it was or not though, they'd gone too far now to just give up and go back.
"Yeah, let's just do this." He said, to himself just as much as the other two he was with as they descended further into the cave. A small violet glow lit up in his palm, giving way to the manifestation of his own weapon. This time, Thomas opted to start with the glaive form, feeling slightly relieved once it appeared that he was able to will it between forms already, instead of it just being a game of chance. His grip tightened on the handle.
"Just try not to let her separate us too much."
“She will be alone. For the moment at least”, Runa said with a clear indication that it could change in an instant - given Nephy’s abilities to control over her dead comrades. Standing before the opened maw of the cave Runa once again observed over the both, without even saying the word it was clear that if she looked over if the pair is ready to venture further.
“Not too late to turn back. But if you are both ready.”, Runa said again with a shrug and summoned a spear to appear in her hand - in the same flickering motion and presence as it always was shaped in her hand, “We haven’t, but I think we shared enough time during the party for us to know each other somewhat better. Some say you get to know each other during a feast and during a battle.”
Runa said with a smile and then looked at Thomas: “Channel your desperation elsewhere. Your heart wants out.”, she said and then turned around, stepping into the cave and starting to climb down. The rocky ground underneath their feet would soon turn into actual stair steps, folded like this by someone’s hand. It was indeed a home to some - some very specific white wolf who was now waiting for the guests, no doubt.
Nephy waited at her shrine, hearing the group approach far before they came into view. She remained seated on her legs and her back turned from the onlookers. On her lap before her was her precious blade, and the source of her undeath, Nekuromata. Pale hands would trace over the weapon, stroking it tenderly and careful not to scratch with the long talons of her fingers.
"How interesting it is you come to me. Here I thought our hunt would go on further, but it will end here."
Nephy's voice was relaxed and calm, the samurai in her natural element. She would stand in a well practiced motion onto her feet, facing to the side and not giving her opponents the dignity of eye contact.
"You should've known we'd come after you!" Riku interjected, stepping forward and taking a battle stance. Her hands tingling with adredaline, hairs standing up on the back of her neck.
Nephy gave no response to the princess, instead her gaze focused on Thomas. She took an interest in his eyes, wondering how they'd look plucked from his skull and held in the palm of her hand.
Thomas was a little confused at those final words that Runa offered him, but before he had time to dwell on them or ask her what exactly she meant, she was already walking down into the rocky depths of the cave before, neatly made steps eventually showing up as further indication that this place was different than just anywhere else in the Abyss. Before he could get too comfortable with the surroundings though, they reached the bottom.
Nerves struck him in a way he hadn't expected them to once he laid eyes on Nephy, who was, at least to him, unexpectedly calm. It was a completely opposite display as to what he'd seen earlier. He could feel his hands grow cold and shake, his heart beating faster within his chest, sounding almost like another pair of footsteps rushing down the stairs behind the group that had just arrived. With each movement the samurai made as she assumed her stance on her feet felt like another nail in a coffin of the boy's own making. He turned to Riku, and though it was clear she felt the same way, he relaxed ever so slightly at her presence in the room with him, not to mention Runa standing alongside them with her spear in hand. There was something comforting about it.
That comfort definitely dissipated slightly though, as he found the samurai's eyes staring into his once he turned back to her, giving him a look almost as sharp as the blade she held in her hands. This time though, unlike the last time he'd gone up against her, he didn't let the pressure of the situation get to him. He wasn't going to play into her stance with a mad rush.
An eye contact Nephetos would receive though - via a flickering motion of the demon getting down the stairs and for a moment staring into the eyes of Nephetos via a ghostly presence unseen by everyone but to whom this look was addressed. A glance with a short nod and a smile on lips - an invitation to stage the play they had been running for some time. A noble guide leading the heroes to fight an evil wolf.
After that glance Runa stayed behind the pair now facing the samurai, the spear in her hand as she looked over the lake and the carefully assembled shrine Nephetos made here to create some comforting resemblance to her past. It was somewhat fitting for this place to hold the sense of dread to rise from Nephetos standing up with the sword in her hand.
“No coming back now Thomas. Riku.”, Runa said, looking at the girl then who of course yelled up to Nephetos stirring up the heat to rise between two sides. A lake between them consumed all the light casted inside of the cave, making the waters look almost shining from that.
“Go on. Claim what you are here for”, Runa said.
Runa's words, as was becoming a recurring theme now, prompted something within Thomas. Not a total abandonment of caution, but a definite push in a less passive direction than he had first intended to take. And at the same time, as he was reminded why exactly he was here, he could already feel anger beginning to boil up again within him, pushing his nerves aside to control his adrenaline. Taking the initiative, he stepped forward. But not into a sprint, not even a run. He just walked, but each step had weight to it, a purposeful direction.
"Just don't expect things to go the way you might think..." Thomas replied to Nephy, the boy readying his glaive while returning that stare that the wolf had initially pierced him with.
If Nephy felt anything from Thomas's heated words and aggressive body language, she did not show it. Instead the wolf would come down barefoot from those wooden stairs, now on the same ground level with Thomas and his friends. The peaceful grotto provided a calm visual landscape for the tense drama ongoing inside of it. A fitting contrast.
"No. I am sure they will go exactly as I think. With you all dead before me, and your souls mine to take. Your sacrifice is at a perfect timing."
After pausing to speak, the wolf walked forward in a confident move towards Thomas directly. She had this boy figured as a coward, someone easy to destroy. Nekuromata now in both of her hands, a small glint of the blackened blade exposed from the sheath.
"Come prove me wrong, if you can."
Leaping herself forward so violently the ground she left was cracked by the force, she'd charge right towards Thomas. Her speed was like a cheetah zoning in on its prey, instead of claws it would be the katana in her hands that would slash downward at the boy. The force carried herself and Thomas away from Runa and Riku, moving past them by several feet.
"I'll kill you first!" Nephy snarled. Her eyes lit up and fangs beared as she struck attack after attack onto the glaive wielder.
***
As Nephy charged ahead with Thomas, Riku was spurrned to act. She'd rush after them, trying to close the distance as she lagged behind.
"Dammit! That's exactly what we didn't want to happen!" She exclaimed, reaching for her crossbow.
As soon as Riku would attempt to reach and further raise her crowssbow in order to take the aim, a hand would stop her. A motion not aggressive, yet very quick and with no hesitation - a motion more of a warning: Runa’s fingers clutching at Riku’s wrist and holding her from using the said crossbow any further.
“Taking a shot on the warrior as fast as Nephetos would require a skill outstanding - as well as keeping your friend from the line of fire. Are you sure of that shot yourself?”, Runa asked calmly, as if not fazed by the sudden rush of attack Nephetos aimed on Thomas, cutting him away from the other two.
Runa shook her head and pulled Riku’s hand back, before releasing it, making the girl step aside from Thomas fighting the wolf and gather some distance as well.
“Your weapon relies on swings wide, in the distance Nephetos picked with Thomas right now you are risking hurting him with your attempt to interfere. Put your trust in him, He can handle the moment of this battle. Let him have it and wait for a better opening. He will give you one”
Thomas barely had time to brace himself before Nephy's sudden burst of speed and the impact that would follow as all that momentum went into her initial swing. Still though, having gone up against her before, Thomas was ready for a quick and heavy strike from the wolf, and so the impact was met with one of the blades from the boy's glaive. However, blocking didn't necessarily mean parrying, and the boy didn't have the strength he needed to defend himself and give him the opening he needed, despite his best efforts. And so, as a result, the momentum carried on, forcing Thomas back, though he managed to remain on his feet.
But there was no time to relax, not even a little. A beastly threat was the last thing he heard before an onslaught of clanging blades filled his ears, Nephy dishing out a mad flurry of blows to get past his defence. There was no way he could retaliate. She was just too fast, too dexterous. With every strike he could feel himself losing balance against her, and it was getting more and more difficult to keep up with those strikes in the first place. It was at this point though that the boy suddenly had an epiphany, probably one that many fighters like him had in moments like this. One that was so obvious that he'd have kicked himself if he'd had the time to: It wasn't like the blades he possessed were the only weapons he had.
With that in mind, before the samurai could put him any more off balance, he slammed his foot hard into her chest with a forceful kick. If it gave Thomas enough distance, it would at least give him time to recover and get back up to speed with her.
Strike after strike like lightning slamming into the earth, Nephy's katana would attack. Thomas's glaive buckled and nearly fell under that assault as the wolf tested and played with her prey. Sparks from their exchange would fly up into the air, lighting up the once quiet and darkened grotto with the passion of battle. Thomas would land his kick forward, right into Nephy's chest. The wolf simply took the blow, unphased and unmoved and let out a cruel laugh.
"How very funny. You'll have to do better than that."
With her left hand she'd yank Thomas upward by his outstretched leg, making him fall to the ground. She'd kick him twice with her leg, sending him rolling away from the force of the blows. She'd walk behind, keeping an eye on him.
"Did you come here to play hero? Did you think you'd get all the glory and none of the pain? Foolishness. You are nothing but a fly in the maw of a trap, set to eat you alive!"
Nephy would launch a massive downward strike with her blade, intending to finish Thomas off right then and there.
***
"Thomas!" Riku sprinted forward, though was stopped by Runa's words. Nevertheless she'd launch a bolt from her crossbow, which was promptly deflected by Nephy without even needing to look at the projectile.
"We can't just sit here! We have to do something!" The princess cried, though she found herself without any options.
With his counter becoming his downfall, both figuratively and literally, Thomas got a taste of his own medicine with two kick to his side that sent him rolling, grazing his cheeks on the uneven rocky ground. His mind raced at a million miles an hour, words that were being said or shouted blurring past like stones being tossed past his ears, all except for a cry of his name from Riku, who was presumably still some distance away. But he needed his undivided attention if he was going to survive.
Waiting for the moment she started bringing down her blade the boy rolled again once more to the side, barely dodging the clean slice that would've otherwise ended him, but only took a few hairs off his head instead. Using that momentum Thomas hopped up, already building another kind of momentum with his glaive, spinning those twin blades gradually faster and faster with a single hand while closing the very short distance between him and Nephy. This time, he would take the offensive.
Though it certainly wasn't a practiced technique that he was used to yet there was no doubt of its potential deadliness, the blades getting more difficult to distinguish as the rate of the spin of the glaive picked up in tempo. It was difficult to control, but at a close range to Nephy the boy didn't have much to worry about in terms of aiming or pinpointing the attack, the two blades like a windmill of death that spun out strikes in the direction of her chest and sword arm.
Nekuromata was sheathed with a click, the wolf meeting Thomas's offense with her guard. Every single attack was reflected off with powerful shoves of Nephy's arms. Thomas's glaive was fast but the wolf saw his movements before he landed. She would hop backward nimbly from his assault, suddenly unsheathing her katana to unleash a large swooping strike that threatened to swipe Thomas's chest clear from his legs if he overextended himself.
"Pitiful. I'm surprised you even know how to use that thing. Is this all you have, boy?"
Nephy's sword began to glow a deep dark black and purple. When unleashed again, wide streaks of damaging strokes would crash onto Thomas like waves. Her powers allowing her sword strikes to travvel across the air as fast as arrows. Nephy would sling strike again after again at Thomas, before suddenly leaping high up into the air to cleave at the boy's head while he was busy dealing with the previous strikes.
"Come join the undead, Violet eyes!"
Luckily for Thomas, the spinning blades of the glaive made as good a defence as they did an offence, catching Nephy's first big strike and batting away the ones that came subsequently from that glowing blade. However, though not as much as the first frenzy of blows Nephy had thrown at him, the force of the blows sent Thomas back a few paces, giving Nephy the momentum to come in with one giant aerial sweep to his head with her sword only just as he finished defending himself from her previous strikes. There was no time to dodge, and given the strength behind the slash that was coming for him the boy knew that, given his own strength, his blades wouldn't individually be able to withstand the force the samurai was coming at him with.
But in his desperation, as he reflexively raised his weapon nonetheless to defend himself, his glaive began to glow. As if responding to that very desperation. Before he could even realise it the twin blades had morphed into one again, back into the sword form he'd first used against this very foe in their last battle. With the more concentrated strength of that sword Thomas met Nephy's slash with his own, one hand on the hilt and one hand on the flat of the blade once their strikes met, pushing forward with all his might to halt the wolf's momentum completely and get her back down onto the ground.
"Not a chance..." Thomas almost growled out his reply through gritted teeth, those violet eyes staring with dangerous conviction up at Nephy, completely unflinching in his gaze.
Nephy was relentless. Each strike would be followed up by another and even more furious. Sparks are flying from the sword clashes as Thomas was battered and beaten down but stubbornly holding out on his own. His glaive saving his life with its abilities to transform at will.
"You are interesting, little whelp. How something as tiny and insignificant as you has such a backbone. It makes me want to cut you down to size all the more."
Thomas succeeded in halting the wolf's momentum. She'd jump backwards in a blur of movement that appeared more like she teleported between her previous and present spot. Again her form would begin to glow that dark purple as a low hum of infernal power could be heard in the air. She is stalking her prey again, walking around carefully with unblinking eyes and a lick at her lips.
Riku is racing behind her, scythe held high and determined to join this fight by any means. Runa was left behind as the princess charged ahead, but still then she was too slow for Nephy's next move.
Like the clap of thunder Nephy burst forward with a thunderous shockwave of power. Like lightning she'd move even faster and be upon Thomas immediately. She hadn't attacked from the front as she usually had, instead opting to strike from the side and just out of view. A streak of purple and red slashed outward as Nephy landed a hard cut to Thomas's ribs, sending him flying backward. The wolf landed gracefully where Thomas once stood, streaking his blood across the floor with a flick of her sword.
"I will not play games with you anymore, boy. You don't have power. I do. It is this simple."
No matter what Thomas could pull out of the bag though, Nephy was just too strong for him at this point. And while Thomas was left panting in one spot after defying a grizzly end from her blade once again she was calmly waiting for the best moment to strike, pacing around the boy in the most unnerving manner. Always one step ahead, always forcing him to react.
Despite his own words earlier about sticking together, in the heat of battle Thomas had almost completely forgotten Riku and Runa's presence in the grotto with him and his opponent. Until, that is, he noticed a familiar weapon with its user charging forward to assist him. And for a moment he was hopeful. If the two of them had each other's backs from now, then they could stand a chance-
That hope was cut dead short, both figuratively and literally, by that glowing blade as it tore right through his side. He'd barely even registered Nephy's sudden dash to him it had been so fast, only a glimpse of the pale wolf in his peripheral vision before he was sent flying by the shockwave of the strike into a hard stone wall. Immediately the blood began to pour, seeping through yet another tear in his jacket and onto the ground. The pain came imminently after, a sort of delayed reaction that built into an overwhelming burning from his wound that emanated throughout the rest of his body. He felt nauseus and weak, his weapon slipping out of his grasp and onto the ground while Nephy dismissed him with a flick of her blade to rid it of the blood she'd spilt.
And yet, there was something he felt even stronger. Even through all the pain and dizziness, what kept him absolutely lucid was an evergrowing anger building up within him. That boiling pot of emotion he'd accessed with Runa just hours before felt now like an ocean of fire, one that he desired, with every fibre of his being, for Nephy to drown in. Even the thought of it was making Thomas grind his teeth in rage. And it was this that forced him back onto his feet, when many may have taken the safer choice to remain down. But the boy wasn't down with the wolf quite yet.
He clutched his bleeding side, his head drooping down towards the ground as he dragged his feet step by step, breathing heavily before forcing out a few pained words.
"I'm not done... with you... We have a score... to settle. You hear me? You mutt..."
The fight continued on, there was little break in it, there was little mercy to be given from either side. With Riku beside Runa was tracing around both fighters, keeping herself from entering the fight as of now - she only kept observing, looking. Like a judge, watching over the fight to be sure that all the rules are kept as they are. Only her judgment was of no simple fight of honor between two enemies. She was making sure that the fight was going into the direction she was interested in. The direction that would give all of them a relief off of their burdens.
Riku charging in to rush for help to Thomas was not in time to prevent - even to react possible - for the slashing move Nephy was preparing for Thomas. Before the Princess could rush in towards her wounded friend and get into the fight herself, Runa dashed towards her and grabbed her onto the shoulder once again, pulling her away from moving onward.
“No.”, Runa said simply and shook her head, while watching the wounded Thomas get up, holding onto his bleeding side, while still being determined to continue this battle. Runa watched closely and carefully - and in that gaze Riku standing beside the demon could see how Runa’s eyes were to slightly shift in the color - it was a difference of a mere shade, a hint of light perhaps to fall differently - or it was indicating some other things, or some thoughts roaming demon’s mind.
“He is on the edge of becoming more than he ever was prior to this moment. Do not take it away from him.”, Runa said, watching Thomas with unblinking eyes.
"He's on the edge of dying! How could you think anything else!?" Riku cried, eyes alight with fear and anxiety. She didn't want to watch that boy die in front of her, even if they hadn't known each other long. She had just found out he was from Fable too, they had so much to learn! It wouldn't be right to let this monster kill him!
Yet Runa persisted and spoke with a infectious calm. She knew something Riku didn't, and she could detect that. Regardless Riku would ready her crossbow and aim a bolt at Nephy's back, prepared to fire if need be. "I'll take that wolf away from him the second she tries something..."
***
"A score? A grudge? I don't even know who you are, weakling."
Nephy would kick Thomas right in his injured side, aggrevating the wound even further. Her toes would be bathed in his blood before she slammed the boy forward and sent him rolling down a small hill, landing in a heap below.
"My grudge is with the gods and shoguns of this world. A grudge born from the death of everything I knew. My entire clan and family destroyed in a single night. You know nothing of scores to settle. You are just a little pitiful degenerate who thought you could come into this Tower and play hero."
Nekuromata is unsheathed with a crack of her sheath, the sword shining in the darkened environment with dark power.
"I will give you new purpose as a life for my ancestors. A life for my mother. There, you will have your new and true meaning as a soul to serve me!"
With that, she would lunge forward to strike the killing blow.
Strained grunts and groans escaped young Thomas with each extra hit Nephy delivered to him, and before he knew it the boy found himself on the ground once again. He bared his teeth in a grimace as he got up once again, his rage building like fuel being added to an inferno of anger with every word she spoke. His body shook with his audible and heavy breath, but he didn't once look up to the samurai that mocked him, head still bowed towards the ground. In fact, he didn't speak a word in response until she was ready to finish him off for good, charging to him with her blade ready as ever to strike him down.
"If you don't know who I am... then don't pretend like you know a thing about me!" Thomas cried out, his head snapping up to immediately meet his opponent's gaze. There was something different about the boy, something had changed. There was suddenly a heaviness to the air around him, an aura that matched the absolute conviction and hatred in the look he gave Nephy. Probably not too dissimilar to the very aura that Thomas had picked up from Nephy the first time he'd laid eyes on her. The absolute and unobstructed intent to kill. Perhaps the most noticeable change, however, was the golden hue of his irises from which that fierce look originated.
Within a split second before Nekuromata could slice right through him, Thomas' hand shot up and grabbed it by the blade in a seemingly effortless display of reflex and accuracy. His hand, however, was not the same. Shielded by what looked to be a wreath of darkness it held the blade with an unyielding iron grip. Like a blur followed his other hand, balled up into a fist and enveloped with the same darkness, ploughing with a strength the boy had never known before right into Nephy's stomach.
"My name... is Thomas Violet!"
Nekuromata is stopped by Thomas's hand in an impressive show of power. The Thomas Nephy had been battering and kicking had vanished, replaced with this new opponent that looked boldly in the eyes with those glowing golden irises. For once, Nephy appeared confused and unsure of what was happening. Her confident killer instinct faltered as Thomas proudly announced his name. Then the punch came, right to her stomach. She is sent flying upward into the sky from the sheer force of the blow, clutching her stomach as her perspective struggled to mantain focus.
She fell into a heap a few feet away from Thomas, sending up dust as she smacked into the ground. She'd cough and sputter, springing to her feet immediately and clutching her injured stomach.
"Hell yeah Thomas! Woo! That was awesome!" Riku cheered from behind. Nephy shook her head and recollected herself, standing tall once again.
"What power is that? Who gave you that? I will take it for myself if you do not tell me..." The wolf hissed, reconsidering the threat Thomas posed now. She had underestimated him.
"You got one lucky hit..."
There was an overwhelming satisfaction that Thomas felt as Nephy was sent flying, similarly to how he had before, before hitting the ground with a tremendous thud. But that satisfaction was quickly replaced by desire again, even greater this time, once the feeling of the impact from the punch dissipated from his fist. Combined with this new power, it was beginning to overwhelm him, his anger. His wrath.
Riku's and Nephy's voices were faded, almost as though he was listening to them underwater, only just about able to discern words that were spoken to him. In a way, he didn't feel himself. Almost like he was acting on instinct, but with someone's hand guiding his. As soon as Nephy was up though, all those thoughts were put aside. For now.
"I'm not done." He spoke quickly and in a montone voice, practically a murmur, before he was off in a flurry of shadow.
At a speed comparable to the pace at which Nephy had come at him before, the boy shifted around behind the samurai and leapt up into the air, sweeping his leg at her neck in a kick with such force that it sent a torrent of air whooshing back towards the two spectators. At all times those glowing eyes kept trained on their target, their golden colour almost like a representation of the burning hate that was driving him.
A loud crack of steel could be heard as Nephy's sheath was raised to guard against that incoming kick and received that blow. The heavy impact knocked the wolf to the side as she struggled to deflect the blow, stumbling after the guard. Immediately Nephy retaliated with a quick whip of her katana thrown from it's sheath to slash out at the boy before he could move to attack or defend.
"Powerful but inexperienced!" Nephy snarled, refusing to let a novice beat her.
The impact against that metal sheath, that otherwise may have shattered the bones in Thomas' leg, seemed to affect him in little to no way at all. And, though in the air still when Nephy retaliated with a swift slash from Nekuromata, he was no slower to retaliate. In an instant his glaive manifested in his hand to ward off the slash with an immediate quick spin, casually negating its impact and allowing him time to land safely on the ground.
No sooner than he had landed, he charged at Nephy head on with another insane burst of speed. If the samurai didn't notice in the split second it took Thomas to reach her, she'd definitely notice the shroud of shadow that had imbued itself along the glaive when its blades were swung relentlessly at her, in a series of whirling assaults similar to the one the boy had tried before. This time it was completely different though, with a level of ferocity and strength that could rival Nephy's herself, and with a spin so fast and dexterous that Nephy would be able to see Thomas' face clearly past those rotating blades, his golden eyes unflinching in their intensity.
There was indeed a difference in Thomas' demeanor all of a sudden, a fact that translated into his blows and strikes. Wherever he swung, the shadows that danced along his weapon whipped out like an angry ash that left burning hot trails in its wake. The walls of their environment shuddered as they were lacerated from the aftermath blows and the more Thomas pressed, the denser the pressure became around every combatant. The ground began to shake with an irrent end and need for destruction as power dense and electric sparked in the air. It was enough to make hair stand on end and the deep presence of something else from Thomas pushed down on Riku and Runa.
More and more of the landscape started to be affected. More sheers of stone and rock were sliced off like carved meat and the great ceilings of the Abyss shook and let loose falling debris that shattered on impact to the floor. The whole environment seemed to rumble and growl with the reveberation of Thomas' slashes.
Runa watched the transformation to come from Thomas with her face mostly still and expressionless, but the amusement was all shaped in her eyes, as she watched closely on Thomas and how the power which was laying dormant within him all that time was finally provoked, touched by his will and heart, and was finally exposed and brought into this world.
“Here it is. Here is his moment at last”, the demon said to Riku as she was to witness the sudden comeback of Thomas as he laid a strike back at Nephy. “Was worth waiting for, was it not?”.
It seems like the demon was not fazed by the ominous hint of Thomas’s power to appear through his actions, and the presence to shape around him - more than anything Runa is quite happy about such an outcome. Was it her plan all along or not was of course up to speculation, nevertheless Thomas now looked enough to give a good fight. And to be able to survive for what is to come soon.
“Oh..?”, Runa hummed, asking herself as the presence in Thomas grew stronger - strong enough to reflect its unseen shape on the world around it and reveal in the pressuring motion against the demon and the princess standing beside her. Runa still remained calm on her face; her glace aimed on the boy in front of her, anticipating on what was to come out of this.
Of course, just because some people sought chaos and to wreck the place for everyone else, didn't mean others would stand and abide to having a roof collapse on them. A jet black blur whizzed by Riku and Runa so fast that only the demon would catch its shape and form. Probably. It darted forward like a comet, leapt from space to space, before landing and with it, an invisible blow to Thomas' glaive that held such force it forced him back in a heavy buffet of wind, cancelling his strikes. In truth, the clash of metal on metal wasn't invisible, but rather so fast from the speed of which Katie swung her blade. Now she stood between the two with some distance to each other, back to Nephy and Pendragon pointed at Thomas and, subsequently, the duo watching behind him. The world continud to fall apart around them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," she hissed with barely constrained irritation.
Golden eyes widened as Thomas' frenzied assault on Nephy was suddenly halted, forcing the boy back slightly with the pressure of the blow which countered his. When he'd gathered his bearings, he did not see who he'd expected to see in front of him as the interrupter of this escalating battle. In fact, upon realising it was Katie, his enraged expression softened quite significantly as the girl addressed him sternly. But, as though pulling him back on his previous track, his sight became somewhat clouded, flickering shadows at the sides of his vision. The Eyes were gradually taking their hold on him, more and more.
"Get out of my way Katie, I'm finishing what I've started!" There was bloodlust behind that warning, the brightening glow of Thomas' eyes reflected off of Pendragon as it was pointed towards him.
"I'm gonna kill her!" Thomas cried out, his voice sounding distorted with heavy conviction. He was losing control now, if he'd even had it to begin with. Darkness consumed his image more and more while the chaos that raged around the group continued to amplify. This wasn't Thomas, not the same Thomas at least. The usually timid and mild-mannered boy was replaced by a manifestation of his own hatred and deepest insecurities rising to the surface, his golden irises like an emblem of those blazing emotions.
Not waiting for any response from Katie, Thomas burst forward in a streak of darkness once again to get past her. There was a faint glow of violet as glaive morphed to sword, the boy's blade almost completely coated in fiery shadow poised to skewer right through Nephy.
Thomas was fast but Katie was faster and just as she did before, she was there to block Thomas' strike before it reached the wolf. Darkness and sparks flew as metal kissed metal, Katie firmly holding Thomas back in deadlock with their blades while looking over him. "You're wrecking the whole place," she said flatly with narrowed eyes. As if punctuating her statement another shard of rock fell from the roof to shatter just feet away from the boy's head. "Keep it up and you'll kill all of us, so back down."
Katie’s entrance forced both Nephy and Thomas back. Her feet holding fast to the ground as she skidded backward, kicking up dust.
“Oh raven. I was wondering when you’d interfere…”
Still Nekuromata remained unsheathed and eyes focused on Thomas who also didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. His shouting out to Nephy and claiming he’d kill her almost made her laugh.
Thomas was powering up, becoming a dark spear of shadow and rage with that golden flame illuminating all of his movements. The wolf raised her sword and curled it close to her chest. Her hand would run down the surface quickly, cutting into her skin which leaked black blood over the steel. Nekuromata hummed and charged up its own twisted power. The many enchantments and curses woven deeply into it radiating heavy power that could be felt across the entire arena. Air shimmered and flared up from the energy pulsing up.
“Come to me boy. I will show you pain.”
Her blade had grown much larger, almost four times as large. A living plume of energies with the swirling of many pained spirits within. A living soul catcher almost, turned into a gigantic two handed sword that would be ready to swat Thomas away and cleave him in half when he made his bold charge.
Instead, Katie put a stop to all the wolf's fun.
“I don’t remember asking for your interference...don’t you have somewhere to go brood?” Nephy hissed, locked in her position and ready to release all her power. "Back off or I will cut you apart as well!"
Katie was soon joined by Riku rushing to her side. Her scythe with Penndragon to deflect Thomas’s attack. Finally the princess saw her chance to intervene and she wasn’t going to give it away. She'd aim her scythe at Nephy first, but stay turned to her side to speak towards Thomas.
“Thomas! You need to stop! This isn’t like you! You’re turning into something else!” The princess shouted. She didn’t need to know all the details to understand this wasn’t like the boy she had been adventuring with.
“Greetings, Katie”, Runa said to the flash rushing past her at speed which made the girl’s appearance look like a shapeless rush of color towards Thomas fighting Nephy. It looked like the demon was not really surprised by the appearance of the brooding dragon who instantly put herself between two fighters, aiming to stop this fight once and for all. Considering all the collapsing structure in the cave it was indeed a good time to stop now, even Runa agreed to it.
“Ah, you might be right”, she said and followed the rushing Riku who dashed towards Thomas who was stuck consumed by the power which awoke within him and started to twist him in various directions, taking control over what he was. Runa stepped closer to the princess trying to reach out for the shaking presence of the boy and leaned over to her ear, in order to whisper to her:
“Look at him. Power takes him away from himself. Remind him of what he is. You two share a home, you two share the past. You can bring him back, Riku. Do it.”, Runa gave a command direct and quite simple - it was easy to say of course, but she was only to give a whispering advice coming off of the direction of one’s shoulder.
Instead the demon stepped away from Riku and Thomas, circled around them to step up to Katie and from that point forward towards Nephy, calmly standing before her and looking at the rageous wolf with the usual soft smile painted with Runa’s lips on her face.
“The fight is over. You two fought enough and the radiation of your fight is enough to attract the spirits who are unwelcomed here.”, Runa said, she said but she said more than that - abusing the time which bent in her grasp like a grass she spoke to Nephy out of time somewhen: “You sharpened that boy up. It is enough”
"You're really not helping," Katie told the demon flatly. With Riku by her side, it was prevelant to address Runa, of whom Katie had a sneaking suspicion was the one who encouraged this type of lunacy. She'd told them both a simple rule to follow in the Abyss and now both princess and Violet had gone and done the exact opposite; lunacy indeed. But she would deal with them and their death wishes later, disengaging from Thomas and letting Riku come forward to calm him down, though she hesitated in wondering if the princess could handle the golden malice still leaking out the boy-no. There was no time for consideration when the place was still falling over their heads. As usual, all lectures would be saved for later.
"Sorry, am I interupting something? Didn't I tell you to get lost," said Katie, turning towards Nephy now. The wolf's death threats were brushed aside when the matter of all their lives was in question, though Katie's shoulders were hackled and raised unnaturally for once. "Beat it before you make this a bigger mess. If you keep fighting him now, this place is detonating and you can feel that, can't you? Run off and lick your wounds before we're all buried six feet under." Katie stared down Nephy, hand already on Pendragon's handle. If a fight had to break out she'd make no hesitation to fling the wolf into the next cavern but time was running out. Until Thomas reeled in his power, there was little excuse for them all to have death wishes.
Thomas' anger flared up as once again Katie stopped him midway through an attack, the boy looking to her with such dangerous irritation that it looked like he was almost about to take her on as well. Though what finally made him stop to think, and break through the dark shroud controlling his actions, was the appearance of Riku to support the other girl.
He gasped, almost as if he'd resurfaced from underwater, stumbling back and dropping his sword, only for it to immediately dematerialise into nothing while he tried his best to process the words coming his way. For within him, at that precise moment, a whole other battle was taking place. One that would ultimately determine if he made it out of the grotto alive. Flares of darkness spouted up around him, circling him as though to ward others off, isolating the boy while he desperately tried to get a hold of himself. Behind that wall of spiralling shadow, which seemed to get thicker and thicker as time passed, Thomas' eyes flickered between violet and gold, the boy very tempted to tear them out of their sockets just to rid him of the awful pain that consumed his entire body, with seemingly no end to it.
When seemingly all hope was lost however, the chaos Thomas caused about ready to completely bring down the entire area, it stopped altogether. The rumbling and quaking, the electricity that sparked within the air, even the weight that the air itself had taken on dispersed. All that remained was the spiralling shadow around the boy himself that lingered on. An agonised cry of pain from within it rang out throughout the shrine, and with it the darkness finally cleared, almost as though it had never been there in the first place. It may have seemed like completely random timing to the others there, but to the barely conscious Thomas he knew what had catalysed his triumph. The vision of a woman. One he did not recognise, but one he knew he'd seen somewhere before.
Now visible to the others, they would see the now violet-eyed boy stooping low. He was pale from blood loss, the effects from that gash at his side finally beginning to get to him now that he was himself again. A step towards Katie and Riku, or perhaps it was to Nephy, was all he could managed before he fell to his knees, head bowed towards the ground.
"Sorry..." Was all he managed, lips barely cracking open for a weak, almost pathetic, apology.
Nephy would glance at the calm Runa and the agitated Katie. They weren’t budging and they’d pressure the wolf. A great deal of frustration bottled up in her and she had to resist the strong urge to cut everyone down and have her way over everyone else. Instead, her power began to dissipate. Had she grown too soft?
“Don’t use me as a sport again, Runa. You test our friendship.” The wolf snapped, but the weapon of hers began to decrease in power slowly but surely. Nekuromata is slid up to rest at the tip of the blade before sliding in with a satisfying click. The wolf called the duel off and would give her back to the others.
“I won’t be running off. I’m in perfect fighting condition. Better than you are.” Nephy hissed towards Katie. The rage of battle was slow to leave her, and she had to take a moment to breathe and bring down her senses.
Meanwhile Riku was having a harder time with Thomas. The boy was in an intense state of power he could barely control himself. Apprehensively the princess approached him and waved her arms, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
“Thomas. Please! You musn’t push yourself so far! You could die right here! Please!”
Her words seemed to get through to him, or perhaps it was something else. Thomas came back down to earth and the chaotic movements in the air began to quell. The boy revealed how serious his wound had been, collapsing shortly after with a short sorry. Riku gasped and would race to him immediately, propping Thomas up in her arms and using what small restorative magic knowledge she knew to begin healing what she could.
“Thomas! Guys! He’s hurt really badly!”
Nephy hid a small satisfied smile.
All the power which grew within Thomas like a wild fire at long last has left him - fire faded and gone from his eyes and his behavior as the boy suddenly lost all his strengths and powers at the instant, collapsing under the weight of the fight he was just in and the wounds he received through it. Runa herself gave the weakened Thomas a quick glance, observing over his condition and looking back at Nephy with all the same smile. She felt that irritation and adrenaline pumping in wolf’s blood and making her want more of it, more blood to come out of her enemy.
“No, no need for you to run”, Runa replied with a smile and added for only Nephy’s being to hear: “We are only stepping closer to our freedom. Closer than ever. We need blossomed souls for that”. With that said Runa stepped back towards collapsed Thomas and Riku sitting before him and using what healing magic she had to treat his wound.
“Allow me”, Runa said and sat beside Thomas, her hand resting over Riku’s and in so over Thomas’s wound and with a little hint of presence and energy alien to Riku and Thomas’s perception the bleeded had stopped. Something happened which was not of healing magic, but the blood stopped from floating out of the wounded adventurer.
“It will do for now. The fight is over. Let us return”, Runa said and stepped up, clearly there was nothing else for her to say - there was indeed little to be said at all now.
"Funny. You said the same thing last time too," Katie said cryptically to Nephy's backside. She was already locking Pendragon back into place on her back now that the threat was gone, both the boy and the wolf. The results were near-instant, the world no longer shaking by a thread as soon as Thomas collapsed to his knees, blood trickling freely soon stopped by whatever Runa did. "Get him out of here," Katie said tersely, more bristled and irritated than usual. They could have read it as an extra dosage of moodiness given the princess and Thomas foolishly went to challenge Nephetos on their own. But Katie made no attempt to clarify on that, already briskly moving past all three of them to leave the grotto that was Nephy's hunting grounds.
No sooner was she confident they were a good distance away, making sure the three actually tagged along to follow her, did her steps decrease and she slow her pace. That same aura of apprehension was on her and she whirled around wildly to stare right at Runa this time. "What kind of game are you playing. First you lead them into a suicidal fight and then you act like it's no bother." She wondered if Riku and Thomas had even realized it but she somehow doubted it.
“A game? This is no game. Thomas wanted to find himself and he did so in battle, and you did see that golden shine in the violet eyes. I only provide what is asked for. Now we need to return and treat his wounds. He has much to learn in his future”, the demon said with a voice calm and once again led the adventurers back to the fort, her plans and motivations still to remain only in her mind alone.
Snowdrops
TheWendil
BrokenPromise
ShadowSunRisen
