Ch.34: Ella and Ava, Down and Out! The Circus of Enchantment's Counterattack!

With the last-minute save from Cheri, the newly-reconnected caravan rocketed away from the nuckelavee knight and vanished into the mountain range. Vince and the Tauros squad took an off-route path through the mountains to cover their tracks, leading to a bumpy ride that shook up the occupants.

Vince kept checking over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. Though nothing yet, he ordered the Tauros to keep trudging through dangerous terrain. It seemed risky with a wide train of trailers behind them, but the alternative meant certain death for his wife and Ella, along with the rest of them.

Speaking of…

"Ava," Vince mumbled, gripping the reins tightly. Nebula only have him a generous account of Ava's condition, but it didn't ease his worry. The sounds he heard indicated a harrowing battle, and one side losing badly. "Please be alright," he whispered.

"Back up! Back up, everyone! Stop crowding!"

The troupe, still gathered in the prop room, backed away and tried to keep their balance as Tucker the Tranquil and Nebula were treating Ella and Ava's wounds. Both women were barely conscious and breathing heavily. Blood soaked bandages wrapped around their bodies. Everyone averted their eyes out of respect when Tucker and Nebula had to remove their bloodied clothes.

"Shit, this is bad," Tucker commented. "Look how deep that cut on Ava is."

"I'm pretty sure one of those arrows punctured one of Ella's lungs," Nebula growled. She glared at the Vileplume standing by. "Dave, you know healing magic! Help seal up Ella's lungs!"

"R-Right!" Dave ran over and crouched down. He pressed his hands to Ella's stomach and started applying his magic. "S-Sorry, I've never worked with injuries this bad before. I'm not sure if this'll be enough. If I knew surgery magic…"

"Rotten luck that Steenee chick didn't stick around with us," Nebula grumbled. "As long as you seal the wound, she'll be fine. She'll need serious bed rest, though."

Garland stumbled around the room, biting his nails. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, what are we to do? That monster will track us down any moment now—" He and everyone else grabbed hold of something as another sharp bump bounced the trailer up. "Assuming Vince's navigating doesn't do us in first."

"Quit whining, Garland," Faye huffed. "What are you even scared of? You shoot yourself out a cannon every other show."

"Yes, but that typically doesn't involve a spooky horseman trying to decapitate me midflight!" he retorted. "A tad different than being propelled out of an artillery weapon designed for performances!"

Wallace the Durant crawled up to them and said, "Maybe you both should keep your tempers in check. Our two strongest fighters on this rig are down and you two aren't solving anything by slinging verbal lashings at each other!" Faye and Garland pouted and turned away. Wallace sighed and crawled onto a box. "We need to think of a way to slow that thing down by the time he finds us. That's our only hope for now."

Before he could go in-depth, the shrill scolding of Angel cut through the tense atmosphere.

"What were you thinking?!" Angel snapped, glaring down at her frightened daughter. "You used the portals Nebula set up and confronted that horrible menace?!"

Cheri sniffled and gazed down at her feet. "M-Ms. Ava and Ella were in trouble. I-I had to do something."

Angel reeled in her temper and tried to speak in a calmer tone. "I understand that, but you're nearly ten. You shouldn't have done something that reckless. That thing could've killed you."

The Pikachu's lip quivered. "I…I wanted to protect you, and the circus, j-just like I promised Tony. I wanted to protect my family."

Abby and Carrie watched from the side, the former cradling Charlie, and stared at their friend sympathetically. Micah and Susan kept their distance, frightened by Angel's uncharacteristic outburst, taking to the shelter of a crate for comfort. In fact, it wasn't surprising her cries caught the attention of several performers, looking warily at the mother and daughter.

Angel's anger faded. She knelt down and pulled Cheri into a firm embrace, resting her chin atop her head. "Cheri, sweetie…I don't want to be mad at you, but what you did was incredibly dangerous. Though I'm proud of you for saving Ava and Ella, I can't allow myself as a mother to condone that reckless behavior."

Cheri let a few tears fall as she hugged her back. "Y-You let Tony…"

"Tony has been practicing with magic for years, and I trust he can take care of himself. And I know you can take care of yourself." Angel pulled away and wiped away Cheri's tears. "But I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you. Tony…wouldn't forgive himself." Angel's ears sagged against her head. "He was hurting badly when we last saw him. If something happened to you or me…"

"M-Mom?"

Angel sighed through her nose and cradled Cheri's head. "Oh baby…don't ever scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry, Mom…"

Abby narrowed her eyes at the pair, then turned to her sister. "Hold Charlie."

Carrie took her little brother and asked, "What are you up to?"

"You heard what the adults are saying. Cheri may have blinded that monster, but who knows how long that'll give us. We need to prepare for war."

Carrie's eyes widened. "B-But what can we do?"

"At this point, something, but sitting around and panicking won't do us any good." She turned to the tight circle in the center of the room and scowled, clenching her fists. "Besides, I'm not going to let that stupid freak get away with hurting Mom. He's going to pay."

"Abby, neither of us have strong magical auras, and you're a barely trained psychic."

"But I'm pretty handy with equipment." Abby gestured to the prop room. "I can cobble something together and give that beast a taste of vengeance!"

Carrie shook her head. "No way, that's crazy talk! If Mom or Ella couldn't beat that thing, what chance do we have?"

"Dying horribly isn't a better option!" Abby retorted. "I'm not going to let fear rule over us. If that thing wants a fight, then I'll—"

BANG!

A sudden stop outside caused Abby and everyone else to stagger onto the ground or whatever crate/prop was closest to them.

Nebula, having kept Ella and Ava from sliding, looked around frantically. "Was that gunfire?!"

"I think it came from up ahead where Vince is!" Faye discerned.

Nebula gritted her teeth. "One bad thing after another…"

Vince and the Tauros squad were in for a fright when a bullet whizzed down and shot the ground directly in their path, forcing them to brake. Vince clutched his heart and panted heavily, then looked up to a mountainous spire where he could make out the faint image of the gunman.

"Who are you?" the gunman shouted. "That was a warning shot. Answer carefully, or the next one's going through your skull."

Vince shrieked and raised his arms in surrender. "W-Wait, don't shoot! Listen, I have no time to explain, but we have two injured party members, and there's a crazy monster following us! We mean you know harm?"

"How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"Well—"

Before Vince could speak, Nebula came flying over the driver's coach and threw daggers at the spire. The gunman retreated behind cover as knives embedded into the rock. Nebula landed in front of the Tauros pack and whipped out more knives, glaring at the spire.

"Hate to break it to you, but tricks are all you get from the Circus of Enchantment! Now, either you back off and let us pass or—"

"Wait, wait, wait! Circus of Enchantment?!" a second voice yelled out, poking their heavily covered face around cover. "Huh, I don't recognize any of them, but that name does sound familiar."

Nebula kept her guard up, but raised his brow in confusion. She shared a look with Vince, who was equally confused.

The gunman yelled, "Wait…they were the ones at Gelid Peak City. Friends of Team Ravenfield!"

"Ah shit, it is them! Yeesh, and you called me reckless?"

"It was a warning shot!"

Nebula's eyes widened. "Wait, Team Ravenfield? How do you—"

The gunman and their accomplice jumped down the spire and landed in front of Nebula. She tensed her flippers, but dropped her guard completely when the two pulled their masks and hoods down. A Furret and a Buneary, the latter wearing a unique cloth-stripped scarf around her neck.

Vince blinked, still lost. "Wait, who are these two?"

Nebula sighed, mostly in relief, and slid her knives back into her sleeves, a weak smile forming on her lips. "Allies."

"Nice digs you got here. Very roomy and…clown themed," Ebony commented as she perused the prop room.

Faye glared at the thieving rabbit. "Touch anything and I'll launch you out of our cannon."

Ebony smirked. "Promise?"

Over with Nebula, she was giving Cybil the rundown of their day while the marksman Furret gingerly rubbed Ella's paw. Ella was still barley clinging to consciousness, though showed a soft smile to see a familiar, if unexpected face this far out in the Earth Zone.

"…After that, we escaped into the mountains. We have no idea how much time we have left until that thing finds us."

Cybil glared. "I see. That does sound bad." She set Ella's paw down and stood up. "I'm terribly sorry for firing at all of you. Things have been…stressful, to put it lightly."

Nebula shrugged. "Hey, at least you gave us a fair bit of warning. We can live with that. Still, why are you two this far out in Mysto? Where's the rest of your team?"

Cybil crossed her arms. "Ebony and I were hired to get some travelers to a nearby village in the mountains. We actually finished right around when we overheard some commotion in the distance, then we spotted your caravan riding through. We've been on edge for a while, so we assumed the worse. As for our team…"

Ebony sauntered over and explained, "Saffiro and Oswald had to take care of something in their hometown and Hugo's joining with the Ironworks military to expunge the shadows. Meanwhile, our unstoppable team leader is facing the greatest challenge of all: homework and extra-curricular activities!"

"…What?" Nebula mumbled.

Cybil sighed. "Krystal got accepted into some fancy magic academy. Naturally, she refused to go after all this developed, but we debated that the magic she could learn might give us an edge. I heard from her that they're gearing the students towards war if the worst comes. Personally, I'm just relieved she's safe."

Nebula smirked. "Aww, you miss your girlfriend?"

"No, I'm worried she'll blow up half the region on her heroic crusade. She's a reckless, explosive-happy nitwit with barely a sense of self-control." Cybil glared as Nebula wiggled her eyebrows at her, then looked away as a blush crept over her face. "…Okay, and I miss her," she added meekly.

"Hey, hey!" They turned to Garland, whose knees buckled under him. "As riveting as this conversation is, what are we going to do about the monster that's trying to kill us?!"

"Simple," Ebony declared casually, sauntering between the two. "We're going to find it and beat it to a pulp. Works all the time."

Cybil glared. "That seems too simple."

"Violence is the only correct answer," Ebony retorted with a cheeky grin.

Cybil sighed and turned back to the performers. "And you said this thing was strong enough to overpower Ella and Ava?"

Nebula nodded grimly. "We were all unprepared. For something so large, it's surprisingly stealthy. Only reason we got out alive was because of Cheri."

"Cheri?" Cybil mumbled the name to herself, then nodded. "Oh right, Tony's little sister. She managed to stop it?"

"Well, not so much stop, but temporarily incapacitate until further notice."

Cybil hummed out loud, not paying attention to Ebony as she waltzed up next to Ella and Ava, taking a particular interest in something. "I see. Can I see her?"

The crowd parted a bit for the Pikachu, who nervously stayed clutched to her mom's shirt. Angel pulled her hands off and gave her daughter an encouraging smile, a contrast to her anger moments prior. Cheri gulped and approached the Furret marksman, wringing her hands together shyly.

Cybil bent down to her level and took Cheri's hands into hers. "Mind if you show me a bit of your magic? I want to see this for myself."

Cheri blushed awkwardly, then nodded. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, still unfamiliar with this strange power she awakened, wondering if this is what Tony went through when he woke his magic up. Soon, a pale blue aura lit up around her, accompanied with a crackling of electricity through her fur.

Ebony whistled. "Cool~. Like brother, like sister. Guess she inherited her father's affinity for Storm Magic."

Cybil squinted. "Not just Storm Magic." She closed her right eye while her left glowed white, manifesting a ring-shaped orange pupil. She examined the aura in greater detailed, picking up on the subtle differences in fluctuation. A strong, buzzing, crackling—

BZZT!

Sparks flew out of Cybil's eyes. "Agh!" She covered it and backed away from Cheri.

Cheri gasped. "Oh no! Did I hurt you?"

Cybil winced a bit, then smiled warmly. "It's fine. Your magic's just a little wild. It's expected when kids start developing it." She frowned seriously. "No wonder you were able to blind that creature and throw off its senses. You seem to have an affinity for a subset of Storm Magic: Magneto Magic."

Ebony squinted. "What magic? You mean this kid can control magnets?"

"Sort of. Are you familiar with what a magnetosphere is?" Cybil asked, pulling her hand off her eye, which was unharmed. "Under normal circumstances, they're necessary for protecting the planet from solar radiation and cosmic phenomenon. However, thanks to the unique weather of Mysto, a specialized type of magic was developed, designed to interfere with the flow of magic."

Nebula's eyes widened with interest. "Is that so?"

"It's incorporated into many magical classes. Surgery magic, weather-based magic, dispels; some even call it a precursor to the development of Anti-Magic, at least mechanically speaking. Cheri can essentially mess with spells, filter them out or, in more complex manners, even completely rewrite the magic formula of a spell to cause a misfire."

Cheri gawked at Cybil, then gazed upon her hands. "I'm…so cool!" She squealed and hopped around excitedly. "I have super cool magic! Woohoo!"

Nebula glared. "So, if it has uses in Surgery Magic, that explains why she was able to blind Death. She must've messed with his optic nerves by mistake. That at least confirms we're dealing with a possessed Pokémon."

Faye raised her hand. "It also means he'll heal from it soon. I don't think Cheri can risk doing that a second time, especially if Death's expecting it."

Nebula huffed. "Right. Although…" She looked over at their two patients, then back to Cheri. "I wonder…Cheri?"

Cheri stopped hopping around and turned. "Yeah?"

"None of us know how to perform a dispel enchantment, but your magic naturally does that. You think you can help us remove these strange marks off of Ella and Ava? It'd be a big help."

Cheri gaped in awe, then nodded confidently. "I want to help all I can, just like my big brother!"

Nebula smirked. "That's the spirit—" She stopped when Ebony let loose a sharp, drawn out whistle, backing away from Ella.

"Well, well, well, our count friend really outdone himself if he designed that menace," Ebony commented. "I didn't think even he knew the secrets to the Reaper Seal. Then again, he's super old, so I shouldn't be that surprised."

Cybil glared at her teammate. "I'm sorry, you know what those tattoos are?"

"Reaper Seal?" Nebula questioned.

"Sounds terrifying!" Garland yelped.

Ebony pocketed her hands and threw her head back, laughing. "I'm not surprised none of you know about it. It's a super forbidden spell. Shouldn't be practiced by your average spellcaster. Only a handful have taken the time to master it, and that's just over the course of history. I didn't think anyone today would know it, but I guess an undead lab experiment is something."

Cybil took a deep breath and pinched her nose. "Okay, I'm going to regret asking this, but how do you know about this spell?"

"Well, remember when I robbed the Bitter Winds Gang?"

"How can I not? You were the reason Ironworks Kingdom was nearly invaded by them."

"Well, one of the reasons Deacon wanted me dead was because I stole his journal for the magic formula. He never used it on himself, but I heard he was hired to track down the formula. Naturally, I stole the journal and snuck a peek at the details…before promptly burning it to piss him off~." She snickered behind her hand.

"…Why the heck did you not tell us this?!" Cybil yelled.

"You never asked."

Cybil's eye twitched. She facepalmed and took a deep breath. "So," she growled through gritted teeth, "what exactly does this Reaper Seal do?"

Ebony turned serious as she casted her gaze onto the cursed mark. "The process of acquiring the formula is difficult. The process of gaining the effects is painful. A long, arduous medical process applying the formula to the body through branding and a ritualistic set up. Requires a handful of people to apply it to a single caster, so it's not something your average joe can do over a weekend. Some men are driven insane by the pain alone, ending in an early retirement for their thinking boxes." She knocked on her head for emphasis.

"That said, if you survive the ritual, congrats, you are now imbued with one of the highest leveled Death spells in Mysto. It has the power to twist and manipulate fate and death."

Cybil glared. "Manipulate fate and death?"

"Only notorious killers and crooks of the past sought this spell out, willing to bet it all for the power. Aside from the costly ritual, it comes with some worthwhile effects. Namely, the user is semi-invulnerable to all forms of attack. I say semi-invulnerable because the body can still be harmed. They just don't feel pain, and they don't die, either. It puts the user in a half-dead state where conventional means of lethal damage are rendered null."

Nebula's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. That's freakin'—"

"Though, it came with a pretty obvious side effect. The law of death is that it's absolute. Death can't be reversed, and death is bound to the afterlife. This is why the other forbidden spell, the Life for a Life spell, has such a costly side effect on the caster. You can't bring the dead back to life whenever you want. Someone has to stay dead. But, in the case of the Reaper Seal, there's a bit of a complication being placed in that half-dead state. As a trade off for this invulnerability, the user can't inflict lethal damage onto unmarked targets. Oh, he can still harm, but fate itself will rewrite cause and effect to undo such things. After all, the dead can't kill the living."

Nebula gasped. "That's why none of my attacks affected him."

Faye glared. "Hold up, you said unmarked targets."

Ebony grinned. "The spell grants you these luxuries and burdens with your everyday grievances, but assume you want someone dead? By gazing into the target's eyes, you can plant a Reaper Seal on them, linking your fates. The double-edged nature of this link is that only the caster and their marked targets can kill each other. To make up for this, the Reaper Seal allows the user to track marked targets and teleport out of the target's line of sight for surprise attacks, often leaving behind a static effigy to throw the opponent off guard. Maximum range, I think, is a hundred meters. This forbidden spell was designed to put fate into the hands of the caster and play it like a puppet."

"Can it be removed?" Nebula asked.

Ebony shrugged. "It should. It works like any other spell, but it's too busted and costly for just anyone to use, hence why it's forbidden. Of course, the only other way to remove the mark is to kill the caster. After all, that's the only way you can legitimately get rid of them, barring any tomfoolery like trapping them in a well. Although, casters still need nutrients for the body, so starving them out would be the only other alternative. Though, since your guy is a possessed Pokémon, maybe even a corpse…"

Nebula grunted. "Not an option." She sighed, then looked to the performers. "And there's no way any of us are strong enough to fight that thing in a death match."

"Then what are we going to do?!" Garland gasped.

Dave finished healing Ella and turned to the Simipour daredevil. "As of now, we keep running and hope these two get back on their feet soon."

Nebula glared. "He's right. We at least know what we're dealing with. That should give us a strategic advantage."

Cybil sighed. "Running seems to be the only option."

"We don't want you two getting mixed up in this. We're grateful for the information, but this is our problem."

Ebony smirked. "You're kidding, right? Anyone who picks on our friends' friends has to deal with us. If that spooky fellow shows his ugly mug, I'll snap and rip his neck in two. You aren't getting rid of us that easily."

Nebula glared. "You didn't see that thing like I did. It's powerful."

"Even so," Faye continued, "there's the matter of its invincibility and persistence."

Tucker nodded. "I heard Ava mumble something about that when I patched her wounds. She may have had that mark since we went to Quartz Plain. That thing has been tailing us for a while."

"Then running really is our best chance, at least until we have a long term plan in mind," Nebula grumbled. She sighed. "The Tauros have rested enough. I'll tell Vince to get this thing moving again and—"

"Seriously?! That's it?!"

All eyes turned to the younger Medicham of their party, standing atop one of the prop crates. Her sister, still holding Charlie in one arm, tried to pull her older sister off her perch, whispering through gritted teeth, "Abby, what are you doing?"

Abby shook her off and pointed among the performers. "We are not running away from that thing! They hurt our friends, my mom! He's going to pay for this!"

Nebula scowled. "Abby, I know you're upset right now, but don't be stupid. None of us have the same skill as your mother, and even she fell fighting it. Running is the only thing we can do."

"My dad is driving through an unconventional pathway in the mountains while we're being hunted by something that can match, even surpass, the Tauros at their top speed. Please, explain to me how running is going to save us?"

Faye glared. "Kid, calm down—"

"That monster will eventually find us and tear everything to shreds until Ella and Mom are dead. Even if he doesn't bother putting those stupid grim reaper marks on us or whatever, I can guarantee we'll all die after he finishes tossing around our battered bodies and waits for nature to finish the rest. Running may be an option, but it's not our only option. Fighting is still on the table!"

Wallace scoffed. "Fighting, huh? You really expect us to fight that thing? Aside from our two guests, potentially—"

"Hey!" Ebony yelled.

"—we'd all be creamed, just like you said. Fighting will get us killed."

"So will running," Abby argued.

Nebula crossed her flippers. "You heard what Ebony said. Unless one of us is marked, we can't kill him. And there's still the issue with him outmatching all of us. We can't kill him."

Abby's glare deepened. "Who said anything about killing him?"

That raised a few brows among the performers, now chattering among themselves in confusion. Angel shuffled up to Abby's side and asked, "Dear, what are you talking about?"

Abby sighed. "I'm not stupid. I know fighting him head on is a suicide mission, and a hapless one at that, but running through the mountains won't do us any good until we put a considerable amount of space between us. He's not that far away. He will catch up unless…" She trailed off as she glanced over to her mother, who seemed to have passed out amidst the chaos.

"Unless what?" Faye prodded.

The younger Medicham sighed, then glared at her audience. "Unless we slow it down."

"Slow it down?" Garland questioned.

Abby raised her hands. "Hello! We may not be strong, but we're made up of some of the most talented performers in Mysto! If killing him isn't possible, what about restraining him? We can't damage him, but we can keep him from moving, long enough to put massive distance between us until we find this mage we're looking for."

No one raised an objection, instead looking to each other in disbelief. A chorus of mumbles filled the brief silence, debating over the sixteen-year-old's proposal. Now calming down, Abby timidly rubbed her arm, feeling a sudden burden from her outburst. The tension felt thicker the longer no one spoke up to respond.

Thankfully, someone did.

"She…She has a point," Faye said, turning the audience to her. "We're all panicking because we've never dealt with something like this directly. Ava or Team Ravenfield are the ones that handle these threats. We're just the tagalongs trying to get by and help."

Nebula glared at the floor. "…I would feel safer knowing we bought ourselves some extra time."

"Are you nuts?!" Garland yelped. "Are you actually considering Abby's crazy scheme?!"

"I've learned one thing while fighting that monster," Nebula admitted. "It's painfully straightforward. It's brute force with a dash of cunning and strategy. That said, who would assume the jester to be a threat but the one who is assassinated by them? We have a handful of tricks that could give us the necessary edge. Our job is to entertain the audience and misdirect them. If anything, if you play your cards right, this isn't too different from our standard shows. An audience of one, and an act that'll leave him speechless."

"You really have gone nuts," Garland gasped.

"Am I wrong?"

"…No."

"Good." Nebula turned to Abby and nodded. "Alright kid, you're the one who brought it up. I assume you have something in mind."

A grin reappeared on her face. "I thought you'd never ask." She pointed at Cybil and Ebony. "Can I count on you two to provide help?"

Ebony cracked her knuckles. "Absolutely~!"

Cybil grabbed her rifle. "Just tell me where to shoot."

Abby nodded, then raised her fist up, grinning at the performers. "Let's teach that big palooka what happens when he messes with us clowns! Bring out your best tricks, stunts, and routines, because we're putting on one hell of a show!"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered, raising their fists high.

Cheri and Carrie bounced around Abby's crate, cheering her on, while Angel covered the smile on her lips. She's quite the stubborn girl, jest like her mother. Hehe, jest. Funny.

Abby punched into her palm. "Alright, listen up! We need to get this just right! First, we need to figure out the optimal method of subduing Death, and I may have some fun ideas I've been meaning to try out." She smirked. "Who's ready to bake some pie?"

It took some time before Death's vision cleared up after the surprise trick pulled by the Pikachu. The healing factor of shadows fixed the magical disruption and returned his sight and senses before continuing after the fleeing caravan. It appeared to be out of range to track the marks, but it mattered not. He at least knew the direction they were heading based off sound. They would use the mountains as cover, perhaps to wait him out until he passed by.

Death was inescapable, however.

He trotted down the narrow path before reaching the base of the mountain range. He kept on the winding path while scanning the dense cluster of spires and hills around him. Based off the bare sandy ground crunchy beneath his steed's hooves, the windless day, and the lack of visible tracks in the path, he asserted to himself that the caravan fled into the denser part of the range. The large size of the connected trailers meant navigation would be a costly expedition.

Running was fruitless. The second he detected a ping from the trackers, he would run to their general direction and finish the job. Removing them wasn't any easier, even with a dispel. The only worthwhile opponents to face were incapacitated, while the rest consisted of acrobats, clowns, daredevils, and other circus freaks with their tricks and trades. And even if they were something of a challenge, Death only concerned himself with Ella and Ava's deaths. No one else was allowed to harm him, and any who stand in his way will pay dearly.

Still, he was impressed by their speedy getaway. Either his senses haven't been fully restored, or they slipped out of his detection range and fled deep into the mountains. Of course, due to the differing elevations and terrain, escape was futile. A minor slip up or tumbling of rock would be enough to get a beat on their location.

Though, Count Aeternus gave a fair bit of warning about dealing with Team Ravenfield and their allies.

"Try not to overcomplicate things, my beautiful creation. Like a cornered rat, your prey may have some tricks to throw out. Desperation leads to surprise moves."

Death kept one hand on his sheathed sword. "Desperation, the prey's final defense. I live to see that terror and crush it." His eyes blazed with blood red flames. "Enough wandering. Time to commence with the hunt—"

"Yoohoo~!"

Death snapped his head around and spotted a lone Buneary sitting on a rock, waving with something of a seductive grin curling on her face. He sensed her magic, yet didn't detect her presence until her announcement.

How did she get around me?

Ebony leaned back on her hands and wiggled her toes playfully. "You come around here often, big boy? A strapping, tough guy like you must get lonely all the way out here." She grinned. "Though, I suppose you have your horse to keep you company on lonely nights."

Death glared. He couldn't explain why, but something about this particular Buneary…infuriated him. He had never seen her before. Perhaps a brief overview skimmed over regarding Team Ravenfield's potential allies, but he couldn't exact anything about this Buneary.

And yet, her face. It was rare, with how calm and composed he tried to remain, but that Buneary infuriated him. Something was driving him to kill, but not out of natural obligation. Something was telling him to kill her and make her suffer.

He retained enough composure to pull his sword out and ask, "Are you an ally to Team Ravenfield?"

Ebony tilted her head and smirked. "And what if I am?"

"An ally of Team Ravenfield is an enemy to the shadows."

"Well, I do have a shining personality, so I can see why that offends you."

Death's eyes started to light up, but stopped Ebony waggled her finger at him.

"Ah, ah, ah," she tutted. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you curse me with one of those marks, I'll return the favor. Well, actually, I'll bleed you dry and take my favor back."

"…Greed magic."

"Ooh, and you're a smarty pants. Does the teacher's pet want an apple?" She actually pulled an apple out of her jacket. "You know, I never understood why students do this. What teacher would need that many apples? And why apples? Why not bananas or pineapples? Walnuts are nice, too, though I suppose allergies—"

"You're stalling," Death accused.

"Stalling? Me?"

"Where are Young and Cipher?"

"Ah, you're looking for hot, mysterious singles in your area. I suggest doubling back the way you came. There's a nice graveyard to satisfy your desires." Ebony chewed on the apple.

The spiteful feeling nagged at the back of Death's head. He started approaching her. "I'll risk marking you. Keep your mouth shut and I'll promise a peaceful execution—" However, Ebony's disgusted coughing interrupted him.

"Yuck! What a disgusting apple! It tastes like wax! Here, you can have it." Ebony tossed it over to him, landing in front of his hooves. Death stared between in and Ebony, visibly unamused. Ebony ignored him and grinned. "Well, go on, pick it up."

"…You've wasted enough time." Death lifted his hoof and pressed down on the apple.

Ebony smirked. "True. I suppose we might as well get the show started." She snapped her fingers and revealed the apple stem between them.

Death looked down at the apple again as a geyser of sparks shot out of a stemless end. Before he could flee, it exploded, startling his steed into shooting jet black flames at the ground.

Ebony jumped off her rock as the flames consumed the ground. She snickered and yelled, "By any chance, are you a licensed doctor?! It would make this whole comedy act funnier!"

Death swatted the flames away and formed a shadow boomerang, throwing it at the airborne rabbit. Ebony pulled her hand from her pocket and swiped the air. A trail of black wisps flowed off the boomerang and drastically slowed it down until it came to a standstill. She landed on the tip while showing off the black vapor around her hand.

"Motus Swipe." She clutched her fist and channeled the vapor through her body. "And…release." She kicked off and rocketed straight down, kicking Death with all her speed and weight. Though undamaged, the force caused him to tilt to his side. Ebony raised both her hands and sucked up red vapors as they fell over. "Viribus Swipe!"

Death went in for a punch, but Ebony outpaced him, slugging him across the face and denting his helmet. She grabbed the top and kicked both her feet into the front, snapping Death's head backwards in a near one-eighty angle. Such a blow wouldn't kill him, of course, so Ebony jumped off right as he went to grab her.

Ebony untangled her scarf and caught Death by the wrist. "Hey, no touching until the third date!" She landed, pulled the scarf until it was taut, and threw Death off the ground. She whipped her scarf down, hammering Death straight into the ground. "But thanks for paying~! You can't get entertainment like this for free—"

From the dust, a volley of arrows flew out. Ebony twisted her body to avoided them, though some did nick her in the cheek and hand. The second they stopped, Ebony's vision filled with black as Death bulldozed from the ground and rammed her with a brutal lariat. Twisting himself around, he hooked her around his arm, then stomped her face into the ground.

"Even if I cannot harm you directly, the environment itself shall be your executioner."

Ebony pressed her hands down and pushed up against his arm. She smirked and asked, "And no force can harm you? Let's put that to the test." Using one arm to keep herself up, Ebony flicked her scarf and grappled Death's neck. A sharp tug pulled him down to her level, breaking the ground open with his face. "I'm drunk and looking for a good time! Don't disappoint~!"

Abby peeked out from behind a rock and watched as Ebony and Death battered each other around. Without the Reaper Seal or the unstable battlegrounds of a train, Ebony was evenly matched with the nuckelavee in all but sustainability. If she fought for too long, stamina would become her killer.

"Okay, we don't have much time." Abby directed everyone over as they transported metal barrels and pie tins to her. "Everyone remember the plan?"

"We think so," Faye said, dropping the pie tins down. "Everyone else has spaced out around the mountain. We have that thing surrounded."

"Excellent." Abby whipped out a crowbar and popped the lid off the barrel, revealing the milky white goop jiggling inside. She pulled a ladle out, one with a large scoop, and stuck it in. "We need to be fast. This stuff starts becoming adhesive if not kept warm."

"Riiiiight," Faye said as she held a pie tin out. As Abby dumped the goop in, Faye felt the need to ask, "Why…exactly do you have this stuff? More importantly, what is it?"

"You're familiar with non-Newtonian fluids?"

"Of course."

"Well, I tried to make my own for Micah and Susan. They want to improve their act by making fake whip cream that bounced off them when thrown before splattering into a mess. I messed up the recipe a bit and made it too sticky. Took me an hour to wash it off my hands. Kept experimenting with it and, now, I may have accidentally made a powerful adhesive."

"And you had kegs of this stuff stored in your room?"

Abby grinned. "I have too much free time!"

Faye sighed and started spreading out pie tins. "Well, hopefully that free time saves our skins. Are you sure this stuff will hold up against that monster?"

"If we get enough of it on him." Abby scowled over her cover as Ebony and Death traded punches. "Besides, we're not just using the adhesive. We're going to bury that creep, and we're in the perfect position to bring down the entire mountain on him."

She pulled a compact mirror out and held it out of cover, sending flashes of sunlight out to the others in waiting.

Death threw Ebony aside and reached for his sword, but halted for a moment. He saw flashing light out from the corner of his eye, high on the mountain spires surrounding him. He glared curiously. "What the—"

"Surprise!" Ebony dove on him amidst his distraction to violently pound on his helmet. "Pay attention to me~! I need attention!"

Death whipped his arm back and backhanded into a rock wall. "Enough of your childish games, thief."

Ebony lifted her head and grinned. "Wrong choice of words."

Before he could dissect her taunt, he detected a sudden surge of magic erupting from above. He turned in time to see a Simipour surfing through the air in a trail of smoke, armed with what appeared to be…pies?

"Down below!" Garland yelled, throwing as many pies as he could down on the field.

Ebony made herself scarce while Death watched the pies rain down, splattering into goopy piles all around him. He raised his arm and stopped one from hitting his face. He watched Garland arch over the quarry before landing on the opposite side, taking cover behind the rocks.

Death narrowed his eyes. "Has the fear of Death driven them to lunacy?" He grabbed the pie tin and peeled it off. However, the tin went taut against the elastic goop attached to his arm. He ripped it off with full force, but ended up ripping the tin in half instead. He glared at the substance coating his arm. "Chemical warfare?"

The sound of a horn carried through the spacious quarry, bouncing off the rock from all directions. Death narrowed his eyes on the rocks and detected a handful of magical auras, though he guessed there were others lingering around as well. He cautiously pulled out his swords and focused patiently on their locations.

"Too many of them," Death grumbled. "And neither Young nor Cipher are in the area. I should be close, though. Why can't I sense them—"

He heard a gunshot, followed immediately by a bullet piercing through the top of his head. He instinctively looked up, only to have another bullet shooting through his front legs. He stumbled backwards and received two more shots through his shoulder and neck, both coming from different directions. His eyes flickered around and detected traces of magic lingering in the air, shaped vaguely like discs.

"A reflector spell," he guessed. "So, the shooter could be anywhere—"

Once again, his focus directed onto another distraction, via a volley of pie tins flying behind cover. Death's steed breathed flame on his swords, then he slashed the air, instantly vaporizing the projectiles. He spun and surrounded himself in a vortex of black flames, turning the assaulting gag weapons to ash.

"Desperation drives you to do foolish things," Death surmised. "You all, in your final hours, choose to go out as clowns?" A hole in the ground cracked open under him, then a Plusle and Minun popped right into his face. "What—"

"Surprise!" They threw pies in his face and dove back into their hole.

Death seared the pie off his swords and watched the magical energy travel through the ground until it surged behind him. He turned and, right as the twin clowns popped out, slashed into them. He expected them to burn, but was surprised that the pair turned into a collection of bubbles instead.

"What the—"

"Over here!" Death dispelled the flames and saw an entire hoard of Plusle and Minun surrounding him, each armed with pie tins. "Guess who!" They ran around him and chucked pie one by one.

Death deftly weaved through the projectiles and slashed down the children mercilessly, only to be met with another gathering of bubbles exploding in his face. They served enough distraction for at least three pies to splattered over his back and a couple nearing his shoulders. Death summoned a bow and fired arrows into the annoying clones, destroying clusters in a single shot.

This magical signature looks familiar, and these bubbles. They aren't actually here. That Brionne mage is playing a trick. He kept firing at them and tried to spot out the bubble mage, but the influx of clones around him not only masked her presence, but also clouded the air in a blue aura that masked the other magic users. This is truly pathetic.

"You know what!" Death doubled forward as Ebony returned, smacking him across the face with a pie. "I might have a future in the circus! I get paid to annoy the shit of people! The ultimate dream job!" Death tried to grab her, but another bullet exploded into his wrist, tearing it wide open. Ebony spun off his arm and kicked him across the other side of his face before fleeing a flaming retaliation.

Death didn't seem bothered by the assortment of pies building up over his body, instead concerning himself with the intended message behind such an assault. He feared no pain to come to him. Their attempts were truly fruitless. Even under the assumption they were to hold him down with the goopy confectionaries, what was the end goal? Perhaps to slow him down and get as far away as possible? A likely answer, though they would surely realize his persistence.

Instead, perhaps something else. Why escape if there was nowhere to escape to? If escape wasn't an option, that meant they had one of two options. One, get Young and Cipher back into fighting condition with the time they bought. Or two, slow him down long enough to get to a desired location, one where they would be presumably safe.

Or perhaps, it was both.

They're closing in on one of the keys. And based off this desperate ambush, that means we're not too far away.

Abby ran around the edge of the quarry, making sure to weave behind cover as she unloaded the next step to her plan. Obviously, super strong glue wouldn't be enough, so she needed something stronger to hold Death down. Of course, she didn't come up with this cockamamie plan without considering the variables.

Their foe was super strong, deadly persistent, and possessed a forbidden spell that made it impossible to kill him. The reverse is also true, so as long as everyone remained mark-free, he couldn't directly kill them. There was still the matter of environmental death, but anything was better than being roasted alive. By all accounts, despite hitting him a few times, they weren't making progress unloading gags. However, nothing beats a good trick.

In general terms, Abby knew there were two ways to utilize strength: for applying force and for striking. A muscleman could lift heavy objects or even break through chains by the sheer force of will in their muscles. A trained fighter, though significantly weaker, can utilize basic physics and technique to rapidly multiply their strength for tremendous power, like the mechanics of the whip.

However, strikes require movement. Restrain movement, and all one would need to do is apply more force than the target can apply. In other words, as she stated earlier, they were going to bury Death under the mountain.

As she ran around the quarry's edge, she stuck explosives into the rock. With a simple Fire Charm and Nebula's dimensional bubbles, they could be all set off at once, causing an avalanche that should—though temporarily—restrain Death long enough for the crew to flee from the site.

We just need a little more time, she thought. Just keep it up.

Between the myriad of bubble clones, pies, and Ebony's endless taunting, Death tuned all out to focus on the mountains. His eyes flickered in every direction, quickly assessing the location of everything assaulting him. Though not every performer had magic, taking them out would be beneficial, especially the bubble mage.

Death summoned another boomerang and reared it back, only to have the other end lassoed by Ebony's scarf. "Up for a game of fetch, horsey boy?" Ebony laughed.

"Begone."

Ebony's eyes widened as Death slammed his front hooves down and detonated the surrounding ground in jets of black fire. Everything surrounding Death instantly incinerated to dust and blew out of sight. Ebony covered herself as the flames enveloped her body and threw her against the mountain. Her magic aura sponged up the damage, and they hardly hurt since she wasn't marked, but her crash landing left her partially dazed.

"All of you…" Death whispered, rearing his arm back. "DIE."

With a whip of his arm, he threw the boomerang at the surrounding elevation, skimming the edge and cutting cover. He saw performers screaming and fleeing for their lives, narrowly avoiding the boomerang. A couple performers got hooked and tossed around, some even flying into the air. The boomerang sliced through rock like a buzzsaw and battered helpless performers around like bowling pins.

Faye pulled her group away in time just as the boomerang passed by, skimming the edge of her face and flicking her slime off. She gasped as the boomerang curved around the edge. "Oh no! ABBY!"

Up ahead, as Abby planted the last of the bombs, she turned right as the boomerang headed straight for her. She shrieked and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a close shave. In her haste, however, she tumbled down the cliffside and landed in the quarry of scorched earth.

She groaned and picked herself up. She froze as a shadow descended on her, feeling the piercing gaze of murder bore a hole into her head. She dared not to look up, but saw the hooves trotting into her line of sight. She felt the hot breath of the knight's other half snorting down on her nape.

"Your aura…" Death hummed. "It bears a remarkable resemble to Young." His glare deepened. "One of her offspring, then?"

Abby gritted her teeth. He can't kill me. He can't kill me if I don't look at him. Abby tried to reach into her jacket, but the steed threw its hooves into her chin and threw her against the cliffside. The wind sailed from her lungs. She doubled over and clutched her chest, struggling to draw a breath. And still, she kept her eyes closed.

"Perhaps I can draw her out by torturing you," Death stated, trotting up to her. "Yes, that's an appropriate course of action."

Abby snarled. "You sick S.O.B., I won't…let you hurt my moth—" A hoof rammed down on her back, smashing her face into the ground. The faint signs of an aura crackled over her body, barely protecting her.

"Come on out, Ava Young!" Death shouted beyond the quarry. "Face me and your destiny, and your daughter shall not journey to the afterlife in tears!"

"Get away from her!" Death turned in time as Garland propelled himself with a launch glyph. With a rock in hand, he bashed it across Death's face. All it did was leave him open to be grabbed by the neck.

"Weaklings. All of you." He tossed Garland aside and had his steed exhale black flames into him.

"GYAH!" Garland cried, skidding across the scorched earth in an umbra blaze.

Death turned his attention back onto Abby and bent down, grinding his hoof into her. "What was there to accomplish, child? Did you really think pies and bubbles would change the course of Death? It's inevitable, whether you like it or not. Your mother has been marked for Death. I shall carry out my sacred duty and see to it she passed on. Death is the only certainty in life. There's no point in fighting it."

Abby turned her head some, keeping her eyes closed, and grunted, "Don't underestimate us…just because we're clowns, acrobats, or weirdos in colorful clothes. You've got some nerve…acting all high and mighty like your word is law. Even if…I die, I won't be forgotten."

Death glared. "Such foolish thinking."

"You say that, but you're the fool…for listening to a fool." Abby smirked. "Don't trust a clown when they offer you a bouquet, and especially when they offer a pie."

"What trite do you—" He stopped and saw the mirror in her hand, flashing light down the path. Following the direction of the light, he skimmed the mountainside for reinforcements. Instead, he saw something atop a farther row of mountains. It was hard to make out with the distance, but he could pick out a few heads and…

A giant slingshot and…giant pie?

"Wally, how does it look?!" Carrie wheezed, digging her heels into the ground.

The Durant zoomed in with his binoculars, then nodded. "They're in position!" He hopped off the slingshot.

"I still…can't believe you all have a pie tin this huge!" Angel croaked as the strain in her arms set in. "Th-This thing can shoot that far, right?" Angel asked.

"If Abby says it can, it should!" Sweat beaded down Carrie's face as the elastic tension strained her claws. "Wally, countdown!"

Wallace nodded and raised the binoculars. "On my mark. Ten…nine…"

Abby's laughter pulled Death's attention back onto her. "I hurt like crazy, but it was worth getting you to stand still long enough to finish the plan off."

Death immediately tried to retreat, lifting his hoof off Abby, but felt it snap back down. Abby rolled out in time before he could crush her. He pulled his hoof again and saw it covered in the adhesive goop.

"Always remember to carry extra!" Abby snarked before making a break for it.

A coil grappled her leg and tripped to the ground. She dragged her fingers as Death reeled her back in. "Clever girl, but that won't save—"

A bullet whizzed and snipped the coil off Abby's ankle. Death turned away from Abby, giving her time to flee, and spotted Cybil racing from a high perch. He summoned two wrist-mounted crossbows and aimed them at the fleeing Furret and giant slingshot. Two large, black flaming arrows fired at both sides.

Cybil quickly casted Ricochet Mirror on the arrow heading for the slingshot and braced herself as the second arrow exploded in her face. She screamed and tumbled out of sight.

Death turned right as he heard the distance twang of rubber and saw the giant pie tin flying straight at him. He had his steed turn its head and exhaled flames in range of the pie. It burned a hole clean through the pie, but an entire ring of goop splattered all over them. Though not from head to hoof, webs of adhesive clung over their body and ground.

Death tried to move his limbs, feeling them strung together and snapping back into place. It dripped down to his hooves and anchored all four legs down. The goop sealed his swords inside their scabbards and covered the hilts. Pulling one out would not only be futile, but contribute to the web trap.

"Burn it away," Death growled. His steed reared its head up, flaring its nostrils in preparation.

Abby stopped and yelled, "Ms. Cybil, now!"

Despite her injuries, Cybil forced himself up and perched over a rock. She fired her purple-trail bullets, harmlessly passing through the steed's neck and head, tethering a solid purple line between it and the ground. Cybil fired into multiple angles until she forced the head to bend upright, aiming its flames harmlessly into the sky.

Abby cupped her hands and yelled, "Nebula, we're in position! Set the bombs off!"

The bubble mage. Death's eyes scanned swiftly for the Brionne before pinpointing her bubbles scattering over the top of the quarry. With some focus, he detected her aura right ahead of him. There you are. He snapped his fingers and materialized a javelin over his head. With a flick of his finger, it sailed in her direction.

Nebula readied with the Fire Charm, but stopped once the javelin entered her range. She quickly casted a bubble film in between her flippers and safely disposed of it through one of her airborne bubbles. However, to her shock, a second javelin trailed a second after and nearly took her head off. It didn't inflict much damage, but the impact of her cheek sent her spiraling through the air with the Fire Charm bouncing out of her hand.

"Oh no!" Abby gasped. She turned back to Death as he started struggling against the adhesive.

"You were right, child," Death grumbled. "I was a fool for taking the threats of the fool seriously. I shall correct this at once." His horse fought against the ensnarement tethers, snapping one out of the ground.

Abby clenched her teeth worriedly. No…

"You put on a fine display, but Death stalls for no one," Death hummed. "Shall I guide you to the afterlife without your mother?" His eyes lit up. "Perhaps I should splatter your flesh across this quarry."

Abby's eyes widened as she felt his presence through her. She looked into his eyes by mistake. Does that mean…she was going to be marked? If he did that, he could break out of their trap easily. All that effort for nothing! Nothing except her decapitated head.

Death ceased his struggle as he locked his gaze with Abby's. "Children have such rich potential. The foolish ones skirt the line between life and Death. Pay for your—"

"NO!" Death gasped as a jacket flew over his helmet, blocking his sight.

The red glow in Abby's eyes vanished. She shook her head and checked her shoulder, relieved to see bare skin. She turned back as Ebony, now stripped of her jacket, clambered over the blinded knight and punched him senselessly.

"You all owe me a new jacket!" Ebony complained.

Abby shakily turned and started running. "Nebula!"

The Brionne picked herself up at the sound of Abby's cries. She reached around for the Fire Charm and picked it up. "Everyone, get back to the caravan, now! We're out of here!"

Everyone dropped the pies and adhesive barrels—Abby didn't mind, anyway—and booked it to the caravan. In the time they've been distracting Death, Vince drove the caravan back onto the main path and waited nervously for everyone to board.

Nebula aimed the Fire Charm at one of her bubbles and activated it. "Starfire Memory!" She casted a fireball into the bubble.

All the bubbles hovering above the set explosives glowed red, then spewed flames out. The explosives instantly caught fire and burned down to the fuel inside.

Abby and Ebony, after thrashing with Death, ran to the far side of the quarry, now on a time limit. Fortunately, Garland swooped by off a launch glyph and scooped them both up. He had blood dripping down his face and soaking through the back of his torn daredevil costume, but he powered through. "Hang on!" He casted another glyph under himself and rocketed over the quarry.

Just in time, too, as the explosives went off simultaneously. A chorus of ringing explosions echoed through the far reaching mountain range. A ring of fire wrapped around the quarry. The ground split open, rock spilling out in waves. Pebbles, boulders, fairly large stones; all and more surfing down the steep cliffside and into the scorched space.

Death ripped the jacket off his face upon hearing the explosion and saw the earthy wave descending on him. With the way his steed's head was angled, burning it away was impossible. And even if he could tear the ground out beneath his hooves thanks to the adhesive, it would take too much time.

Instead, he huffed in defeat and crossed his arms over his head, muttering something to himself, though the weight of his chilling words was likely felt by the fleeing performers.

"You have cheated Death today. I shall grant you this reprieve until I continue my hunt."

The rock spilled down on top of his in droves, mixing with the adhesive and further limiting his movements. He completely vanished under the earth and dust building up through the quarry, like a dam holding back muddy water bursting under the pressure. What was once scorched earth and a common pathway through the mountain range turned to an impassible bowl of rock.

Would it hold Death? Unlikely. Will it stall him? They could only hope.

Everyone jumped back into the caravan as quickly as possible, grabbing hands and flinging their smaller compatriots inside like beanbags. They didn't want to risk waiting around for too long.

Faye and Nebula made up the rear, hurrying as fast as their legless bodies would allow. "That was nuts!" Faye cried.

"As long as it gives us enough time to find the Mage of Darkness…!" Nebula panted. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

"Was Ava that crazy at Abby's age?"

"Don't care to know now!"

Speaking of the little pyrotechnic, Abby, plus Garland and Ebony crashed right behind them and broke into a tumble, stopping just at the caravan's caboose. Garland, however, nailed his head straight into the caboose railing and flipped over the fence. Luckily, he wore a helmet.

Abby and Ebony picked themselves up and groaned with the latter complaining, "I need some scotch."

Cybil came up from behind Ebony and picked her up. "In you go, you crazy rabbit!" She dragged Ebony inside.

Nebula wrapped Abby's arm over her shoulder, then shouted, "Vince, get this thing moving, now!" Faye jumped onto the caboose and pulled Nebula and Abby on right as it started to move.

The caravan rapidly picked up speed until it sailed down the long, winding path through the range, escaping the battlefield. Everyone braced themselves against the sudden acceleration until the ride smoothed out on its own. The galloping of Tauros clattered through the mountains as the caravan fled the scene.

Nebula and Abby collapsed over themselves after being pulled inside, panting heavily. "That…was too close," Abby groaned.

"Stupid kid," Nebula growled weakly. "Putting yourself in danger like that…"

"I lived, didn't I?"

"You know your father's going to have words for you when he realizes your part in this scheme of yours, right?"

Abby grinned through the pain. "I can deal with a grounding…"

"Sis!" She pushed herself up as Carrie and Cheri ran over, with Angel tailing behind. Carrie slid up to her sister and helped her up. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?! You're covered in scrapes and bruises!"

Abby chuckled as she massaged her arm. "Y-Yeah, I may have to lay down for…several weeks, but I'm fine." Carrie sighed and embraced her older sister, which Abby returned in kind.

Cheri beamed. "I'm glad you're okay, Abby."

"Thanks, Cher." Abby winced as Carrie helped her to her feet. "How's my mom and Ella?"

Cheri frowned. "Well, I haven't removed the mark thingies yet. I still don't know what I'm doing."

Ebony and Cybil limped over, the latter stating, "The fact Death couldn't detect them means you're at least interfering with the signal. Just give it a little more time and should be able to remove them."

"You think so?" Cheri asked. She glared, then nodded firmly. "I'll keep doing my best, I promise!"

Cybil smiled. "Right. I'll try lending you a hand. I know a thing or two about magic control."

Ebony pulled off of Cybil and massaged her shoulder. "You really think that avalanche will give us enough time to find this mage guy?"

"If we're lucky," Nebula admitted. "It's better than him chasing us nonstop. Hopefully this mage can stop Death."

Abby sighed. "That's all I could've…hoped for…" She went limp and fell forward. Carrie scrambled to keep her upright.

"AH! Abby, are you—" She paused as a soft, guttural snore flew out of the Medicham's mouth. Carrie sighed and shook her head. "Oh Abby…"

Nebula smirked. "Better get her off to bed. It's been a long day for all of us." Carrie nodded and, with Cheri's help, dragged Abby to their room, assuming it wasn't destroyed during the prior chase. Nebula collapsed to the floor and exhaled roughly. "I never want to do that again…"

Cybil smiled. "Have to admit, I'm surprised her crazy plan worked, if only a little."

Nebula chuckled and looked up right as the girls disappeared through the door. "Ava should be proud of her. She did good."

Angel helped Nebula up, turning to the caboose door's window with a frown. "That bothersome creature still has me on edge. What if the mage isn't enough to defeat it?"

Nebula glared. She didn't want to admit it herself, having focused all her attention on assisting Abby's scheme, but she had similar thoughts going in. For now, Ella and Ava were still marked with Reaper Seals, and an inexperienced magician was their only hope of removing them. On top of that, all their efforts stalling Death were just that: stalling. None of them, no matter the firepower they could scrape up, would make a meaningful dent in that creature. Immortality, shadow regeneration, and an unstoppable fervor to kill Team Ravenfield and those associated. What were they to do if forced to fight?

"…Some things are better left unsaid, at least until the final act. That's all we can manage now."