Author's note: an incubus will be mentioned here. However, in the interest of keeping the T-rating of the story, I tried not to go overboard with the incubus. Oh, and there is some violence.

Chapter 21: Of Villains and Heroes

The red-haired man called Charles took Arashi out of the cell again the next day. Gill and Luke tried to prevent him but Charles brought few guards with him to restrain them while he dragged Arashi out. Then as the guards were trying to shepherd the rest of the prisoners out to the mine to start their shift, a loud alarm resounded throughout the mine.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! All hands to mine entrance!" The guards shoved the prisoners back into the cell, locked it and rushed towards one direction..

"Now, it's our chance", Gill said. "Joe, can you open the cell door?"

"Don't have to tell me twice", Joe said and already, he knelt in front of the cell door trying to jimmy the lock using a small thin wire and a toothpick. There was a decisive click and Joe pushed the cell door open.

"Luke, you and Joe will take everybody and get out of here. Go!" Gill said as he rushed out of the cell.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"I am going to get Arashi".

Arashi closed his eyes and breathed hard. The succubus had fed on him again and he was trying not to think of how many feedings he could survive. He was trying to figure a way out of here when he felt fingers working on his straps. He opened his eyes to see Gill untying him from the chair.

"Gill?"

"Come on, we have to get out of here", Gill yanked Arashi up by the arm. He hooked his arm around Arashi's waist trying to support him.

"I...I can't walk too far...I am just going to slow you down", Arashi gasped. "Leave me. I'll be fine".

"Stop the heroic nonsense. I am not leaving you here..." Gill hesitated. "Besides, Sage is going to be very sad if something happens to you", he continued ruefully.

Hearing this, Arashi wanted to chuckle but what came out of him was a rasping breath instead. What a strange guy, he thought. And because of his strange principle, Arashi thought, he might owe Gill his life once more, if they managed to get out of here alive. The universe had such an ironic sense of humor, Arashi decided.

"She chose you, you know", Arashi told Gill as the shorter man slowly guiding him out of the room. Gill stiffened.

"How do you know that?"

"I asked, and she told me".

"Ah, look at you two love birds. Where do you think you are going?", a woman's voice rung from behind them. Arashi and Gill turned slowly. Gill put Arashi down gently on the floor, then he stood between Alice and Arashi.

"Careful Gill. She is a succubus. Don't get too close", Arashi rasped.

Gill crossed his arms in front of him in a defensive stance. "I don't want to hurt you. Let us go".

"Sure, I'll let you go...", Alice said. "Not! ...Hiiyaah!" She rushed towards Gill and leaped, trying to kick him at the side of his head. Gill blocked her kick with his arm. As soon as she landed, she crouched down and tried to sweep Gill off his feet. But Gill jumped backward to avoid her leg. Alice rose and kicked again, and this time, the top of her foot connected to Gill's side. Gill grunted and staggered a couple of steps to the right. Then he quickly regained his stance, and stood facing Alice once more, re-crossing his arms in front of him.

"Why are you not trying to fight me?" Alice frowned at him.

"I don't want to hit you", Gill said. "I will never raise my fist against a woman".

Both Alice and Arashi stared at him in disbelief, then Alice threw her head back and laughed.

"That was the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" She bellowed.

"Come on Gill. She is not a woman. She is a demon. Fight her!" Arashi yelled. Who has the heroic nonsense now, Arashi thought furiously.

"No!" Gill said stubbornly. He thought Luke might come and find him after he got the rest of the townsfolk to safety. Then together, maybe they can figure out a way to restrain this woman without having to hit her. He just needed to buy some time, Gill thought.

"Fine. Works for me", Alice said and then her arms and legs blurred into flurry of kicks and punches. Gill tried his best to block or to avoid them but more and more of her kicks and punches connected. Finally, Alice grabbed his shoulder with both of her hands, pulled him towards her, and drove her knee hard into his stomach.

"Oof..."Gill fell on his knees in front of Alice. She spun and kicked him mercilessly at the side of his head, causing him to crash into the ground beside Arashi. Alice leaped and landed on him, straddling him, then she bent her face towards his face, opened her mouth and inhaled. Gill convulsed as he felt as if his strength was being sucked out of him.

"Get off him!" A foot clad in heavy work boot kicked Alice in the face, sending her flying backwards.

"Sage!"

Sage placed herself between Alice and the two men who were lying, gasping, on the ground. "What did you do to them?" she barked at Alice.

Alice rubbed the spot on her face where Sage just kicked her. "You could have ruined my face, you idiot! You are going to pay for that!". She leaped at Sage, only to ram into an invisible barrier. As Alice staggered back from the impact, Sage willed a fire ball to form in her hand. She stepped towards Alice slowly.

"A witch! Wonderful...", Alice smiled, showing her perfect teeth, but her eyes were cold. "Don't kill her, Charles".

"What? Ow!" Sage yelped as something bit her in the neck. The fire ball fizzled and her hand instinctively went to her neck. She felt her neck and pulled out a small dart.

"What the...?" Sage dropped to the ground before she could finish her sentence.

"Good timing, Charles" Alice nodded at her assistant who had emerged from a dark corner.

"Don't touch her...", Gill rasped.

"Or what, blondie?" Alice sneered. Then her ears picked up a subtle noise. People were coming this way, she thought. Those pesky Leaf Valley people! Alice was furious. She just couldn't believe that they actually found her and dared to storm her mine. She was indecisive for a split second, but then her greed won at the end.

"Grab the girl. We are leaving", she said, turning her back abruptly, walking quickly towards a door on the back of the room.

"Yes mam", Charles lifted the unconscious girl onto his shoulder.

"No...No.." Gill desperately trying to get up but his whole body felt weak. He heard Arashi beside him, gasping, struggling to get up as well.

Luke, Jack and Kurt stormed into the room and found Gill and Arashi lying on the ground.

"Gill! You okay?" Luke grabbed Gill's arm.

"They...they took her...please...get her back" Gill gestured at the door which Alice and Charles had disappeared into. I am so stupid, Gill cursed at himself. Stupid. Stupid. She got hurt because of me, and I have promised that I would keep her safe.

Luke nodded and jumped to his feet. He ran through the door. However, after a few minutes he came back, his face fell. "They are gone. Sorry", Luke told Gill.

"We'll find her. Don't worry", Jack said. "We'll find her. Meanwhile, let's get you out of here".

As the men made their way out of the mine, they found that the fight was over. All of Alice's goons were either captured, dead, injured or ran away. The townsfolk helped Luke searched the mine, but Alice, Charles and Sage were nowhere to be found. Shea told them that he would track them down and slunk away towards the woods. With help of the few townsfolk, Jack brought Gill and Arashi back to his house so the two could recover...

Meanwhile, away from the mine, Sage opened her eyes and found that she was lying on what looked like a leather sofa in a small, moving box. And as she tried to move her arms, she found that her hands were tied above her head, her palms facing each other. Not again, she groaned as her stomach turned into a knot. Alice turned her head and gazed at Sage in the backseat.

"Ah, you are awake. Good. We are on our way to see the professor who would definitely pay a high price for you..." Alice glanced at Charles who sat beside her, piloting the box, then turned her head to Sage once again, "But you know, I think my assistant here is hungry. And to reward him for capturing you, I think I will let him spend some time with you". Alice nodded at Charles, "We need her alive. Don't kill her".

Charles smiled at Alice and stopped the odd, moving box. They both climbed out of the box. Alice stretched her limbs and leaned against the side of the box, crossing her arms.

Charles opened the back door of the box and climbed on top of Sage, straddling her. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"This is one of my inventions you know", he bent towards her and whispered, his finger traced the contour of her neck. "I am thinking of calling it an automecha, what do you think? Impressive huh? A genius and good looking. You are one lucky girl".

"Get off me, you freak", Sage struggled.

"Oh, I am a freak alright", a slow, predatory smile formed on Charles' handsome face. "Just how freaky, you have no idea", he said as he wrapped his hands around her neck, and greedily inhaled her life force.

A small smile formed at the corner of Alice's mouth, as she heard Sage screamed.

End of Chapter 21