The sound of metal clashing rings through the air. A side door flies open in the hangar and Hektor comes through firing bursts from his automatic rifle. A masked man backs away from Zuria to avoid the bullets. Hektor moves in next to Zuria; Lucia, her hands still on Hlin's shoulder.
The man standing before them is covered by a shredded grey cloak. His dark clothes visible beneath it. A mask of a grotesque copper skull has completely enshrouded this man's head. The skull mask bears metal roots that sink into his neck, they bulge and swell with his every breath. The eyes of the skull are black and deep. How this man sees is unclear.
The stillness ceases as the man paces to the side then back. His sword is at the ready on his left. The straight, wide blade bore the unusual mark of a silver hamon on its two edges, but that and the copper of the fuller were both tarnished by fresh blood.
Hektor keeps his rifle pointed at the assailant. "Stand down! We have you surrounded. Drop your weapon and put your hands above your head." He briefly glances at Zuria. "Where are our men?"
"They should be here by now, I'm not sure-" Zuria's eyes widen as she only now notices what is on the right hand of the skull man.
"That's one of the soldiers who accompanied me on the ship. Did he do the same to everyone else?" Hektor's eyes are switching between the severed head and the skull man.
"I don't know. Either way we're taking him down." Zuria immediately clenches her teeth after speaking.
"Careful. He's crazy quick with that thing. I couldn't see him half the time." Hlin then stood up with her massive hammer spewing glowing embers from its vents.
Lucia pulls out her two hook swords. The guns on its hilt are primed. Her intent with them is clear.
The skull man tilts his head as he continues pacing which reveals more of the swelling roots burrowed in his neck. Then he stops and the air stills. He faces the group of four, and rushes forward. Hlin fires another round of fireballs. The skull man slices away at each projectile as he charges.
Hektor and Lucia attempt to flank the man. Their guns are pointed straight at him. Zuria intends to take him at the front. Their blades almost clashing, but then the skull man vanishes and he reappears behind the three fighters.
"Ha! So, that's your trick!" Hlin exclaims as her hammer blocks a blow from his sword.
The vents on Hlin's hammer begins to roar. The embers turn into flames that propel the hammer towards the skull man. A crash and a bang follow every strike. The skull man is forced to retreat from the ignited flurry.
Then a counter: A slight parry here and there and Hlin is left wide open. The blade nearly strikes true on her neck, but Lucia intervenes by catching the blade on her hooks. Zuria aims a blow at his arm wielding the sword, but then he seems to vanish again, almost. The man is still visible but only barely. Briefly, Zuria sees the man in a translucent state. His sword harmlessly passes through Lucia's hook and he maneuvers to the latter's back at an incredible speed. He reforms into full visibility, but Lucia seems to notice him as well as she blocks the thrust from the skull man. She's forced flying back as Zuria retreats with her.
"So that's his semblance," said Lucia.
"Asshole can't touch anything while he's ghosting though. But Hlin was right. He's fast."
Hektor and Hlin keep the skull man at bay with a volley of fire and bullets.
Zuria scratches her head. "Tch. Any plans, doll?"
"He can't stay a ghost forever. We wear him out till he can't phase anymore then he's ours."
"I just hope we can keep this up longer than he can."
Hlin goes back to close quarters against the skull man. Her growing frustration with his elusiveness is evident. " ' .STAY. STILL?!" Strikes from her hammer dot the pauses between her words.
Lucia swords morph into SMGs and she fires a salvo at the skull man. He easily avoids it by phasing towards her. She leaps over him and intertwines her hooks. The daggers at her hilts carry the momentum of her spins and slice at where the the skull man reforms. He repels the attack, but now he's engaged directly with the two huntsmen.
Flurries flow into parries that are followed by ripostes; Lucia's movements flow like silk in the wind. The skull man is careful enough to never let his blade get caught between her hooks. At the same time, he eludes Hlin's hammer with ease. Zuria and Hektor attempt to intervene with bullets. Though their combined efforts do little to disrupt the rhythm of parries, phasing, and counters.
"He's stalling," Hektor says. But those words seem to have triggered a change in tempo, a shift in momentum. The skull man engages the four of them all at once. He shifts from one opponent to the other at a maddening pace. Their attempts to mount an offensive fail as the skull man simply phases through every counterattack.
"It's like he has eyes on the back of his head!" Hlin's impatience is nearing its boiling point.
Hektor uses his rifle to adeptly block each blow. A sharp kick at the skull man misses as the latter simply phases and moves to Hektor's flank. Another burst from the rifle and the skull man switches to another opponent.
"He can't seem to stay still while phasing. Plus, it seems he can only ghost for three se-" Hektor defends himself again from the skull man's assault, but he retreats and Zuria takes his place. "Three seconds max. And it takes him another two before he can ghost again."
"Looks like he's the one wearing us-Damn it!" Lucia grits her teeth in frustration as the skull man persists his assault.
"I think I can fix that. Hlin, bread trail please" Hektor's rifle whirs as parts of it rapidly fold and unfold. The shape it forms is an elegant curve with a small ring in the center. A string of blue, loose energy lies in between both ends of the curve. Hektor readies his bow. He takes aim and fires. The draw of the energy string lets loose a pulse that travels to the ring in the center. A small shock wave emanates from that ring and distorts the air around it. A blue bolt simultaneously appears and zooms to its target.
The skull man simply phases through the bolt, but then another one catches him as he re-materializes. He slashes at the bolt. The energy disperses, but the aftershocks remain. A raw surge spreads through his bones. He still stands, but his body trembles and stumbles as it attempts to remain upright. Hektor sustains fire, the skull man attempts to gain more ground and phases forward. Right before he re-materializes, a fiery light appears and marks his return. Another shot and the skull man is forced to dodge. The actions almost seem to repeat into a cycle. Hektor never loses his tempo as the rapid succession of shots pin the skull man to a corner of the hangar.
"That buys us some time. I think it's time for another plan, doll."
Lucia speaks, "Hlin, I doubt this man is acting alone. I need you to set bread trails around the area while we regroup with Qrane. Zuria, can you and Hektor-"
"Say no more. Hektor, let's move it!" As Hlin retreats, Zuria charges and aims several furious cuts at the skull man's vital points: the achilles tendon, his neck, the axilla. Hektor's sustained fire prevents a proper retaliation from their target.
Hlin's satisfaction with the scene clearly shows on her face as she smiles and waves. "Good luck, guys! We're off-" Hlin's words turn into an audible gasp. A scythe-like blade smashes into her side. She blocks with her hammer, but she's launched a distance away from Lucia. Still standing, she fires up her hammer and repels the succeeding strikes.
A long, prehensile tendril leads from the scythe to its wielder. A long convexed blade retracts right into where a left arm should be. Greeting their sight is a cracked beaked mask hashed together by thick, harsh stitches and rivets embedded irregularly on its face. In stark contrast, a large, prim overcoat drapes neatly and tapers along light, slim contours.
"You tried to sucker punch me! That wasn't very nice." Hlin brushes some dust off her shoulder. The annoyance she bears is subtle, but obvious.
"Guess his friend arrived. Bitch thinks she's a plague doctor!" Zuria shouts from across the room as she and Hektor continue their bout with the skull man.
Hlin maintains her smile, but the pleasantness has washed away. She sighs while smiling and tightens her grip on her hammer.
"Hlin, leave this to me. We need your bread trails around the perimeter." Lucia's eyes do not leave the enemy in front of her. "I'll take this one. Hlin? Hlin!"
Hlin shifts to her cannon and fires at the plague doctor. The fireballs are repelled as expected. Hlin fires again, but she aims high and in a sweeping arc. She rushes ahead of her fire with her blazing hammer. She leaves embers in the air with each strike. Her opponent responds in kind. The tendril-scythe whips and warps at impossible angles. Hlin feels the light, but numerous strikes connecting with her body. Bits of her aura are chipped away, but then she smiles.
Fireballs descend upon the plague doctor. She slices at the projectiles, but she leaves herself open to Hlin's hammer. The doctor takes several hits. The hammer shifts to a cannon. A fiery blast singes the doctor's clothes and forces her back.
"Boom, bitch. Looks like you aren't as good as your friend over there!" A devilish smile grows on Hlin's face. She bubbles with a haughty excitement. "Lucia, please be a dear and let me finish this."
Lucia's eyebrows furrow. "We do this together. Someone has to watch your back."
"Fine~by~me~"
Despite her loose, melodic tone, Hlin assails the plague doctor furiously. Lucia's stream of fire that prevents any counters against Lucia. A hammer smash to the knee and a thrust to the face stagger the doctor who is now one knee. Her one arm is on the ground as her only support.
"You're mine!" Hektor hears her hammer roaring in the distance as he maintains his fire on the skull man. He briefly glances at Hlin, but, just at that moment, a faint glow begins to intensify from her right. She's swept away by a shadowy flash.