Hello! See, I'm on time… I think. Anyways, here you are.

I won't keep you long. Only thing I'll say is that you should prepare yourself. Stuff goes down this time.

Please enjoy!

Chapter 28:

"Okay… Left."

Gil was navigating through the wet streets of Lowee. He had made some progress in his mission to find his group's whereabouts, but he wasn't there yet. He also wasn't well versed in the city's layout, so he wasn't… as efficient as he could be.

"Where… Where next? There?" Gil stood at a crossroads. Cars crossed the street in front of him, lighting up the dreary morning with their headlights. "I… I don't… Where…"

Gil looked around in a flustered state. He looked towards street signs, trying to see any names that he recognized. He had been on track a few minutes ago, but now… he wasn't too sure.

"Maybe… I should find a notice board. Those have maps." From there he could map out his route again. If he was actually lost. He wasn't completely sure that he was off track, but better safe than not. But he didn't know where a notice board was. Maybe he'd ask around?

He saw a convenience store that was open. He'd be able to get directions from there. Gil headed towards it, quickly walking through the automatic doors. Gil heard a "Welcome" from the cashier as he walked towards him.

The man looked Gil up and down. Gil was completely drenched, after all. "Hey kid… Looking a little under the weather there. We have hoodies if you need."

Gil placed a hand on the counter. "No, thank you. Can I ask you for some directions?"

The cashier crossed his arms. "At least buy something first. You really look like you need something to warm you up…" The cashier fidgeted around under the counter and pulled out some snacks. "These should help. How about I get you some coffee too, then we'll talk?"

Gil looked at the cashier confusedly before nodding rapidly. "Sure, yes, please be quick." The cashier brandished a wide smile before getting to work at a coffee machine behind the counter. Gil tapped his foot impatiently for a few minutes before it was done.

The cashier placed the coffee and snacks in front of Gil. "Thank you, that'll be-" Before he could finish, Gil placed money on the counter. "Hey, kid, this is more-"

"Directions? To the nearest notice board?"

The man shrugged. "Eh, if you insist." The man then gave Gil directions. The notice board wasn't too far away, and Gil would be able to navigate there quickly.

"Thank you."

"Come again."

Gil walked out of the store quickly. "Alright… Down the street, left, continue for four stops, another left…" Gil followed these steps as he made his way through the streets.

He had some time to think as he walked. What would he do once he found the location? He'd get inside, but how? He… Probably would have to assault the place. Make his way through by force. Get any info he could from the people there. Force them to give him, if he had to.

He could try to be stealthy at first, but he wasn't sure that that would last long. He would try though. It would make things easier for him, as well as the girls. If nobody knew he was there, they were safer.

"Three… Four… Left." Gil turned and ran down a street. There were more people walking on this street than the previous ones. Must be a main street. Gil had to dodge around people as he moved through the sidewalk.

He saw a gathering of people on the side of the street and headed there. They were all gathered near a… noticeboard. There, that's where he needed to be. As he got closer, he saw that the noticeboard was separated into different sections. The group gathered around the quest section of the board, so Gil had free reign of the map section on the right side.

He approached the map and leaned on the side of the panel, placing his fingers on the map while trying to find the place he was looking for. "Where is it… Where is it…" He ran his finger through the different roads, tracing them back to where he was. He couldn't find the place he was looking for.

Gil took his finger off of the board and stared at it in an irritated fashion. He scrunched his right hand into a fist and placed it on the side of the map, once again staring at the layout. He leaned his face closer towards the board. He then shook his head and stepped away from the map, letting his face drop. He noticed that somebody else stood next to him, seemingly wanting to look at the map, so he moved to his right to give them more space.

Gil realized that he had completely neglected his coffee and snack that he'd just bought. He retrieved them from his inventory, holding his coffee in his right hand and a chocolate bar in his left.

Maybe the street names were outdated? Or maybe they were known as something else colloquially. He needed to look at the map again and… Yes! All he had to do was find where Dusty's house was, and then map the directions Dusty told him to where he needed to be. Once he found his end location, Gil could trace from there to his current location… There was a "You are here" on the map, so that made it easier…

"Yo."

It was a girl's voice. Gil was pulled out of his thoughts, looking around. He looked to his right, darting his eyes through the streets. He then looked to his left. The group of people that were previously by the quest section had dispersed.

There was only one person close to him. The only other person other than him who was looking at the map. Gil rested his eyes on them as they looked forward towards the map, their face not fully visible to Gil.

Gil blinked a few times. "Where… you talking to me?"

"Yup. You look lost."

Maybe… Gil could ask this person… this girl… to direct him? It'd help him find where he needed to go quicker. "I… am. Could you help…?"

Gil saw the girl's mouth curl up into a smile. "Sure I can."

"Thank you. I need to…" Gil then explained where he needed to go to the girl. He tried to be as clear as possible, with the girl nodding as he spoke. She always had her hands in her hoodie's pockets.

"Ahhh, I know that place. You won't find it here though. It's further away than what it shows on this map, so you'll need to find another noticeboard."

Gil sighed to himself as he nodded in understanding. "Thank you for telling me. I'll need-"

The girl then turned to face Gil. "I can take you there."

Gil looked at the girl with surprise. She wore a hoodie that was half white on her right and half dark blue on her left. It extended no further down than her thighs and was zipped up. She had her hood up, which also followed the colour scheme.

She wore long black jeans that reached her ankles, where they upturned. The upturned parts were the same blue that was on her hoodie. Gil could see that she wore blue socks with her black and white shoes. They were similar to his in that they were sneakers.

"How about it?", asked the girl.

Gil looked at her face and saw that she had black, seemingly straight hair under her hood. From what Gil could see, there were blue streaks in her hair. She smirked at Gil, exposing some of her teeth. She was fair skinned, and her eyes were black with… light blue, slit-like pupils? That was… interesting…

Gil also realized that this girl was pretty much as tall as him, if not slightly shorter.

She tilted her head down and looked excited. "Ooooh, what're those things in your hands?"

Gil, back on his train of thought, raised his hands and looked at them.

"Coffee and some chocolate. Hmmm, could do with that right now. How about you give me those and I'll direct you to where you need to go? Fair trade?", said the girl. She leaned back on her legs, taking a casual stance.

"I, uh… Pardon?", said Gil.

"I said that I'd direct you to where you need to be, and all you've got to give me are those items in your hands. That's more than fair, right?"

Gil hadn't intended on buying the items in the first place, so he had no problems with giving them out. But… "What're you doing?"

The girl looked up, closing her mouth and smiling thinly. "Setting the terms for this "contract," if you wanna call it that."

"No, I mean… why?"

The girl tilted her head to her left, smirking again. "I can help you if I want."

"Why? You don't know me."

"I can help strangers if I want. Or do you not want to know where to go?"

"I need to get there quickly, can you just tell me where to go? I'll be able to navigate their by myself."

"I can show you where to go, but I can't tell you."

"Why can't you just... point me in a general direction and tell me what the building looks like?"

"Because that's boring, and the building doesn't stand out at all. You'll take hours trying to find it, and seeing as you're apparently in a rush... I don't think you've got the time to be doubting me."

Gil scrunched his fists. This girl was very adamant about showing him where to go, but he didn't need that. He would... He'd find someone else to tell him what the building looked like when he got there.

The girl looked Gil up and down. "You're completely soaked. Don't you own an umbrella? A hoodie?"

"No. I'm going to go now." Gil started to walk off in the direction he came from. He heard rapid footsteps behind him and looked to his right, seeing that the girl had caught up to him.

"What, you homeless? You don't look like it."

"Why are you so persistent?"

"Yeah, don't really get that many homeless people around the cities. They do well for their citizens."

Gil sighed to himself in annoyance as he gazed at the girl, trying to find out what she was up to. She seemed to notice this and giggled to herself. "Hey, what's got you suspicious? I'm just some innocent girl looking to do a good deed with some repayment in mind. Is that so wrong?"

Gil wasn't able to speak, as in the next instant, the girl walked towards him and grabbed his left arm. She stopped smirking and got closer to his ear. "I know exactly why you want to know where you're going."

Gil came to a stop and glared at the girl. "What do you-"

"Hey, don't look at me with such aggressive eyes.", said the girl, letting go of him and returning to her casual demeanour. "You've got something important to do there, right?"

"Is that what you mean by "exactly why" I want to go there?"

"Sure! That's... roundabout an exact reason." She shrugged her shoulders. "And besides, if you try to get there on foot, even going at a full blow sprint, that'll take you a long time. I know a much quicker way that'll only take a few minutes."

This sparked Gil's interest. "And how is that?"

The girl raised an eyebrow before giggling to herself. "You seriously haven't thought of it yet? Ahhh, you're a weird one. You're gonna hit yourself when you realize."

"Can you show me or not?"

The girl gave a toothy smile. "Of course I can. I know the shortest way around the world, and I know the shortest way to your destination."

"...And if you're lying to me?"

The girl raised her hands in mock surrender. "Easy there, tiger, I'm not one to throw down. You look like the type of guy that could beat up a squad of guys, so I'm not planning on having something similar happen to me. I swear on... whatever higher power you believe in that I'm not lying." She held her hands together. "Okay? So you'll follow me?"

Gil didn't like being toyed with, and this girl seemed to know that. And yet she still wanted to help Gil. Maybe she did... just want to help him out? Some people were good for the sake of being good, right?

Gil decided that… he would do what this girl said. For now. "Okay."

She quickly fistbumped before returning her hands into their pockets. "Cool. Let's go under some other cover, and you can give me the stuff there, okay?"

Gil nodded. The girl smirked again before leading the way. "There, out in the street. Come, come." Gil then turned around, following the girl from behind.

They walked a small distance, moving across the road to get under a small piece of cover. Once they were both under it, the girl faced Gil and unpocketed her hands, rubbing them together to produce heat. Gil saw that her right hand was covered in a blue glove. "Cool, can you give me my payment now?"

Gil took out the coffee and chocolate and held them out, with the girl quickly taking them. "Hmmm, warmth. So nice, so comfortable on a day like this." She unwrapped the chocolate and dipped it in the coffee before biting into it.

Gil tapped his feet on the ground while waiting. "What're we doing here? How long are we going to take?"

"Chillax, we'll only be here for a few more minutes. We've gotta wait for something to happen first."

"But-"

"Shhhh, soon, soon. I did say that I wouldn't lie to you. Not planning on changing that!"

Gil briefly looked to the floor before returning his gaze to her, observing her. She looked forward, very content with the current situation. Gil realized that neither of them had asked for the others name. He opened his mouth to speak, but the girl beat him to it. "You're seriously not cold? I can see you shivering."

Gil looked down and felt that, yes, he was shivering. His mind was preoccupied with other things, so he hadn't noticed. "…I know. I'm fine."

"Hmmm, you sure? It's not good to run around in the rain with nothing to keep you dry." She finished off the chocolate and held up a finger. "You could get sick."

"I won't."

The girl huffed. "Yeah, I know."

"What's… what's your name?"

The girl turned her head to face Gil, thinning out her smile. "Right, that's important when doing things like this." She finished her coffee and walked backwards to put it in a bin before facing Gil. "Call me Ava. And what would your name be?"

"Gil."

Ava stuffed her hands back in her pockets. "Gil. Alright then, Gil, follow me again." She started walking forward into the road.

"What're you-"

As Ava reached the edge of the sidewalk, a bus slowed down right in front of her, opening the doors just in time for her to walk on. She stepped onto the vehicle and spun around. "This is a bus stop, you know? Get on."

Gil promptly followed her. He stepped inside and saw Ava sitting in the front right row near the window. She patted the seat to her right. Gil sat next to her and leaned on his knees. He glanced to his left and saw Ava looking out of the window while leaning back.

Gil looked around the bus. Ava saw this and put a hand to her mouth while giggling. "What, did you seriously not know that we were at a bus stop? Were you seriously planning on running the whole way?"

Gil thinned out his mouth. "Yes." He and his sister weren't accustomed to using public transportation, so the though hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Hm? So determined."

Gil looked at Ava with a raised eyebrow before looking to the floor, resting his hands between his legs.

Ava tilted her head. "Not much of a talker?"

He thined out his eyes as he glanced at her. "I get that a lot."

"That sucks." Ava then pulled out another chocolate bar and began eating it, at which Gil stared. "Whaaat? Chocolate is nice, and it's not like I do this all the time." She took another bite out of it.

Gil stared at her blankly before looking back down to the floor. He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Ava look at him weirdly. "This is the part where you at least try to talk to me."

Gil looked at her awkwardly. "I'm not used to it."

"…Not with strangers, yeah, yeah, but you should try to change it."

"I get told that too."

"By who?"

"..."

"Aww, you're not gonna tell me? Come on, now I'm really curious!"

"It doesn't matter. How long do we still have to wait?"

"A couple of minutes. Settle back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

Gil continued to rest his eyes on the floor, playing with his fingers and tapping his feet. Ava looked like she was going to ask another question, but stopped herself partway, taking to look out of the wet window again. "Eh, that could've gone better.", she muttered to herself They sat in silence for a while before Ava once again took the lead. "What're you going to this place for?"

"…Personal business."

"Hmm? So mysterious. You're not going to go clean the place out or something, are you? Going to go fight some people?"

"No."

"Awww, that woulda been cool to see. Hey, you're not from here, are you?"

Gil looked perplexed. "How'd you know?"

Ava smiled knowingly. "Oh, I know many things." Just then, the bus slowed down and arrived at its destination. "We better get off now." She stood up and beckoned Gil to follow her outside. They both stood under another bus stop, looking on as the vehicle drove off.

Ava smirked at Gil. Seems like she did that a lot. "Wanna go anywhere else first? I can show you how to go anywhere."

"I only need you to take me where I need to go."

Ava shrugged. "Suit yourself." She started walking off. "Come on."

Gil followed from behind. She walked forwards with her hands always in her pockets. She started slowing down until she was next to Gil. "It's lonely when you're in the front. Why do you still seem so… cold?"

"...Can't help it." He had been meaning to get more used to talking to other people, and it seemed like he still had a long way to go.

Ava lightly elbowed Gil's arms. "That's about all the harm I'll do to you. Relax around me. I don't have any sort of bad intentions, okay?"

That was the thing. Gil didn't know what her intentions were in the first place. She said she just wanted to help, but there was something off about this girl, but he couldn't tell why he felt that way. It was very… mysterious.

"You an adventurer?", asked Ava.

"You could say that."

"What kind of adventurer? The lone wolf or the pack animal?"

"I'm with a small group."

"That's surprising. I wonder how differently you treat them than you treat me. Maybe I'll find out one day."

"What do you mean?"

"That'd be entertaining. Seeing how a guy like you treats people who are closer to him. Wouldn't you say?"

Definitely a mysterious woman. "Maybe. Are we there yet?"

"Hah. Well, while we were having this phenomenal chat, we arrived at our destination." Ava unveiled her hands and pointed up at the building in front of them. Gil followed her finger. It was a tall building with many glass windows running up it. It fit in well with the surrounding buildings it stood among.

He then looked to the ground floor and spotted an entrance. Similar to the last time, it was guarded. A few inconspicuous looking figures dotted the side of it. Gil wouldn't be able to charge straight in without causing some sort of commotion. He put a hand to his chin while trying to think of alternatives.

"Yo.", said Ava, patting Gil's shoulder. "I know a way in. Care to follow me for a bit longer?"

"A way in? You mean…"

She laughed to herself. "You following me or what?" She then ran off to her right, heading into an alleyway and out of sight. Gil furrowed his bows and followed her, turning into the alleyway.

Where'd she go? Gil looked around, the rain still pouring down onto his body. "Yo!", heard Gil, and he looked up to see Ava climbing a ladder. She held onto it with one hand and waved to him with the other. "Come up here!"

Gil, very confused at this point, followed. He quickly climbed up the ladder. It was quite long, but he got to the top without issue. When he reached the top, he spotted Ava standing by the edge that faced his destination.

Gil stood on the left of Ava and stared at the building in front of him. He had to get in there, but how? Ava said she knew a way in, but he couldn't see one. "What now?"

"We're here."

"What? Where? How do I get-"

"You jump across."

Gil's eyes widened. "What?"

"Just break through the windows. I mean, it's not like you care about the owner or anything."

"What… What do-"

"Hey, you got a phone?", asked Ava. She pulled one out of her pocket and held it up to Gil.

What was this girl doing… "No…? Why?"

"So I can get your number, duh."

"…Huh?"

"To stay in contact?"

"Why would you want that?"

Ava smiled widely at Gil before facing the building again. "I can't wait to see this on the news. Make sure to get all three of them back safely."

Gil widened his eyes again, looking at Ava with intent. "How do you know-"

"I know many things." She stepped closer to the edge. "See you around, Gil. Let's be friendlier when we next see each other, alright?"

"When we see each other… What do you-" Before he could finish, Ava spun around and waved lightly.

"Go get 'em, tiger."

With that, she fell backwards off of the building. Gil rushed towards her and looked over the edge, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Who… What… Huh?"

He would be seeing her again? Why? Who was she, and how did she know about what he was doing? She knew about the other three too? How much about them did she know, and how?

She really did know many things…

But there were current events to take care of.

Gil shook off his thoughts and walked backwards, lowering down and readying himself. After some brief preparation, he sprinted towards the edge of the building and jumped.

Inside the building:

"Ugh… Way to go in stealthy." Gil stood up from the floor and looked at himself. Luckily, there was no glass in him. His gauntlets made short work of the window, but it was better to be safe. After he finished with that, he looked around the room.

He seemed to be… in an office. There were… were they called "cubicles?" Designated sections for people to work in? That might've been the word. He saw PCs and printers all around the place, along with paintings and… a fish tank?

Looking away from the aquatic attraction, Gil also saw cameras and alarms dotting the ceiling. A few of which were already focused on him. "Yeah, no chance of stealth.", he muttered, as he summoned his sword.

Now that he was in the facility, his anger started to resurface. He had been distracted by the mysterious Ava, but now he had his mind on only one thing.

Save them.

He furrowed his brows and grit his teeth, trying to see any figure in the darkened office. He spotted nothing moving, so he advanced forward. He never lowered his guard. He… didn't really know where to go, or how to get there. Or anywhere.

Just then, he heard a speaker turn on. "Hey, silent film, how ya doing?"

Gil's grip on his weapon tightened as he heard Faust. "Where are you?"

"Top floor. Come find me before it's too late." Gil saw a wall mounted screen light up. On it, he could see Renna, Neptune and Uzume chained to metal chairs. "Wouldn't want them to get hurt."

Gil heard a "ding," and looked towards his left. "But first, got a little surprise for you." A door opened and out poured a group of people. "Try not to die, alright?", finished Faust, before the screen, and all lights, turned off.

Gil was blinded, unable to see in the darkness. Mechanical covers slithered across the windows, completely snuffing out the light. Well, at least the fish tank's light was still on. Other than that, he could see the cyan on his sword, his gauntlets, and a few floating green lights… Were those…?

Gil dove to the floor at the sound of gunfire. So they have headgear that allowed them to see in the dark? Great. He rolled to his side and into what he presumed was a cubicle. He leaned against it and squatted.

Gil felt a sharp pain in his left leg, as well as some wetness. He… he'd been shot, again. Already. He let out a brief gasp of air as he sat on the floor again. Dammit, dammit! In, out… In through the nose, out the mouth… Calm, calm…

What could he do? He'd have to find some way to light up… Yes, his light magic. That would give away his position though… But what other choice did he have?

Gil held his left hand out and conjured a ball of light, throwing it into the air where it hovered. Okay, more light. They knew where he was, but there was light. Now he could see. He ducked his head around the right of the cubicle…

He felt a bullet graze his head and quickly fell back into cover. He felt the right side of his face become wet. Come on, Gil, don't be so… Gil heard a "He's here!" as well as a "Come out with your hands up!" How many were there?

Someone was close. He heard the footsteps. He had to do something.

When he heard the footsteps right around the corner, Gil stood up and frantically grabbed the barrel of the man's gun, pushing it away as he sent his right fist into the man's chest.

The man recoiled backwards and fell onto the floor, but rolled over onto his feet and reached into his left pocket, quickly grabbing and throwing a knife at Gil. Gil managed to see it just in time to block it with his sword. He heard a gunshot and dove to the floor. He crawled across it until he was behind more cover.

There, Gil realized that he'd been shot again…. In the left shoulder. Gil bit his lip in pain while trying to stay silent.

Now was not the time for his pain. He had to get to his group. Renna had done it before, so could he. She did it many times, and so had he. She had killed people before, and so had he.

He would do it again.

Gil slowly stood up and leaned against the cubicle wall. He had a plan. He could tell where the people were from there headgear, and that's how he'd track them. He would use his light to blind them.

And then he would kill them.

He turned the corner of the cubicle, looking to see any green lights. He didn't, and advanced forward. He snuck across the office while kneeling down, still holding his sword. His eyes had adjusted somewhat, but that didn't help him too much.

He stuck his hand into the air and shot light at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and looked to the floor as it exploded, and he hoped that it would blind everyone else. He looked up and briefly saw four people covering their eyes a small distance away from him. He instantly mapped the route towards the closest one, ready to ambush them once they all started moving again.

The brief flash snuffed out, and darkness consumed the room once more. Gil held onto the side of a desk as he slowly stood up. He started walking forwards, taking single, silent steps…

He felt a hand coil itself around his neck and a hot pain in his back. He pulled at the arm around him, but it let him fall to the floor.

He'd… been stabbed in the back. He recognized this pain. Gil lied on the floor while staring blankly into the darkness, seeing the cyan accents on his sword. He heard the group talking amongst each other. He'd been through similar things before. That didn't take away from the affects it had on his body, but he knew this feeling. He felt a kick at his body.

He recalled his sister. Now… was not the time to die.

Gil sprung to his feet, holding his left hand out behind him while facing the enemy. They readied their gun in shock and fired, but Gil held the front of the barrel, causing the bullets to deflect away.

The flashes of gunfire could be seen, and the man behind the gun surely saw Gil's face. And surely, he was terrified.

Gil pulled the gun forward and broke the man's arm with his free hand before spinning around and throwing the man to the floor. Before the man could do anything else, Gil dropped to a knee and picked up his sword before plunging it into the man's neck.

He'd done it. The man threw his arms up at his neck before they stopped moving entirely. Gil stood up, unsheathing the sword from the ground. He'd really done it again.

This was a familiar feeling.

Then, for some reason, he recalled what Ava had said. About how he could jump through the windows without worry, since he didn't care about the owner? Yeah... yeah, that would work. Gil conjured fire in his left hand and sprayed it around him, catching anything he could on fire.

He saw four in front, two to his sides, two behind him. Eight in total. Eight to kill.

They all readied their weapons on Gil as he dove to the floor again. They were then all blinded by another one of Gil's "flashbangs." Gil pivoted around, heading towards the two behind him. They were near the edge of the building, where the windows would be.

Gil sprinted towards one and shoulder charged him, sending him crashing into the window covers. They fell to the floor, and Gil shifted his sword into a spear as he rushed to the other man before he could fire. With a quick swipe, Gil cut the gun in half.

The man backed off and reached behind him. Before he could pull out whatever he was reaching for, Gil swiped at his arm and cut it off. He then plunged his spear into the man's gut and forced him to the floor.

Quickly getting back up, Gil turned back to the other man and shoved him against the window cover again. He could feel that the material wasn't very strong, so Gil punched through it, ripped open an opening, and threw the man through it, letting him fall to the hard concrete below.

Now more light shone into the room, not that he needed it.

Gil heard more gunshots, feeling his right arm get hit as he dashed away. He ducked behind a pillar as he held onto his newly injured arm, seething. He glanced around the pillar to see the remaining six approaching.

Gil shot a steam of fire at them before throwing his spear through it. It impaled one of the men, flying straight through his abdomen. Gil summoned his spear back into his hands as he fell to the floor again, evading even more gunfire.

He'd have to do something about their guns. Metal… He could heat the metal up? The heat would cause them to drop their weapons. Then he'd have free reign over them. Would that even work?

Gil threw a fireball at the five men, with them diving out of the way to avoid it. He jumped over a fallen cabinet while advancing, heading for a singled out enemy. When Gil got to him, he quickly placed him in a chokehold and dragged him behind cover, out of sight from the other four.

Then Gil started strangling him. Gil saw the man reach for his knife, but he pushed the man away and kicked him to the floor. Gil then stood above the man and plummeted his foot into the back of his neck. That… was enough to kill him.

Four more. Gil held his spear, readying it for another throw. He heard gunfire directed towards him and dove behind cover. He looked around at the office. It was all burning. The tables, the floor, the ceiling. All of it was on fire.

Gil had a plan. He saw the four men advancing from behind his cover and readied a fireball. He lobbed it up at the ceiling, where it exploded, causing the roof to collapse onto the men. They all managed to dodge out of the way, but the debris fell through the floor, dropping down to the lower level.

Gil stood up and looked at the men. They were separated, and some of them had lost their weapons. He would use this as an opportunity to close in on them. He ran to his right, vaulting over office equipment as he converted his spear into a sword. He turned left and saw two men, neither with weapons in hand. He sprung forward, kneeing one of them to the floor before plunging his blade through his chest.

He looked up and blocked a knife thrust with his left arm. Gil let go of his sword and grabbed the man's leg, bringing him to the ground. As Gil crawled up to him, the man thrust with his knife, stabbing just under Gil's right shoulder. Gil grimaced but held onto the man's arm and pulled.

Gil then grabbed onto his neck and, with a quick movement, snapped the man's neck. Gil slowly stood up from the floor and then reached behind himself to grab his sword. As he grabbed it, he heard crashing. More of the ceiling had collapsed around the large room. He had to be quick.

Two left. He ran forward, spotting the enemies from behind. Both of them had guns. He sprinted towards them, kicking one of them in the back of the knee and forcing them to the floor. After that, he swung his sword at the other one, although they dodged out of the way. The man readied his gun and fired, hitting Gil in his right thigh.

Gil fell to a knee as he shot fire at the man, catching some of his outfit on fire. The man fought desperately to put it out, but before he could do anything, Gil impaled him through the chest with his sword. After that, he turned to face the last man who was getting up from the floor with gun in hand.

Gil swung his sword at the man, but he backstepped out of the way of the attack and fired a volley of bullets. Gil managed to dive to his left, impacting into a pillar. More of the ceiling collapsed as Gil stood up. He flanked to his right, sprinting towards the final enemy and grabbed onto his gun, ripping it out of his hands.

Gil then punched at the man's neck with his left hand before shooting light out of it, slicing straight through the man's neck like a laser.

Gil watched on as the man fell to the floor. Now that he was done, he noticed that they all wore similar outfits to last time. Full body suits, dark colours, demon masks. But enough of that. Through the fire, Gil saw the door that the men all came through. He ran towards it, dodging parts of the ceiling and jumping over obstacles.

He entered into what he knew was an elevator. The big button that said "Top Floor" gave away which one he had to press. He leaned against the walls of the elevator as it ascended, assessing his condition.

Alright, so… He'd been shot in his left leg, left shoulder, right arm, right thigh, and his head was grazed. He'd been stabbed in the back and in his right shoulder. He was… not in the best condition. Would that stop him? No. But he was worried about Faust's… tricks. The chemicals he'd used on Gil before were strong enough to make knock him out. He'd have to watch out for that. Or he'd have to do what he asked Neptune to do to him the first time.

He huffed to himself as he recalled that. He asked Neptune to slap him, and it was definitely surprising to her. It would probably be surprising to anyone.

"How long… does this take? Come on…" He gripped onto his right shoulder and looked up. He saw a "progress meter" above the door showing how close he was to the top. He was quickly approaching it, so he stood up straight and prepared himself.

The elevator made a "ding" as the door opened. Gil took cover beside it, taking a quick glance through to see if the coast was clear. He entered into what looked like a penthouse. Fancy looking pottery and sculptures sat along the pathway leading to, what he assumed, would be his destination. He walked along a tiled path, passing a swimming pool, a bar, and a Jacuzzi.

Just then, he noticed figures step out from behind him and he readied his sword, already swiping at the closest one. They all held melee weapons, but none of them attacked, choosing to dodge away from Gil's attacks. One then held out their hand and beckoned Gil towards them before continuing down the path. Gil stopped his offense and followed the figure.

Gil slowly followed. He knew that Faust was playing games with him, and he hated it. Treating Gil like this, leading Gil straight to him. Like he had this all planned out, and like all of this was going to play exactly how he wanted it to.

That wouldn't be happening.

Gil walked up a flight of steps that led to an elevated room. When he reached the top, he could see the city skyline in the distance. He could also see Faust and his three captives a distance away. "So nice of you to join us.", said Faust.

Gil started raising a hand when Faust raised his own, holding up a remote with many buttons, "Don't even think about it. You so much as raise your hand at me and I'll kill them. And I'm serious this time. I got contraptions hooked up to them that'll do some pretty nasty stuff…"

Faust smirked at Gil. "I can poison them, stab them, make their veins burn, their world spin, anything like that. So DON'T move."

Gil glared at Faust menacingly. When he didn't back down, Faust threatened to press a button on the remote. This made Gil drop his gaze to the floor, signaling his agreement.

"Good. Now listen to what I say." Two men started approaching Gil. "Don't touch them. They're going to strap some things to you that are also connected to this little device in my hand. And take a guess at what I can do to you."

Gil stared daggers into Faust, who laughed. "And yet you can't do anything about it." The men then strapped eight black... collar-like contraptions around Gil. Two on each arm, two on each leg. Gil pulled away from the guards when they finished.

"And now… I'll have you fight again. But first, some rules." He lifted up each hand. "Every time you take down one of my crew, you'll get a surprise from those collars. And every time you get hit… One of your friends gets hurt." Gil stood unmoving, continuing his death stare.

Faust then looked throughout Gil's multiple injuries. "Not looking so good, huh? Must've gotten pretty hurt back-"

"Shut up and let me fight."

Faust chuckled to himself as he pulled out a gun and shot at Gil. Only, it wasn't a bullet, but a dart loaded with chemicals. Gil dived out of the way, looking up as the men who had escorted him started advancing towards him. Gil stood up and readied himself.

Two of them advanced on him at once. Gil thrust his sword forward to separate them before bringing it back and swiping it around himself. He cut through one of the men's stomachs and then smacked the other one with the flat of his blade. The man fell to the floor, where Gil thrust his sword through his neck.

Gil turned around to see another one jumping at him. Gil dashed backwards, turning his sword into a spear and launching it at the enemy, piercing them through their gut. Gil looked around and saw none of the others advancing.

"That's three."

Gil felt his right arm and leg burn up. He fell to a knee as he gripped his arm, screaming as the burning sensation in it continued. He felt like his arm and leg were going to explode. It was excruciatingly drawn out, like a scalpel being dragged across each individual vein in his limbs.

While that happened, he spotted a figure approaching him. He struggled to dive out of the way from a strike, rolling across onto his left side.

He then felt piercing sensations along his left leg. His leg was being cut by small blades protruding from the arm-collar. He looked to the sky and screamed again before he was struck across the face with a blunt object.

No…

"Let him watch."

Gil managed to prop himself up with his arms before gazing beyond Faust.

"Who should it be… Hmmm, who do you think?", said Faust, grinning at Gil. Gil slowly stood up, advancing towards Faust. "Maybe… your sister?!"

Gil's eyes shook as he saw his sister wake up. She looked around puzzlingly before her face contorted in pain as she yelped. Her metal chair was bolted to the floor, but she shook and writhed in an effort to escape her confines. The many metal chains strapping her down shook from the effort.

Faust looked at her and huffed. "Good thing I used stronger restraints than last time. I think I'll keep her awake." He pressed a button, and Renna stopped moving erratically. She coughed a few times before raising her gaze to her brother.

"Renna!", screamed Gil, before he felt another strike to his back. He was pushed to a knee, but quickly got up and viciously backhanded the enemy with his left hand, sending them back a few meters. He returned his attention to his group, realizing what would happen.

He saw Renna start again, shaking in agony. He then heard Neptune scream, awakened to go through the pain. She grabbed her chair and started shaking it.

Gil moved towards them again, but other figures blocked his way. He scoffed to himself and brought his fists to his sides.

He had to focus on getting to them. He had to get Renna. Yes, that was the key. Renna. That was his plan. Get to her, then…

He punched his own legs in an effort to distract himself from the pain, which managed to make a difference. He shook his fists to loosen them up. He frowned at Faust. "Why are you doing this? This is entirely unnecessary! If you want to kill me, then just do it!"

Faust looked on as if he'd been insulted. He held up his hand to stop his men. "What do you mean "unnecessary?" Maybe for you, but for me, this is right down my alley! You don't think this was what I had in mind from the get go? Why do you think I expected you guys to attempt a rescue the first time? I enjoy this, if you couldn't already tell."

"You're sick."

"Some might say. Comes with the profession, I suppose." Faust then dropped his hand, signalling for his crew to advance on Gil.

Gil got into his fighting stance. He grabbed a fist heading for him and twisted it with his left hand before delivering an uppercut. He then sent the palm of his right hand full force into the enemy's face before spinning around and kicking them in the chest.

Two more approached him, and he bared the sharp claws of his gauntlets. He backstepped to avoid a kick from one before he conjured fire in both hands. He projected fire, engulfing both adversaries. Gil then stepped towards one and slit their throat with his claws. He turned to the other and grabbed their shoulders from the front, using them as leverage as he kneed them in the face. He then held his right palm to the man's chest as he shot a beam of light through it that disappeared shortly after piercing the body.

Gil grimaced as he heard screams from his group. He had to ignore them for now. He had to keep focused.

That was when the group became larger. Three people advanced on him at once, and Gil was put into situations where he couldn't attack without being attacked himself. He'd break one of their legs, shatter one of their collar bones, only to be struck across the side or back by the third enemy.

Gil felt his left arm go limp. He couldn't feel it anymore. He summoned his sword into his remaining hand and lugged it over his shoulder as more enemies advanced. He jumped into the air, spinning around and slamming his sword onto the nearest enemies before three more pounced on him.

He threw his sword at one before throwing of fire across the ground. The remaining enemy sidestepped it and punched Gil across the face before swiping at Gil's chest. Gil managed to move out of the way, although a large gash ripped through his shirt. He then felt his left leg go limp as he fell to a knee. He could feel his left arm again, at least. Gil was forced to use his magic to repel the enemies.

He managed to hold them off with fireballs and light beams, and he managed to decommission some in the process. When he felt that he was able to stand up again, he started running as fast as he could towards Renna. But there were still so many of them.

Gil's neck tensed up as he readied himself for more. Before anything else happened, all eight of his collars activated, simultaneously stabbing him, burn his veins, make him disorientated and fall over.

Gil lied down on his stomach, breathing in heavy breaths. He reached forward and started crawling. He looked up and saw Renna staring at him with equally heavy breaths. Her eyes were watery and she looked heartbroken. But there was also hatred in her eyes…

Neptune was also awake, but nobody but Faust was aware of that. She looked to her right at Renna and Gil. She also saw Uzume, who was still unconscious. She had also been put through the ropes, but she hadn't been allowed to stay awake. Probably because Faust knew she was a CPU. Neptune though about how they'd ever get out of here. Gil was down, Uzume was asleep, and Renna was strapped down, same as her.

Unless…

Faust walked over to the crawling Gil and looked over him. Gil ignored him and tried to stand up, but Faust kicked him in the stomach to force him back down. "Ugh, get up. Get up and fight me. Or do you want them to suffer some more?" Gil heard the girls scream again. He glanced upwards and saw Faust looking down at him as if he was disappointed. "You're supposed to be stronger than this, right?"

Gil wondered what was going on inside Faust's head. He slowly raised himself onto one knee and stood up. He positioned his fists in front of him and near his chest.

"That's more like it. And don't even think of using your sword. I can press a button faster than you can swing that thing.", said Faust, unsheathing his knife before running at Gil.

Gil blocked a swipe with his left arm before sending a palm into Faust's stomach. Faust was briefly disoriented, but managed to sidestep a punch to the face. Faust jumped up and spun around, kicking Gil in the back of the head. Gil fumbled forward but caught himself before he fell, turning around to see an already running Faust. He threw out a punch, but Faust spun around it and thrust his knife to Gil's chest. Gil managed to grab the blade just as it pierced his skin, using the opportunity to headbutt Faust. Faust grabbed his face as he walked backwards, flipping the knife in the air and throwing it as he caught it. It pierced into Gil's upper right arm, and he pulled it out and threw it to the floor.

He started running towards Faust, but he felt his legs burn and give out. He kept himself up with his hands as he saw Faust approaching him. He blocked a kick to his face before he felt a sole hit the top of his head and force him to the floor. Faust then walked towards Renna's chair, sheathing his knife and crossing his arms. "Go on. Try to save her. Come on."

Gil breathed heavily as he started crawling forward. He became dizzy, but he continued onwards. Slowly, painfully, he crawled. He dug his claws into the ground as he pulled himself forward. He was approaching Renna's chair, seeing Faust leaning on it from behind.

Faust smirked to himself. He pulled out a knife and twirled it around his right hand, watching on as Gil approached Renna's chair. He looked up as he heard sirens coming from the streets. "You hear that? They're coming for you. That fire you started? Yeah. And when they see what else happened here, we'll be able to tell them that you did it, with footage and all. After all, you did kill some of my men. And we'll get out free, spinning the story however which way I want."

Gil continued to crawl on, coiling his right hand along the foot of Renna's chair. Tears ran down her face and fell down onto Gil as he pulled himself forward. He slowly raised his head to look at her.

That is when Faust shoved his knife into Gil's back. Renna witnessed Gil's face contort as he yelled., with Faust standing up and wipingthe blood off of his blade. Gil unsummoned his gauntlets and reached over his shoulder, touching his fresh wound. He then reached upwards and grabbed onto the arm of Renna's chair, almost close enough to touch her hand. Renna struggled to reach out with her trapped hand, but was just out of reach. She moving her chest forward, but chains kept her firmly in place.

"Give it up.", said Faust, grabbing the back of Gil's neck. Gil then summoned his sword into his left hand and swung it behind him, catching Faust off guard. He managed to step out of the way in time, but it was a narrow escape. Gil then thrust the sword into the ground and used it as leverage, standing up and reaching for Renna.

He cupped his bloodied hand around her cheek and stared into her eyes, feeling her tears run down his limb. He gave a small smile at her before his eyes closed and his body fell, leaving red marks on the left of her face.

"And he almost had me worried there.", said Faust, brushing off his green shirt. "Glad that's over and done with." He puffed out his collar after sheathing his knife at his waist. "What do you think? Any comments?"

Renna stared down at her brother. He lied limp on his stomach, his clothes torn and his body tortured. She knew what he was doing, but… Why did he always have to suffer for her? Why couldn't it ever be simple? Why did he always have to get hurt!?

Faust slowly ran a hand through his hair. "Yeaaah, I'd be shocked too. But you better talk. Come on, give me some feedback. Don't want him getting even more hurt, right? Maybe even… killed?"

In that instant, Faust set his eyes back on Renna. She had a beastly grin across her bloody face. She leaned forward as her body lit up.

"I'll rip your head off!"

And her eyes… They were dark.

Faust blocked his eyes and felt strong gust of wind push him back. He found his footing and saw Renna's empty chair. His eyes widened in shock as he turned around to the sound of screaming and shouting.

He saw a cyan haired CPU literally ripping his men apart. She tore through them with her bare hands, breaking bones and stabbing into his men with her claws. She shot out black… things and grabbed two of them, pulling them towards her before she forced their faces into the floor many, many times. She stood up and flew just above the ground, heading for more of the group.

They didn't stand a chance.

For one, she grabbed their neck and thrust her hand into their stomach before throwing them off the building. For another, she kicked their knee in and maneuvered around them, snapping their neck and kicking them to the floor.

She scratched across another person's chest and face before breaking their face in their face with a headbutt. She grabbed another one and enclosed only their head in a water bubble, letting them struggle as they drowned.

She had a hold on the front of another person's face, squeezing it as hands tried to pry her off. She kneed into their chin, snapping another neck.

Faust backed away as he watched the violence unfold. This… She… A CPU?! No, no… She was a demon! A CPU would never ever cause… this much violence! Not even that crazy Planeptune CPU!

He continued to look on, watching his men fall in bloody piles and dismembered stacks. He fell over and saw that he had tripped over that kid… Gil.

Then… he saw Cyan eyes dart towards him. He saw Renna a distance away, but he could tell that she was glaring right at him. He looked to his left and saw the redhead and the purple girl. That Neptune girl… She was still awake, right? She would convince Renna to stop, right?!

Faust briefly saw Neptune reveal a tiny section of her eyes to get a view. Was she… pretending to be unconscious?! Did she know about this?! He reached out towards her. "Hey!"

He felt another gust of wind and a shadow cover his face. He slowly turned his head forward to gaze at the CPU in front of him.

Her cyan and grey suit was splashed with red. He could see it dripping off of her claws, and there was some on her face too. She stared down at him with a wide smile, the same smile she'd been wearing since the beginning of the massacre, showing off her teeth. Her sharp, predatory teeth.

He raised a hand to her, about to speak, but Renna placed a finger to her mouth. Faust quivered in fear as any thought of talking left his mind.

Renna thinned out her smile. "Get. Off of him."

Faust realized that she was talking about Gil, and he quickly scurried away, closer to the edge of the building.

"Stay right there.", said Renna, before shifting her attention to Gil. Her face dropped as she felt around him, flipping him onto his back as she took his shirt off. She saw the multiple wounds across his body, and there were some along his legs as well. She ripped off the eight black collars and held his body to her own.

She could fell his heartbeat. His slow, powerful heartbeat. She coiled her arms around her back and hugged him, although she got no response. From her hands, water flowed across his body and made it's ways to his different injuries. Up his arms, down his legs, across his chest and around his back, before finally settling at his face. She still held him in a hug, closing her eyes and rocking from side to side.

This is what she wanted. More than anything else in the world, he was the only thing she needed. The only thing she wanted. Only him. Nobody else. Nothing else.

And nobody would take him from her. Nobody.

She heard shuffling in front of her as Faust stood up, pulling out his controller and gun. He raised his gun at her and held a finger over his remote. "Don't… Don't do anything." His hand shook as he held out the firearm. Would he even be able to escape? He had to try!

Renna didn't seem to pay him any mind, instead caressing her injured brother. She rested his chin on her shoulders as she sat up, closed in a warm embrace.

"You… stay right there and I'll… I'll go away! I'll never touch any of you again, and I actually mean that this time! You won't hear my name ever again! I don't want to deal with… things like you."

Renna stopped rocking back and forth, opening her eyes just enough to look at Faust.

"Don't! I still have this!" He emphasized the remote. "I can still kill the other two, alright? Unless you let me go."

Renna stopped smiling.

"Agreed? Agreed, right? Yeah, yeah, you agree with me. Wouldn't want them ending up like your bro-"

Faust watched on as, in a split second, Renna dashed towards him and swiped her left hand at him. He fell backwards and onto his back. He looked to his left at his… at his…

His arm was gone.

He raised his right hand, pointing his gun at Renna and firing. She dodged around it and had a hold of his hand, bending his wrist backwards. He screamed in pain as he felt his hand break. He fell to the floor and brought his hand to his chest, but Renna grabbed his right arm and kneed his elbow, causing a snap. Faust once again screamed in pain.

When he was able to look at Renna, he could see her dark eyes as she reached towards his neck. Her sharp fingers coiled around him, lifting him off the floor and into the air. She elevated herself off the ground to be at eye level.

She stared at him for a moment. "What did I say I'd do to you?" Renna thrust her free hand at his face and gripped it before pulling up. She let his body, and his head, fall to the floor.

She faced forward for a while before looking up. It was till raining. She could hear the sirens of police vehicles and firetrucks around the building. There were probably news reporters too. Faust had mentioned that Gil started a fire? Good. She'd finish the job.

She flew towards Gil and picked him up, flying to a nearby building and placing him on the roof. She flew back and retrieved Neptune and Uzume from their restraints before also placing them by Gil.

She then furrowed her brows and flew high up into the air, rocketing towards the gang's building as a cyan meteor. She crashed straight through it, smashing through all the levels before she hit the ground floor, and then destroyed the supporting pillars and structures of the building as she flew between them.

The building started to collapse, and Renna burst through it to see the streets of Lowee. There were many blue and red lights, emergency vehicles and rescue equipment. The people were retreating, including a few news reporters and their accompanying teams.

As she hovered, she saw a man she recognized get out of a car that she also recognized. It was Dusty. It looked like he'd just arrived, and he gazed on in awe at what was happening around him.

His eyes rested on Renna, hovering above what would've been a few floors high. She narrowed his eyes at him and rocketed off to her group. Dusty stood in amazement before he got back in his car and drove back home, away from the collapsing building.

She landed on the roof of the building and turned around, seeing the falling structure from a front row seat. She watched it crash onto the road and into the nearby buildings.

She then turned around and walked towards the other three. How would she carry all of them…

She'd have to make two trips. Two very, very quick trips. She held Gil in her hands and sped off towards where she thought Dusty's house was. She realized halfway that she hadn't made herself invisible, and immediately cast it on herself. After a few minutes of flying, Renna found Dusty's house. He wasn't home yet. She safely placed Gil on the third floor before setting out to retrieve Uzume and Neptune. She was back within minutes.

After she placed Uzume and Neptune on their respective beds, she walked over to Gil's bed and sat next to him, still in her CPU form. She looked down at him and smiled.

Yup, this is definitely showing up on the news.

And such, things progress. We've been in Lowee for a long time, don't you think it's about time we moved? Yeah, me too.

Soon.

As always, any constructive reviews are greatly appreciated. Or simply your thoughts.

That's all.

Goodbye for now!