The Solution (2nd Edition)

Olaf

"...Indeed, it is," Emo answered, as he burst out of our alcove by kicking away a part of the heavy metal. "It was you who was meant to burn in The Skytree replica that day, not the civilians."

    "Ahh, don't worry about it," The Pink Witch waved as we circled around her position. "In a moment, you might get the chance to avenge them!"

    Everything happened much faster than I remember. But upon recollection, I recall running out behind Emo and Xen, and skulking with a purpose towards my nemesis. However, before we could get within combat range, I had sensed the emergence of death...

    Upon pushing past the lopping foliage ahead, we were now stood in front of Ashii and Dieng who were still sat on the bench. Furthermore, it was only when we had glimpsed her weapon by her lower back, did Xen shout out with dread. "O-Kenai! Don't do it!"

    But obviously, The Pink Witch had no interest in listening. Subsequently, she unsheathed her umbrella blade at lightning speed, turned it under her arm, then plunged it into Dieng Pae's chest. Trying to cling to life, his reaction was one of desperation, and frenziedly, Dieng had pulled at the live blade while looking down at the increasing spill of blood.

    The holorette at the corner of his mouth was loosened by emerging claret, and eventually, it fell from his blackened lips.

    Also bound for the dais, his severed fingers dropped away, too, as did the red sachet that he'd held and sniffed on earlier...

    As we stepped closer, The Pink Witch set her luminous eyes on the three of us and laughed maniacally.

    Then in a probable bid to intimidate further, she'd retracted it from him; the blade that was; and finished him off by sinking sharp nails into epidermis and offal and tearing and ripping away at the man's face. "Orbital Editor!" she screeched, "you won't have eyes tonight! You won't have ears! Or a fucking tongue! As a stupid spirit, you'll wander my Underworld blind, deaf and dumb, and all the Ghost Clansmen of Earth will know that you are Dieng Pae - the fool who thought he could dupe O-Kenai Ashii!"

    Unbeknownst to The Pink Witch, that was my plan.

    Dieng's lifeless body had slumped and spread out over the bench now. His eyes were on the ground, rolling towards us, while his ears remained still and laid flat on the crimson-covered dais. However, The Witch still clutched Pae's blackened tongue. And, after licking at it like a lazy lion, my nemesis threw it at Emo. Once it had hit him on the head and slunk off, he looked across our surroundings with disgust and thundered out an almighty order. "Yakuza! Make it rain!" In an act of mobilization, Emo had summoned our remaining allies - The Risen Clans.

    Furthermore, despite Xen's message from the General and Admiral, Emo and I had hoped to wound The Pink Witch, if we could.

    After all, she was still The Queen of the Damned.

    Therefore, in order to restore faith in Emo's illicit community, we still needed her alive.

    So, from the peripheral and shadowy rafters of the Night Garden, a hail of bullets from numerous snipers blasted down onto The Witch's position while we scurried back. With only snipers shooting, the downward slugs would either hit The Witch below her knees or penetrate the grassy dirt - and not any of The Core's permeable hull.

    Unfortunately, she was most resourceful and proved to have been prepared.

    In one sweeping motion, Ashii dashed over the bench with tucked knees, and resheathed her umbrella blade. Next, she extended its parasol with precision and hid beneath it, of which appeared to be rigid, and possibly, bulletproof.

     Painstakingly, the deflection of the ballistic fire confirmed this.

    Then strangely...after hearing more guttural cackles and deep nasal sniffs...further taunting followed from the orbital crime boss. "Emo, you fucking 'wet-behind-the-knees' pussy! Didn't you ever wonder what happened to my mother's beloved weapon, ay...?"

    For the first time in this conflict, I worried because of her question, and even more so when Emo had barked at Xen and I to move. "...Everyone! Take cover!"

    As we did, Ashii rolled off the bench. Then in a surreal twist of fate, she pirouetted her body down even further to the surface of the dais. Upon rising, The Pink Witch shifted her body again, this time in a contorting way.

    And along with the maneuver causing her kimono to fan out, it could only have been described as synonymous with that of a, 'Royal Flush'...

    With flair, The Witch had adjusted in order to collapse her parasol, then release a multitude of thin flying blades from it, which zipped out into our surroundings from none other than The Jade Empress' modified weapon - The Fan-Fatale. Subsequently, sorry screams and horrid yowls graced the Night Garden, courtesy of The Pink Witch's first wave.