We paused at the entrance as Ashton faced me. “My mistake… this isn’t a rescue mission, it’s an extermination”. “What do you mean by that Ashton, you said--- “Elaine, what you find in there will keep you up at night, I’m going to ask you this once: Don’t hold back no matter what you see”. I walked forward and felt my legs lock up in terror, I peeked inside all I saw was darkness, it was mystifying in a sense; I took a deep breath and no longer smelled carrion, I walked in behind Ashton back to back, we circled the room with our flashlights and looked at the decomposed bodies on the ground. Ashton walked over to the wall and flipped the breaker, the lights came on; “I wish I could’ve not seen that” I said to myself stepping over a corpse, the worn and stained tiles of the bank were painted with the blood of past victims and made into the image of a peacock, I saw the center piece of the flawed ritual, a group of people were huddled together in the center of the room; but something was wrong they were turned to stone, I looked carefully and saw there were red streaks coming out of the pores of their faces and on their faces was an expression of sheer terror. Little tooth fairies ate their way out the petrified corpses, I holstered my gun and I snapped my fingers at my target; I torched the corpse in a blast of fire and heat, it turned into a scorched fragments of amber, I looked at Ashton as he took out a book of bamboo matches from his pants pocket; he struck the match head and tossed the light on a corpse at his feet; the fire burned an intense green for a moment, as it faded the flames turned the body into a pile of white ash; I cleared out the room with Ashton and when we were done we stood on piles of white ash and amber. I looked at the scorch marks that littered the floor, I exhaled my breath and inhaled, smell of burnt flesh made me sick to my stomach; I blew down the steel cover blocking the exit with a snap of my fingers and walked out the gaping hole that was the front door, I saw the gunned down bandits from earlier and gave them the same cremation as the victims inside the building behind me. I walked forward shaking inside, I took a seat on the park bench as my knees wobbled from what I’d done, I felt guilty and violated; no matter what I think, it can’t… nothing can justify that madness. I didn’t notice as Ashton took a seat next to me as I mused over my actions, “This is what you signed up for”. I heard him pierce my thoughts, I clenched my fists; “That was wrong”, I kept myself from bubbling over with rage… “I suppose you’re thinking isn’t there a better, a more humane way of doing things”. I looked at him hopefully, right now more than anything; I wanted an explanation. Ashton smiled and in an instant his expression turned sour: “Elaine… that was the humane option”. I felt a tear escape out of my eye, “No… there’s always another way”. I said desperately, I fell into his arms; “Tell me something, you’ve never killed anyone or anything besides for defending yourself… have you”? I cried harder and his embrace tightened, my arms wrapped around his back; Ashton put his arms on my shoulders and looked intensely into my eyes, “Tell me… can you stomach what happened? I hate to tell you but this is only the tip of the iceberg; Elaine… this line of work, you’ll see things that change who you are; you’ll see things that will break you, but at the end of the day can you move on? Answer me damn it”! He took a deep breath: “Tell me would you rather hurt a person or get hurt by another”? I looked at Ashton as I wiped my tears. “Can you let go of your humanity”? “This is the test, that many fail… can you let go of who you are, and get the job done”? I stopped crying, finally Cerberus stopped nagging at me; but something inside me broke… for once I felt free and content. “Yes”. “Even that means you have to stain your hands and soul”? “Yes”. “Do you accept who you are”? I became one with my demons, I have embraced my identity completely; so this is what means to be a fae, “I am a fae… nothing will change that”. I closed my eyes and saw the demon inside me, it had awoken and I had embraced it as a part of my being… the chains of morality were broken, there was no right or wrong anymore… just the instinct to survive, my guardian beast no longer a separate entity… for once I felt whole, I felt complete. I opened my eyes and a pair of burning wings of white gas manifested out of my neck; they crystalized into diamonds, I looked at Ashton and he formed eight arms of air out of his lower back, they hardened into long pearl spears; “Our guardians are a part of us… they represent our deepest fears and insecurities; once accept who we are that feeling of inadequacy goes away and we find inner peace”. “This is the manifestation of our element, the physical form of our strength”; “Now let’s see what you’re made of”. I stood up and got into my stance, I rushed forward in a blaze of white fire; I slashed down with my blade, Ashton slid aside his foot and turned to dodge my swing, I felt my back blow out from a punch to my gut; he grabbed my collar and slammed me into the ground, before tossing me into a tree and smashing all of his arms down on me, I lay flattened on the ground, “Pathetic”. A group of three ruby dragon tails blocked Ashton’s killing blow and I saw Astoria standing beside me, “Can’t we go one day without trying to kill each other”. I got to my feet and punched Ashton square in the face, he brushed aside my fist and returned the favor; Ashton snapped out his combat focus, and looked at me as his defenses reverted back into his body; my wings faded back into me and Astoria’s tail disappeared as well. Ashton was back to his happy go lucky self, “Well congratulations on your first mission”. He helped me to my feet and I looked at him, I swung a left hook and his expression hardened as dodged my fist, he stood upright and stepped forward to knee my gut: “Don’t take it personally… you’re the only one who passed my test”. He stepped back and cracked his fingers with his thumb as he walked back to our home, I stopped myself from doubling over and stood upright taking a deep breath. Astoria tugged on my arm and I saw her eyes were gleaming with awe: “Your wings were awesome”. “Nice tail, you have”. I said trying to downplay getting my ass whooped, my legs gave out and I sat on the stone walkway. Astoria sat next to me, “Rough day… huh”? “Yeah… today’s been pretty shitty”. “You know I had a heart to heart with Lex a couple days ago”. “Oh yeah, how did that go”? I asked jokingly, Astoria helped me into a nearby bench, she sat next to me and leaned into my ear: “I think I have a crush on him”.
“You did what”! I dodged a fist of emerald, and leapt up; I landed on Nikolai’s fist and I kicked him in the head, the impact of my blow vibrated through my body and I grabbed by the torso, Nikolai repeatedly slammed me into the ground of the training room, I extended my arms into Nikolai’s stomach and they shattered on contact, “What kind of golem are you”? “I am a titan”! I was pummeled into the ground and was thrown across the room like a ragdoll, Nikolai used the earth underneath his feet and flew toward me like a rocket; I freed myself from the wall mold and rolled forward, I felt the back of my head sear from his rage as I dodged a wild straight that smashed the steel wall behind me; I wrapped my arms around his torso and smashed my knee into his torso, his armor chipped from the impact and Nikolai stepped back taking a deep breath. I took a running start and leapt forward a dropkick, I was grabbed by my feet and spun around before being slammed into the ring for the last time; he held his cleaver above my head, “I’m done”. The blade was staked into the ground an inch away from my right ear, my heart raced: so that’s the power he has, I’m lucky he’s on my side… hell we all are. I planted my fist into the ground and staggered to my feet one knee at a time, I walked out the room cracking my joints, with the kiss of defeat leaving a bitter taste in my mouth; I washed the taste with an iced coffee, Draco handed me a towel and sat down next to me: “You know what you’re doing”? I looked at Draco and smiled: “Not a clue”. “I get you’re the type of guy to take things as they come” he sighed, “We’re not human Draco; the way I see it, our humanity shouldn’t be the thing that kills us on the field”. “But we’re not on the field dumbass, we’re at home; I understand you want everyone at their peak strength… you of all people should know that strength is meaningless without discipline”. I felt my stomach turn over from his words, “That girl… Elaine… I saw her humanity burning in her eyes, just because we’re monsters doesn’t mean we have to act like it”. Draco left the room and headed back upstairs to the living room, Thane sat next to my left; “You here to nag me to”? I spat at him: “I appreciate what you did”. “Me and Ragnarok… hell even Louis, and Astoria agree with you; look at this way, you showed her how to set aside humanity and ethics to ensure survival, in my book… that isn’t a fuck up, it’s a good deed”. “Thane, can you tell me; what makes something right or wrong”. “You’re asking the wrong person, Ashton; honestly… morality isn’t cut and dry neither is life. I appreciate your choice, because you did as the situation requires. There is no good or evil, in those moments, it’s just you embracing choice you’re going to have to make for the good in the long run… You consider me evil, because of the atrocious things I’ve done; but we’ve all things we’re not proud of, but guess what we’re standing aren’t we”? “Everything no matter how insignificant has a purpose… everything is connected to a grander scheme, to make a bigger picture all of the pieces need to be in place”. “The butterfly effect”. I said, “Bingo, you’re smart enough to know that every event will lead to a greater purpose”. Thane looked at me with curiosity; “So I’ll leave it at this, choice or not… either way all things will be resolved, there is a caveat to this though, not everything may go the way you planned it… in this case we adapt and adjust… life is a series evolutionary phases, and I intend to see it through the very end”.
Despite all the awry things of today, it was rather nice; taking my family out for dinner in the city. We sat around the table of my favorite steakhouse, Lex offered grace for our meal and I heard a gunshot outside, my life ended with a bullet to the heart. I flew out of the chair and slammed into the ground, how did the day go so wrong; I lay on the ground in a my pool of my blood, surrounded by my friends; as they realized what had happen their shock changed to sorrow, they all had tears of sadness slide down their faces, Nikolai held me in his arms; he closed my eyes, I heard Thane’s voice as placed two coins on my eyelids. Everything faded to black. Destiny, above all things shows us how vulnerable we are; despite our strength, we are still mortal and held back by emotion; I regret asking Elaine to do that; to abandon her identity, but that is the only way to survive. We all have embraced our pain in one way or another, in turn we’ve seared our consciences; to no longer hear the voice of morality is liberating, but at the same time; it’s disparaging to know that you can no longer tell between right or wrong. In our youth we seek to abandon that part of ourselves because we see it as unneeded restraints, but actually it’s a warning that clearly shows what happens when you stray from your path; morality is doing what is right regardless what you’re told, obedience is doing what you’re told whether it’s right. All men and women take orders, whether they want to or not; the harsh truth is we’re slaves to another, but we fool ourselves into these doing things under the guise of nobler things such as love, peace, or respect; to begin with I wanted a team of warriors who could let go everything when it comes down to the wire, but I know that’s impossible. No matter what may humanity do, no matter what we may do to close ourselves from the world; some emotion will always crawl back in and manifest itself inside of us. That is what I hate about being a fae, it’s also the reason I am still alive and well (correction I’m dead now). I am a man not a machine, I shouldn’t treat my friends this way; they didn’t ask to be a fae neither did I; we may not be human but humanity is something all mortals share… the ability to show compassion and mercy, to see past skepticism and cynicism; to have faith in one another and never forsake each other, ever. Where did my beliefs go, where did I lose them, where did I go wrong. I was never a religious person, nor do I think I ever will be; but right now I want to drop on my knees and beg whatever God is out there for forgiveness, I am a sinner I am not going to doubt that… but I need to change, I don’t expect a miracle… but please give me another shot at life. I felt a thump in my chest, I could breathe again and my hearing came back: I heard the anguished cries of my friends as I felt myself rocking down the halls of a clinic, the rooms of an ER swung open and I was placed into careful hands, I was carried by warm arms, set down onto a cold table I opened my eyes and Reico looked at me as I stared at him square in the eye from the operating table, he cupped his face and sighed through his fingers; we were in the operating room, and he stood speechless as I did the impossible; I was embraced by him, I felt his tears on my shoulder: “You gave us quite a scare”… he heaved out. “Please don’t do that again”, he pulled back and I saw my blood soak through his white coat; I put my hand over the wound and sighed in relief, as I didn’t find a gaping hole; I pulled out the syringe of poison in my pectoral. “You’re going to be okay, buddy”… for a brief moment I lost consciousness, I laid back down: “Excuse me… I’m going to pass out now”. Reico injected the antidote into my body, and saved me from dying twice in the same night, I heard sighs of relief as I faded back into sleep. I drew what would’ve been my last breath, if it weren’t for the miracle of resuscitation; my consciousness drifted off. I was back in the memorial with all my friends, I looked at the ceiling from the hardwood floor; “Jesus Christ… Ashton you okay”. Lex said to me as he helped me to my feet he wore a pair of boxer shorts and red sports jersey, Reico looked at me from the counter; still dressed in his clothes from the clinic; “Yeah”, I felt my chest ache from the impact of the .50 caliber, “Fuck that hurts”. I was put in an easy chair and I looked at the patched up hole in the wall... Ragnarok, stood in front of me with a beer in his hand, he was dressed in a thin black sweater and loose black jeans; he sat down the chair in front of me: “I didn’t come back to see you die”, he playfully punched me in the shoulder; “you’re one lucky bastard”, Nikolai said with a hearty laugh; he said from the bar counter, he walked up to us and smiled at me: “I’m sorry for earlier… I’d just lost it for a minute”. He said looking away from me, “Yeah me too, we’re cool”? “Ashton, I’m happy we didn’t lose you… but please don’t do that again”. He said sternly, Reico changed back into a pressed white suit and opened the door; the rest of my dysfunctional came in the room; but something felt wrong, seeing my friends after almost dying I should’ve been happy… I sensed the pall that hung over the room, it wasn’t a gathering for our reunion… this was a ceremony for my departure. Reico broke the news: “I’m afraid inform you, that our dearest friend can no longer go back to the world of the living anymore”. Reico looked at me with a friendly smile, “At least for the moment… he needs to rest, unfortunately he’ll only be dead for just a week and I’ll send him back home”. Reico closed off the space between us and them: “You’re friends had an interesting way of convincing of me to send you back”. “Trial by combat”? “They have to beat me in a one on one duel, while fighting at their peak, whichever party has the most wins is the victor ”. “You’re going to kill them”. I protested, “But on the contrary… I’ve been longing to let everything loose”. “You’re going to be our spectator, I hope you enjoy the show… I intend to play for keeps, you’re far too valuable to lose, and when this is over I will make you mine”. “My family, I have faith they’ll beat you”. Reico looked at them: “Let’s put that to the test… and Ashton, feel free to jump in at any time”.
I looked at the perch where Ashton was sitting on and saw the scoreboard, the opposite gate opened and I faced Death, I wondered what kind of man he was; I drew my sword and held it one handed, “That guy up there, he gives me my paycheck and not to mention… I actually like my employer, so would you kindly give him back”? Death raised an eyebrow before touching the ground with his scythe blade; “Well shit”, I dodged a horizontal swing and landed on the shaft of his blade; I ran forward and I slashed downward, he caught my sword in his palm: “Well this awkward, where are my manners: I’m Reico”. “Louis, nice to meet you; er… can you let go of my sword”? “It’s a masterpiece, I’m simply admiring it; like my scythe”? “Very pretty, well balanced; you build it yourself”? “Of course”. I jumped backward to dodge a vertical slam, I formed Hades out from my left shoulder blade as drill of purple flames; I rushed forward and my arm hardened into amethyst as I slammed my fist into the ground, I crushed Reico underneath my palm and drove him into the ground, I self-destructed my construct on top of him turning him into a pincushion; he looked at me from the ground, and frowned; “Fool”. I was held in place for a moment, like I was swimming through molasses; Reico slowly got to his feet and looked at me with pity, he snapped fingers and I saw was suspended in the air by a crystal bird cage, the base of the cage was lined with bloodied spikes; I looked and saw that I was caught in a web of barbed wire, I looked up and saw that the top was lined with bloodied spikes as well, “For an illustrious bounty hunter, you disappoint me”. He made swatting gesture with his right hand, I grit my teeth as the cage sandwiched me between its teeth; the construct faded on impact and I was face down in the dirt floor with multiple puncture wounds, I staggered up and saw Reico’s guardian for what it really was, he grew a single large tail of sapphire from his tailbone, he cracked his neck before stabbing me through the heart and tossing me into the air I was smashed back down into the arena floor by his tail as he leapt above me. “And the coup de grace”! He shouted triumphantly, I placed my hands on my chest and muttered my incantation, “My trump card… the gate of hades… I must really down on my luck, if I have to use this”. I pressed my collarbone and watched as the gate formed in front of Reico, “What the he— Sounds of agony ruptured through the air as the gate opened, I extended my arm forward and it came out the gate as an ethereal version of itself, I closed my hand around his body dragged him through ripping his soul of his body. I saw him rip apart as the madness inside the gate consumed him, leaving him desolate as the void within. I closed the gate and Reico fell to the ground as charred skeleton, I rolled out of the way and watched as his bones shattered into obsidian as they crashed into the ground; I staggered up with my wounds sealed and sheathed held my sword, groggily swaying from the worn off adrenaline I planted my feet firmly into the ground. Reico reformed himself and looked at me with quaint curiosity, he moved in a blur and held his scythe above my head, “Game over”, he pulled down and cleaved me in two or at least he tried to, I disarmed him with a flare of purple fire; his scythe impaled itself into the wall behind him, I stepped forward and kneed him in the gut; he spat out black inky blood, he doubled over and I leaned into him, “Shut up… you’re annoying”. I whispered into his ear, I spun around and placed him on my back, I threw him over my shoulder and slammed him back first into the ground; hair thin threads bound him to the floor: “I don’t care if you’re immortal, so to be fair I’m going to half kill you as a courtesy”. I stomped on his face, and he screamed in pain; “Don’t worry… I’ll make it quick… ninety eight more bones to go”. “This is the shoulder blade”, Crack, crack, crack… to put it shortly I gave him a crash course in human anatomy before I broke half of his body. I kneeled next to him as he groaned in pain, “This is a civilized dueling ground, not a slaughterhouse; so consider yourself lucky that I stopped when I did Reaper”. Reico took a deep breath and his wounds were healed, he stood up and walked up to his scythe, pulling it out of the wall; he tapped the ground and took his stance, he swept the blade at my feet and I leapt up; I spun toward him and tornado kicked his head; before spinning in the air and slashing downward with my sword cleaving him in two, “Well that’s disgusting”, I stood on his gut as the top portion of his torso turned into gaping maw lined with teeth, I quickly shot my arm into the maw, in an instant opened my fist and let out cluster white flares, before I leapt backward as the mouth closed shut with snap, I put my shield in front of me as I watched his body convulse from within, the top half of Reico exploded from the concussive blasts I put inside of him; black sprayed everywhere as the lower half fell on its knees and hit the ground with a splat, bits of blood and gore stained my armor as I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. I pulled out my China Lake and took aim, I blew up what was left of his corpse; I pulled on the pump and cycled in a new round; the black aggregated into a slimy mass and he reformed in front of me as a twenty- five foot tall skeleton, he smashed his fist into me; I stepped back barely escape the force of his punch, I climbed his hand and ran up his arm, I dodged a swat; I continued running upward to his face, once on his shoulder I sprinted toward the base of his neck and slashed away, until I decapitated him; I stabbed my sword into the base of his throat and braced myself for the ride down; he fell off balance, and timbered like a tree… The sad thing was this isn’t a contest against Death alone, it was contest between our team and his, I could only shudder at the strength of his companions; funny thing is in terms of strength compared to the rest of his party, he was the bottom rung on the ladder.
Reico crashed into the arena with a loud thud, I looked up and saw them standing behind the other gate; various expressions of dismay at the slewing of their comrade; they gave me an ovation for my feat… “No, not them… anyone but them, shit; to clarify Reico is a member of team sigma, a worldwide terror agent hell bent on poisoning the world with fear and killing it a like disease. My friends and I, must be down our luck to be facing off against these fuckers, after they’re trained killers… far out of our league, I don’t expect any of us to survive against them”. I looked at Ashton, at he stared at me with a lugubrious expression, we were thinking the same thing, all of us are going to die here.
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.
I felt the ground rumble, as I saw the Minotaur rush me with a mace; once within arm’s reach I bashed his face with my shield and veered him to the left, I got under him; as stabbed him through the gut my sword blazed to life searing his insides, I pierced through his back and cut his spine in half. He leaned over me; blood dripped out of his mouth and onto my shoulder, “It’s been while since I fought someone, so forgive me if I’m a little rusty”; he dropped his mace, clang; the spiked head implanted itself into the ground, “I’m Connor Deus, nice to meet you”. “Elaine Alighieri”; I pulled out my sword and stepped back, letting him fall on his cooked intestines. He stood up and stuffed himself, the wound closed and I heard a deep sigh; I put away my sword and shield; placing them on the ground, I protective fingerless gloves on my hands. “You’re no Perseus”. He laughed putting up his fists, I held my arms in front of me with open palms; I collected myself and stepped out of the way to dodge his fist, I punched him in the stomach and pounded away at his torso leaving burn marks on his fur; Conner swatted me away with a swing of his arm, I braced my arms in front to block a heavy fist; “That’s better”, I leapt up and was intercepted by his uppercut, he slammed me into the ground and I rolled out of the way to dodge a stomp, I kicked his calf and leapt up for a tornado kick to his head; both of my feet connected, I spun in the air and went for the axe kick. Connor blocked my foot and grabbed me by the ankle, I was smashed into the dirt face first; once, twice. Grabbing me by arms and legs he broke my back on his knee, I was tossed into the air and grabbed again this my back breaking mine against his. Locked in a bear hug, Connor threw his upper body into a suplex; as my head hit the ground I felt my brain slush around from the impact. With a hammer throw I flew across the arena and smashed into a wall, as my wounds healed I stood up and saw Connor trying to gore me; he charged down and I planted my feet, I grabbed his horns and twisted his head driving him into the ground; I placed my feet on his neck, broke off his horns and stabbed them through his back, he howled in pain; I pulled out the makeshift daggers and drove them back into his skull piercing through his eyes, Connor scrambled up screaming like a madman; I grabbed onto the stubs of his horns as bucked around on all fours, “Yip kay a motherfucker”! I flipped over his head and smashed my knee into face; I landed on the ground first, pulling his head down I smashed my knee into his lower jaw; I swung him around and lifted him up, I spiraled upward in a jet of flame and punched his sternum; I wrapped my arms his waist, spinning in the air we locked ourselves in a piledriver. Five feet away from the ground I threw him down face first and dropped on his back like a missile; on contact, I let an explosion roar out of my feet; the flames focused downward and with a large blast I incinerated him into ash; the ashes faded away in streams of energy, it reformed behind me; I saw a man in a business suit; I saw him tilt his fedora and lift up his glasses, he held a spas-12 with a narrow choke and aimed it at the back of my head; “Checkmate”. I turned and rolled out of the way to dodge the pellets; I snapped my fingers looking at the ground in front of him, the oxygen combusted and I sent him flying back; he aimed again sitting up and took a potshot scrambling to his feet, I drew my Tinderbox and aimed it at his head; I pulled the trigger and burst of seven rounds hit him in the chest, he returned two quick shots and I had my knees blown out. Connor walked up to me, he dropped the bulletproof vest and placed the barrel square to my face. “It’s just business”. He squeezed the trigger and I heard a click, “You’re lucky I’m a medic… normally I keep the extra round chambered, but today’s special”. Connor picked up legs and walked back over to me, he laid me on my back and attached my legs back to my body; “There we go, good as new”. I sat up and he smiled at me, “Don’t take what you have for granted”, he leaned forward and helped me up; I lifted his right arm; Connor looked at me raising his eyebrow, “It’s your win, take it”. “You don’t have to do this”, “A dragon never swallows her pride, I’m just being grateful”. Connor nodded his head, and we looked at the score board: we’re tied 2 to 2. I was hugged by Ashton in the waiting room, and was greeted by happy faces; Thane patted me on the back, he pulled out his sniper rifle and locked in the barrel; “Wish me luck”. He walked out the lobby; I saw a cup of half-drunk black coffee on the table next to an open bible, I picked up the book and saw Revelation 21:4. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”, “The demented psycho is just a front”; I looked at Ragnarok in surprise, “I’d never would have guess”; “Neither did any of us; as each of us goes out to fight he prays for a safe return”. Astoria told me, “I knew he wasn’t all evil”. Draco wiped a tear from his face, his skin turned to ash grey; “We did horrible things before, he was just smart enough to atone for sins before I did; my only hope in despair, he was my guardian angel, and I was his”. “The fallen saint”. Nolan spoke up, “He’s turned a new leaf, as I have I when we joined you”. I sat next to Draco and placed my hand on his face, he smiled at me; I embraced him; “We don’t judge anyone for what they may have done… we judge people by who they are”. I said to Draco, “For many of us… this is the closest thing we get to a second chance, a new life… I don’t care about what evil your hands have done; you’re a different person now, so choose better and walk toward it”. “Thank you”. I scooted over a few seats and leaned back in the loveseat with Ashton, a yawn escaped my mouth and slowly drifted off into sleep; I laid down on his lap, so soft… so warm; this is my family, how odd fate can be… I never felt I belonged anywhere, always stigmatized for what I was, but now I feel whole for the first time in my life, I can say that I’m happy; all felt right.
“So this is what it means to be loved, for once I found a home”. I said to myself, “For once I don’t feel like a monster… I feel accepted”. I smiled at thought of my new family. I stepped out in the arena and faced a woman dressed in a cloak red as blood; she looked at me with a pleasant smile… underneath her hood I saw in her deep scarlet eyes, a longing for home now realized by her comrades. “You and I are alike”. She said, she drew a dusty red circle around her with her foot; she unsheathed a ritual knife and looked to the sky; her mouth opened and she screamed like a banshee, as she stabbed herself in the gut. The circle lit up and from her body flowed unholy energy; looking at me with black eyes full of malice, she moved in a flash of red and started slicing away. “Slice, Slice, Slice”! She screamed, I stepped back from each swing; I grabbed my sniper by the tripod and swung it into the side of her head, I leaned forward and blew out a jet of black fire; she writhed and laughed at her agony, if it was possible the pain I gave her, made her attack quicker and with even more ferocity than before; I rolled out the way and aimed my rifle steadying it on my arm; I took a shot and the round pierced through her skull, for a moment it all fell quiet as her head tilted back from the impact; she moved her knife to her head and dug out the bullet, the wound seethed with red as it closed. “Tsk, tsk… You’re a naughty little shit aren’t you”? She teleported in front of me and disemboweled me, as she got behind me, she held me up and stabbed my back; “Now you’re full of holes”. She laughed like a maniac, “Compared to me what are you”? I asked as I had my organs sliced to ribbons inside me, “Shouldn’t you be more focused on not dying” she answered back, “Seal release level one”. I grabbed her wrist and snapped it in my hand, I turned and looked at the marvel in her eyes; “All life has started from nothing, so what gives it meaning”? “For me, I live to see the world suffer for its sins”. “You live for agony, the pain you’ve wrought is equal to what was inflicted on you”. “You’re special”. I tossed her into the wall behind me, and manifested Quetzalcoatl; “You thrive on pain, so let’s see tough you are”! I formed six wings of red lightning on my back, I rushed forward and was flung backward by a hand made from blood, “I am Nicole the Reaver, and you are dead meat”. I flexed the wings in front of me, they were cut in half by her hand and I saw her face, white with rage; the red in her eyes was gone, all that was left was a primal instinct to kill. Two longs shot out of her back and she pummeled me into the ground, “DIE”! Nicole stabbed through my gut and pulled out my intestines, she jumped up and swung me around, I was tossed to the ground and I looked up, “Seal release level nine”. Resorting to my trump card already, man I’m rusty”. Now one of two things will happen, one I could erase everything that ever was. Or two I could combine all of my energy into last ditch shot. Please God let it be the latter. I stood up and stared into the sky, I reached for my back and drew a sword, I hadn’t used in over fifty odd years; I pointed the gleaming blade skyward and focused all of my strength into the tip of the sword, the sky turned black and red shot of out the sky like angry tears; “I pray forgiveness, have mercy on my soul”. I slashed down my blade on Nicole’s shoulder as she was about to pierce my heart, I brought to her knees and we were both struck by a bolt red lightning; the arena was engulfed in noxious smoke, when it cleared; I found that the ground was scorched to into brimstone, and a hand was sticking out of my chest; Nicole had won, “I’m reckless not suicidal”. She smiled and laid me on my back, “You’re good… but you could’ve killed me any time back there, why didn’t you”? I coughed out black blood, “I’m not that kind of person anymore; I hate spilling needless blood; I hate taking needless life”. She jammed my heart back in my chest and sealed the wound, she sat next to me “You are strong… might I ask what your name is”. “Thane Ripley”. “Nicole Grace”. She answered back, I looked at the scoreboard, 2 to 3; damn, the games master appeared as a wisp of green spirits; “Matches shall continue tomorrow, this marks the end of first day”! Nicole leaned in and kissed me on the lips, she ran away laughing back to her side of the arena, I stood up and saw a woman dressed in red, she walked out from her waiting room; “All contestants, congratulations on your battles thus far; meet us in the lower hall for a night feasting and celebrations”! “We’ll see you then”. Nicole said to me as she ran back into her gate, as she turned to wave, this time I saw something more humane and beautiful in her eyes: admiration, no it was love.
I walked back into the waiting room; as a frame of reference it was a high ceiling circular room with checkerboard tiling, and decorated with modern minimalist furniture; I took a seat on the recliner getting a bottle of vodka; I drained half of the bottle and set it on the table besides the chair. “Definitely not what I had in mind for a first date”.