I closed my eyes and when I opened them; I found myself sitting in a wood chair, in the middle of dance studio. Feeling the painkiller wear off, I stood up from the chair and faced a pale skinned woman; in her early twenties, she was dressed in a nude velvet nightgown; she had lush pink hair, and eyes that looked like the rainwater, walking toward me she smiled and bared her fangs; they dripped with crimson as she took a bite of the apple she was holding; I watched as the apple faded to grey and withered into dust… she looked at me with a hungry curiosity: “I wonder what you taste like”? “Forgive my manners but I haven’t eaten yet, and you look really tasty… now I’m going gently scramble up your insides”. I felt her hand stab through my gut and tug at my intestines, she bit my throat and staggered back with her eyes rolling back, she doubled over screaming in ecstasy; “Damn you’re delicious”. My wounds healed and I looked at her, I snapped my fingers, I closed the gap between us in a burst of wind, I punched her in the face and slammed her head into the ground driving her a few inches into the marble floors; I lifted her by the head and smashed the imprint again. lifted her and kicked her across the room, I watched as her feet touched the opposite wall and she rebounded her step to land safely; she leapt toward me in a triple axel, finishing in axe kick; I stepped back and thrust my arm forward to grab her head as she landed. “Now I call a do over”, I let go of her head and sat down next to her, as she sat crisscross on the tiling she took off the nightgown leaving only her black laced lingerie. “I’m Ashton, what’s your name”? “I’m Clare”; she tackled me to the ground and pecked at my throat with a kiss, “Grrr”. She said looking into my eyes, in an odd psychotic sort of way she was cute; she leaned closer and whispered into my ear: “Why do good people die”? “In a garden which flowers do you pick” I asked back, “The beautiful ones”; she said letting go of my wrists, she got off my stomach and sat down next to me; I sat up and looked at her, this woman is the leader of team Sigma; she looked at me intently, at a loss of words she laid on her back and looked at domed ceiling above her; “Don’t take my silence in the wrong way, I was never good with introductions; hell I’m just not a people person”. “It’s alright”, I said lying down next to her; I looked up at the ceiling and saw a painting of God imparting His wisdom to mankind, “He might not be the strongest in my group, he’s pulled us out of more jams than I can count; that man is lifesaver”. Clare said to me admiring the work on the ceiling, “He’s also my drinking buddy”; I told Clare, as I unhooked a flask of whiskey from my waist… I took a sip and handed her the bottle; she took a swig and sighed, “Aren’t you going to find those responsible for killing you”. She handed back the bottle, I wiped off its rim before capping it; “Eventually, but not now; I don't want to rush into a readymade grave”. “What’s like being alive”? She asked me halfheartedly twirling her hair, “It’s more stressful than it ought to be, but I manage”. Clare leaned in close, “Do you have anyone you love”? I thought about it and saw Elaine’s face pop in my mind; “There is one person”. “Tell me do you”? I turned my head and saw her blush, she smiled; “No not yet”. She sighed, I looked closely at the painting on the ceiling and slowly drifted away into sleep. I recreated the moment of my assassination in my dreams and walked around the room, I saw five circular granite tables on each side of the restaurant, with a rippled base and a smooth surface all topped off with a clean white tablecloth. “It was a beautiful place; it always has been”. The chandelier hung above the main room which was supported by four arched columns, I walked on the stone floors as I looked at the third left window side table where I always sat alone before meeting my friends, I took a seat in the chair and looked out into the evening skyline, after every mission I’d come here as soon as possible for three porterhouse steaks cooked medium-well with a side of steamed vegetables. Going down a couple steps, I walked into the main table area, it was spacious area fenced in by three walls of rune engraved glass walls. In the center there was the largest table in the restaurant, able enough to sit a family of ten; it was flanked by nine other small tables like those on the sides of the establishment, I examined what happened yesterday, I was sitting at the top of circle facing Ragnarok, and behind was an open kitchen where customers could view their meals being cooked. I walked up to the chair and sat down I looked toward the right, scrutinizing the thick tinted windows with my eyes, I looked forward and saw a large bullet hole; 25.4mm shell of titanium hiding a tungsten 12.7mm round, break down the glass doors that lead into the restaurant. The additional jacket left a six foot wide hole in the wall the, I watched as the bullet tore through me and send me flying out of the chair, I landed on the ground as the waiter walked out the kitchen and she dropped a hot plate of food on my face in panic. Elaine, ran toward me screaming; and the others followed, stricken by shock and grief… we might not all get along at times, but I’m sure now more than ever; that we do love each other. I opened my eyes and felt the sear of hot metal on my face, I was startled awake back in the perch of the arena; I saw Clare leaning over the rampart and shouting for her team to win; I scrambled up to my feet and looked over, I saw Ragnarok fighting a Diadect; she was blond haired woman, she leapt around the battlefield like a hare, effortlessly dodging Ragnarok who was like a crazed bull. “You’re awake, the second match just began its already marvelous looking at those two go at each other”. She looked at me, “We’ll have our fun soon, for let’s enjoy the show”. “My ace in the hole, Laura Castro”. She said proudly, “Laura's going to give a hell of a run for his money” I said back, “That’s my brother… Ragnarok, the demon king”. “You’ve got a good team behind you, but anyone that has crossed Sigma; will meet the same fate… a one way ticket to hell”.
“Judgment awaits you”. I heard a voice from the opposite end of the ring; I cracked my fingers with my thumb and looked at my opponent, she was dressed in a flowing blue tunic with the hem decorated by billowing clouds; underneath she wore a white button down shirt which exposed her collar, and charcoal grey trousers with a faded chain link watermark design; we walked toward the center of the battlefield and looked at each other; she stood at a diminutive five feet, She stuck out her tongue and gave me a thumbs down, as she walked toward me; I found it kind of adorable seeing her walk toward me like a toy solider, “Eh… You’re the Diadect”? “Yeah so what”? She shot back, “Tough definitely does not suit you”, I said looking her in the eyes; her irises were a chestnut color and flaring with life, I took the mantis stance and took a deep breath. She bawled her right fist and held it front of her, interesting… a holy knight, “By all means make the first move”; I said, she shot toward me in a blur and in an instant, I doubled over from her fist slamming into my gut. I moaned in pain, “You’re so dramatic… get back up so I can kick your ass”. “It’s worth a shot”. I got back on my feet and I saw her right in front of me; about to bash in my brains with her bare hand, “Let me return the favor”. I caught her punch and slammed my fist into her face, decking her into the ground; I lifted my leg above my head and slammed down on the base of her neck, I heard a crack; “Uh-oh, did I kill you”? She stood back up and dusted herself; popping her neck back into place she drew a spear, I formed ten centipede legs of ruby from my lower back; “I don’t want the blood of a child on my hands”. “I’m fifteen years old”, she stepped forward and thrust her spear; I stepped back and watched as it morphed into a broadsword, she swung in a circle and I caught the blade, with my hand; I struck her down with one of my legs, squashing her like a bug; I pulled back my leg and thrust all ten of them into her back, and stabbed away.
Squish, squish, squish. I scrambled up her insides, and lifted her up in the air; before my legs shot up and skewered her torso, I tossed her into the wall in front of me and saw her slam into the iron gate of her waiting room. She stood up, I watched as her wounds healed; her manifestation took form as a single wing of white feathers; she formed a second wing of black feathers from left shoulder, she picked up her sword and rushed forward in a burst of speed, standing right in front of me, she stuck out two fingers; as she touched my chest I was sent flying backward, I staked my tails into the ground and stabbed away, she dodged each attack and got through my defenses; she slashed away with her sword, but little did she know that our guardians could manifest themselves out of different places in our bodies, case in point; I retracted my legs and leapt up, to dodge her downward swing; it blew a crater into the ground, I formed a single tail and spun in the air as it reached its full length of ten feet, I slammed down and she caught my tail with her off hand, she kept my appendage at an arm’s length, she pulled down and sent me flying toward her; as I got close, I let my tail dissolve and dropkicked her in the head; I landed on the ground; I heard a moan behind me, then the sounds of joints cracking; she stood back up and rushed forward, with a single punch aimed at my stomach; I heard her fist crack from hitting my abdominal, I drew my sword and took my stance. I held the sword in front of me, a lifted it upward to block an overhead swing; closing my eyes I let myself flow like water instinctively matching her blows with mine, my Kusanagi became an extension of my arm; I disarmed her blade with a single downward stroke of my sword, I took a deep breath and sheathed my sword. I turned my back and walked toward the waiting room; I turned my body sideways and grabbed her steel arrow in mid-flight; I threw it back to her, it flew past her left cheek grazing the flesh and staking into the wall behind her. She clapped her hands, as she retrieved her arrow; placing it back in the quill, she walked toward her gate and the match ended in a draw… the odd thing is, I think we both knew that this would be the outcome; I looked at the score board and saw that it was now two to one, the gate opened and was back in the lobby; “By the way congratulations on your match”. I looked at Elaine coming from top of the staircase, as she walked past me, I glanced in her eyes the look of murder in eyes was unmistakable… “Hey”. She stopped and looked at me, “Don’t do anything you’re going to regret… You’re still have your humanity, don’t put that on the line… I don’t condone what Ashton did, it was wrong; but you know it just as well he does, that gentleness is a luxury few can afford”. I continued my way, “Ragnarok”; I looked at her and saw the hope back in her eyes, “I can take care of myself and besides… if there is one thing I need to drill into that skull of his: gentleness is the ultimate strength”. “Is that so”? I smirked, “Then the best of luck to you”. “When you make it back, I’ll teach you to become stronger”; “I’ll hold you to that”. I said walking forward, I stepped out into the arena and stared down a nine foot tall Minotaur Cleric… I heard the voices of my friends behind; out of all of them, I discerned Ashton’s: “Kick his ass, Elaine”! I cracked my knuckles, he put his arm forward in a friendly gesture; “May the best fae win”. “Likewise”, I fist bumped his thick hand. He smiled and took a few steps back, he dragged his hoof in the ground and snorted like a bull. His muscles bulged to the point of bursting, and the ground itself shook in terror… I took deep breath and drew Ustanak, I held the broadsword in my right hand and placed my kite shield on my left arm; for a moment I held my breath and stared down that wall of flesh. Yeah this is fair, a woman vs. a physical tank.