Chapter Six

He Is Our Caesar

Heathcliff exited the shower, dressed and drying his hair. He fixed it into its usual position, noting how it was getting longer. He had yet to spot a barber in his town, though he suspected he'd find one eventually. He checked his surroundings. No one besides his mother resided in the house now. He shrugged, popping into his room to put his boots on. He jumped down the stairs, catching himself on the inclined ceiling before he smacked into the floor so he could let himself down gently.

"Took you long enough. You actually got up early, get going. I've not a second to prepare breakfast, so here's a protein bar." Caroline said, handing Heathcliff a wrapped bar as she bustled past him. She grabbed her purse off of the counter and started pushing him towards the door.

"Alright. Well, see you later mum." Heathcliff said, pecking his mother on the head and grabbing his bag. He jumped out the door, dexterous as ever, and took off down the street.

Heathcliff was taking his usual path to school. It happened to cut through a park. He had about an hour to blow before school, oddly for him, since he never got up on time. He noticed someone rather peculiar. She wore a certain outfit that Heathcliff recognized.

A Catholic nun? Odd, I thought the church here was run down and unused? Seems not. That's pretty good… But I don't think it's good to be Christian when I'm a devil… Aaaand she fell down… Heathcliff stopped himself short of chuckling when he saw the poor girl trip and take a tumble, knocking her suitcase open. He felt concern just then and walked over, towering over the girl. She sat up, her head covering falling off. She was a beautiful blonde girl with green eyes. A rare combination, especially on someone so beautiful.

"Whoa there, you okay Sister?" Heathcliff asked, reaching his hand down to help her up. The girl smiled, accepting his hand and he pulled her to her feet with little effort.

"Yes, thank you kind sir… Wait, are you a student?" She asked, suddenly noticing Heathcliff's outfit. He nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, hard to tell with us foreigners. I'm least a foot taller than anyone here. Seriously. You stand out pretty well yourself, know that?" Heathcliff said with a kind smile. He stepped to the side quickly and caught her head covering as it started to blow away. She gasped at his sudden speed as he did so, returning it to her.

"Wow! You're fast! Thank you." The girl said, receiving her headwear. Heathcliff smiled, stuffing his hand in his pocket.

"Eh, no problem. So, you're bringing God's holy word to this town?" Heathcliff asked. The girl smiled, touching the cross on her chest. Heathcliff felt a twinge of pain spike through his head once more at the word 'God'. The cross glared unusually bright in his eyes.

"Well… funny thing about that… I can't seem to find the church for this town... could you show me the way?" the girl asked, poking her fingers together. Heathcliff grinned and nodded.

"Surely. Let's get your things picked up. Wouldn't want you to lose anything." Heathcliff said as he picked a few articles of clothing off the ground. The nun was surprised when Heathcliff didn't bother to wait for her and had already cleaned everything up.

"Whoops. Guess I'm a little faster than I realize. Here you go." Heathcliff said, holding her suitcase out to her. She smiled, accepting it, the weight wasn't much for Heathcliff but she seemed to struggle with it.

Eh, why not. Heathcliff then took the suitcase back, lugging it over one of his shoulders with ease.

"Oh, thank you for carrying that. It is kind of heavy…" the nun mumbled, blushing slightly. Heathcliff grinned as he took a few steps forward.

"Not a problem. Church's this way, milady." Heathcliff said. She smiled once more and started following close to his side. He checked his senses, pulsating out the furthest distance he ever could before. His Presence Sense was able to stretch several kilometers now, allowing him to pinpoint locations and areas of interest from a great distance, much further than before. Though, he could feel it get blurry when it went somewhere between five and six kilometers. He could also feel the nun's happiness swelling within her.

"Say, what's your name Sister?" Heathcliff asked, realizing he didn't know her name. She glanced up at him, and Heathcliff could feel the kindness in her eyes.

"I'm Asia Argento. Pleased to meet you!" Asia exclaimed. Heathcliff contemplated whether she spelled it like the continent Asia, but pronounced it differently, or some other way. He quickly pushed that thought aside, knowing she was expecting him to introduce himself. He grinned.

"I'm Heathcliff King. Professional Australian." Heathcliff said to the fullest capacity his accent would allow. Asia stared up at him in awe and smiled brightly.

"Wow! I've never met someone from Australia! What's it like!?" Asia exclaimed, fidgeting with excitement. Heathcliff chuckled and let off an aura of an animal wrangler. He bent low and held his other hand to block the sunlight from his eyes.

"Aye, there's hundreds of beasts that roam the deserts and forests. I've seen 'em all, huge spiders, venomous snakes, kangaroos with a right hook so hard it'll knock out a dingo! Crikey!" Heathcliff exclaimed, jumping back at a false attack. Asia giggled and clapped at his performance. He blushed from embarrassment and bowed.

"Thank you, thank you… But, in all seriousness, it's a beautiful land." Heathcliff said, continuing to walk with her. Asia smiled and placed a hand over her heart.

"That's amazing! I'd like to see it sometime!" Asia cheered, giving Heathcliff a huge smile.

"Ah, well, I can tell you a few stories. I may have been drunk for half of them, so you'll have to forgive me." Heathcliff explained. Asia grabbed his free hand and smiled at him with unbound excitement.

"You would!? I'd love to hear them! I always want to learn about others and listen to their tales! Does that mean you'll be my first friend in Japan!?" Asia asked, quite literally vibrating with excitement. Heathcliff took a moment to contemplate her words.

So innocent and kind. A friend? I guess I don't have any real 'friends' yet. Zeb hasn't come around yet. Ah hell, what could be the harm? Heathcliff thought. He returned her smile and crouched down to her level.

"Course. You won't learn anything about the Outback by not being my friend." Heathcliff said. Asia cheered and hugged him. Heathcliff was taken aback by the sudden gesture, and luckily it didn't last long. He recovered himself quickly and stood again.

"Thank you, Heathcliff! I look forward to it!" Asia exclaimed. Heathcliff chuckled at her boisterous nature and they continued walking. But, a moment later a boy heading to the park at full sprint tripped over Heathcliff and tumbled to the ground. Heathcliff himself had to restrain himself from chuckling at the boy's unfortunate accident, as he had caught his little foot on Heathcliff's titanic boot.

"Oh my! Are you alright!?" Asia exclaimed, immediately attending to the boy. He watched with interest as Asia examined the scrape on the boy's knee. Suddenly her hands glowed with a green light that encompassed the boy's injury. It started healing, and in an instant was healed. He thanked her and continued on his way, but not before giving Heathcliff a deathly glare.

"Well, that was mildly interesting. Where'd you pick up that trick?" Heathcliff asked, noting the magical energy that it exuded. It condensed into a set of two rings on each of her hands and vanished.

"It was a blessing from God. He granted me the power to heal injured people, something I gladly do. It is my job as His servant to attend to all who are injured." Asia said solemnly, but with a glad-hearted smile. Heathcliff nodded slightly.

"Hm. Interesting." He said curtly. The idea of such a powerful healing ability boggled his mind. His healing factor was a far cry from her efficient and expeditious magic. It wasn't long before they reached the base of the hill where the church was located. Heathcliff looked up at the building and felt his heart skip a beat.

What the…? He thought as a burning pain shot through his heart. All of his senses heightened themselves, and his instincts screamed to run. There was no fight, only flight.

"Thank you for leading me here, Heathcliff. I can take it from here, you should get to school." Asia said as he handed her suitcase over. Heathcliff broke his stupor of shock and started to turn and leave.

"Yeah, no problem, I'll see you later…" Heathcliff mumbled, taking off at a quick pace. Asia was left confused about his disturbed state. He trotted off with a deep sigh.

That was weird. I think being a Christian reincarnated as a Devil is a serious sin. Or, the Devil nature is heavily injured by holy places or holy… weapons… Oh shit. Heathcliff thought. He continued on his way to school, now more wary of his previous beliefs.

[Oh, that sounds bad. So, your religion is now a weapon against you? I didn't know that.] Kiva chimed. Heathcliff hummed in response and pulled at his shirt collar. His silver cross still sat on his chest.

But, why haven't I felt anything from my own cross? Is it because I was reincarnated with it? But the church gave me a chill like death. This is weird. I wonder what it'll do to me. Heathcliff thought. He could hear Kiva's 'thinking' noise. The creature borrowed some of his abstract thinking ability.

[So, since magic exists… then the blessings and curses of the Angels and Demons exist? Like, the actual abilities and weaknesses exist with these races of beings? So, if you were to fight an angel, you'd be at a disadvantage?] Kiva wondered, returning Heathcliff's full thought processes. He chuckled at the little creature's abilities.

Technically, in a sense. When it comes down to what I am, and what they are, yes. But that doesn't include my abilities or their abilities. I'd say in most situations, I would be at a disadvantage, since I can't really use much magic. That, and I'm not supernatural, I'm biological, mostly. Heathcliff responded. The creature accepted his words and quieted down. Heathcliff welcomed the silence. He needed to learn how to compete with power beyond his comprehension.

I've only just been juxtaposed into this supernatural shit… How the fuck am I going to survive?

Heathcliff let his head rest firmly on his desk. He glanced at Kala who now sat in front of him, dressed in a school girl's uniform, looking years younger. He didn't quite know what to think of it. Akeno and Rias discussed something in to his right, he apparently wasn't allowed to hear it, despite hearing it. Akeno was concerned over Kala, and Rias was convincing her otherwise. Or trying to.

I wonder what they'd think of a Nun in town. Eh, whatever… not really important. I think she's just her to reopen the church. But it's odd how I just happened to meet her. Heathcliff thought. He kicked back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. Something was happening. He could feel it. But nothing screamed to him a sense of danger. Nothing so far had stood out to him that he should be cautious of. But something in his senses was telling him something was happening.

Kiva, do you think it's possible for me to sense existential, or even impending events? Like I'm so advanced with senses that I can sense oncoming danger before it even arrives? Heathcliff wondered. The creature zipped back into his consciousness and hummed.

[I'm not sure about how accurate that could be, but I'm sure you can, in some way. I think if you meditated you'd be able to sense something as… abstract as that. Maybe. I'm not too keen on human abstract thinking yet.] Kiva responded. Heathcliff chuckled silently as the creature disconnected.

"Nah, guess I'm just paranoid." Heathcliff muttered to himself. He leaned back forward, only to stop his momentum short of crashing into Kala's face. She smiled at him.

"What's that, Heath?" She asked, keeping her face close to his. Heathcliff felt himself blush and leaned away slightly.

"Nothing, just talking to myself." Heathcliff responded. Kala licked her lips slightly and crossed her arms under her chest, pushing her breasts up. The undone buttons on the top of her shirt gave Heathcliff a clear view into the valley below, something he tried his best not to look at. She smiled coyly as she caught him eyeing her chest.

Fucker… Heathcliff growled silently. She leaned in slightly and moved one of her hands to trace Heathcliff's. His grip on the sides of his desk increased as she gently traced the veins in the back of his hand. She traced the vessels all up his chiseled forearm as well, even tracing the outline of his scar.

"So, how do you like me as a schoolgirl? Don't boys like the schoolgirl look? I even pulled my hair back…" Kala said, her voice low and sensual. Heathcliff had a hard time paying attention to her words as he felt her foot slid up the side of his leg.

"Ahem… uh, yeah… looks nice. But uh, what-uh, what the hell are you doing?" Heathcliff muttered, stuttering slightly when her finger hit a sensitive spot on his scar. Kala smiled and intertwined her legs around his.

"Just… you know… getting you excited. C'mon, Heath… I know you want me. All guys want more than just one girl." Kala said. Her smile curled up, turning lustful. Heathcliff slid his chair back out of her grip, nearly taking his desk with him.

"If they want to be discarded like used tissues, then yeah. I'm in a relationship for fuck's sake." Heathcliff hissed. His expression turning serious Kala pouted at him, drooping across his desk.

"You're no fun…" She muttered. Heathcliff sighed as the final bell rang, releasing him from this situation. He got up and grabbed his bag, but he started getting pulled away by someone.

"With me, clubhouse, now." Rias ordered, pulling Heathcliff along as she left the room. He turned and caught Akeno's sympathetic eyes before being yanked past the doorway, which he then hit his head on.

"Ah, son of fuckin' wombat looking whore… Hey, what's with the aggressive pulling?" Heathcliff asked, keeping pace with Rias so she was no longer pulling him along by his wrist. She stopped, dropping his arm and facing him with a very annoyed expression.

"We need to talk. So, follow me." Rias commanded. Heathcliff sighed and nodded, following her outside towards the clubhouse.

Whoa boy… this ought to be… entertaining…

Rias led Heathcliff into a very colorful room of the clubhouse. Windows of stained glass gave the room a dim but colored air. He leaned on the railing of the loft they stood on. Rias tapped her foot as she waited to explain. Heathcliff awaited her angry berating with a calm, relaxed demeanor.

"Don't go near that church or that holy woman ever again." Rias stated. Heathcliff was surprised she knew about his morning encounter. Possibly, this is what his senses were warning him about.

"Now that's a little aggressive. What harm could come of it? Are angels gonna come looking to swat my ass? Oh, so scary…" Heathcliff chuckled. He stood up straight and faced Rias as she grew increasingly annoyed with his obnoxious retort. She punched at him, but failed to make contact as he leaned just far enough away for it to miss.

"Heath! Don't play games! That nun could spell danger, we have no idea who she's working for. The Angels would not have sent her here. This is my family's territory. You have to be careful." Rias explained, glaring at him. Heathcliff shrugged. He saw her point, but refused to acknowledge it as a reason for disregarding his new friend.

"I'm not going to avoid her like a rabid dingo. She's not a problem, and I highly doubt she will cause us any harm. But you're suggesting someone not of the Church sent her here, or brought her here. If that's true, then why aren't we wary of them instead? This girl, she's not even dangerous. I watched her heal someone out of pure kindness." Heathcliff extrapolated. Rias nodded at his words, calming down immensely. Heathcliff sighed in silent relief.

"True enough. Just be careful… being a Devil makes you vulnerable to holy magic and items." Rias said, worry dotting her face more than anger. Heathcliff rose a brow and pulled his cross out, the silver object dangling from his fist.

"I've worn this since Pop got it for me. Why doesn't it bother me?" Heathcliff asked. Rias reached forward and pinched the cross between her fingers.

"It doesn't bother me, either. It wasn't blessed. All priests and nuns wear blessed crosses. I'm sure that nun's cross irritated your eyes." Rias explained, releasing the cross. Heathcliff put it back in his shirt and nodded.

"Ah, I see. Fine. I'll be more careful. Thanks, Rias… Just know, however, that I'm not going to disregard that girl. Whatever is happening behind her back, she isn't part of it. Willingly, anyway." Heathcliff stated firmly. Rias sighed and stepped forward, hugging Heathcliff closely. Her chest pressed into his torso and he blushed slightly.

"Promise me you won't die again." Rias murmured into his shirt. Heathcliff returned her hug and grinned.

"Sure, I doubt they'll hit me anyway." Heathcliff responded. Rias giggled into his lower chest. They separated and Rias smiled at him.

"Alright. Well, we have many summons tonight. I'm sending you to one of them." Rias said. They began heading back into the regular club room. Heathcliff sighed.

"Please don't send me back to the dude in armor. That was weird." Heathcliff muttered. Rias laughed at him as they entered the clubroom, attracting the attention of the others. Akeno approached Heathcliff and took his hand, kissing him on the cheek. Heathcliff nearly reacted to the harsh feeling of jealousy that suddenly erupted from Rias, and Kala who sat by the windows.

Okay… Heathcliff thought, slowly hiding himself behind Akeno who was the target of their feelings. Akeno smiled as he slid his arms around her. He wanted to tell her that he could sense all of their unspoken wars. But he didn't. It was for the best.

I don't need to be hassled by people wanting to know what everybody's thinking or feeling. Heathcliff thought. Rias settled into her seat and began going through the requests. Heathcliff felt their emotions level out and he felt at ease once more. Rias got up and brought two papers over to Heathcliff.

"Heath, I'm giving you these two requests. One isn't exactly a request, they're just lonely. The other… I'm not sure. So, I'll send you out. Just be careful." Rias explained. Heathcliff took the papers with a nod and smiled as Akeno set up a transport portal. The two girls sent him off into the portal. He waved to everybody and vanished into the portal.

Heathcliff opened his eyes in a shadowed area outside. He walked around the corner and found his first address. His senses kicked in once again, giving the eerie feeling of danger. He checked his sixth sense. He could sense the people inside of the home, but he couldn't pick out anything out of the ordinary. One male, a female, and something else. But he couldn't make it out, so he figured it was unimportant.

Huh, something's off. Like earlier. I can't sense any real problems. Alright… Guess I better get moving. Heathcliff thought. He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. But it was his magic sense that set off the moment his finger met the button. He glanced behind him, being able to sense the barrier that suddenly sprung up. It let off a fiery aura. Like the Fallen Angel spears.

Holy magic? Shit, I think I walked into a trap… Guess I ought to kick ass to get out. Heathcliff thought. Kiva reconnected, the creature acting as a supercomputer-style battle advisor. He kept all of Heathcliff's senses completely amped, allowing him to better feel his environment.

[Looks like it. Keep watch. Do you want to morph?] Kiva asked. Heathcliff chuckled and cracked his knuckles.

Nah. Can't show them our trump card too soon. Heathcliff responded. He slowly opened the front door and stalked onto the ceiling on all fours, toes and fingertips. He sniffed the air. Blood filled his nostrils. He forced himself to bear with the stench. He stealthily made his way to the living room where light was coming from. He could see the blood puddle on the floor. He stayed in the shadows.

"Don't hide, little Devil. I know you're here…" an enflamed and boisterous voice said. A white haired man on the couch glanced at the doorway and rose an eyebrow. Heathcliff knew the man couldn't see him.

"Huh, that's odd. He's here, right?" the man asked, looking across the room. Heathcliff froze as Asia appeared in his vision, timidly approaching the man.

"Yes… he is… I don't know where, though." Asia answered. The man suddenly jumped up and backhanded her, roaring in rage.

"You dumb bitch! Where is he then!?" the man shouted, he went to swing again. Heathcliff landed in the doorway silently and webbed the man's wrist, stopping his arm.

"Now, now… hit her again and I'll gut you." Heathcliff said venomously. Asia stared in horror at him as he sighed.

"Heath… you're a… Devil?" Asia asked, shaking in place. The man pulled a hilt out of his priest coat and a blade made of light appeared from the guard.

"Aw, you two know each other? That's cute… Hi, I'm Freed, your executioner…" Freed said, slashing at Heathcliff's web. Heathcliff easily saw his move coming and pulled on the web, forcing him to miss.

"Calm down ya fuckin' wombat." Heathcliff said, kicking Freed in the crotch. The man fell to his knees and clutched at his crotch.

"Yeah, sorry to break it to you Asia, but I am a Devil. Don't worry, though. I'm not gonna… stab you with a pitchfork or something… I'm just gonna beat up this dude. He did kill this innocent man, right?" Heathcliff asked, stomping his boot on Freed's head and smashing his head into the floor. Asia nodded, glancing at the dead man on the floor. Heathcliff broke his web off and stuck it to the wall.

"Alright, Freed. How about you do your best to try and hit me, and we'll see how long it takes before I start laughing at you?" Heathcliff asked, rolling his neck as Freed stood up and slashed his bond off. He glared bloody daggers at Heathcliff and pulled a large pistol out of his coat.

"Ooh, a gun! So scary!" Heathcliff mocked, taking a buoyant stance and readying himself to fight. Freed grinned.

"Mock all you like, little Devil! You can't dodge bullets!" Freed shouted, firing off a round. It was headed for Heathcliff's chest. He reacted before it left the barrel and leaned to the side, dodging the bullet flawlessly.

"Actually, I can." Heathcliff said, taking the man's shock as an opportunity. He lunged forward and jabbed Freed in the jaw, knocking him over. Freed got up and fired another round, but Heathcliff jumped over it and stuck to the ceiling. Freed was shocked again, open to the kick Heathcliff delivered to his face, smashing him into the floor. He jumped back as Freed slashed frantically at him with his sword.

"Damn… this is just sad. I can't laugh at this incompetence." Heathcliff sighed, shaking his head. Freed glared at him.

"SHUT UP! HOW ABOUT THIS!?" Freed screamed. Heathcliff watched as he started pointing his gun at Asia. Heathcliff reacted far faster than Freed could act. He webbed the man's wrist and wrenched the gun off to the side. The bullet fired off and smashed mirror.

"Bad Freed." Heathcliff said coldly, sticking the web to the floor and webbing the man's other wrist. Freed did his best to free himself, but Heathcliff's bonds and superior strength held out.

"You're a bit annoying. Not very funny when the wombat goes berserk. Alright, you're done." Heathcliff said, sticking the other web to the floor. Freed screamed and frantically tugged at the restraints. Heathcliff webbed himself to the far wall and started to pull.

"YOU FUCKING DEVIL SCUM! I'LL KILL YOU!" Freed screamed, managing to slash his bonds off. But he was too late, Heathcliff grinned as he left the ground and pulled with all his might. He flew towards Freed, smashing his heels into Freed's face and hurled him into the far wall. His legs dangling from the wall. Heathcliff landed on his feet with a thud as his momentum from his dropkick slowed. He got up and dusted himself off. Freed's heartbeat slowed as he was now unconscious.

"Well, he was annoying." Heathcliff muttered, checking the bottom of his boots. Asia approached him and watched as he picked a tooth out of his right boot.

"I think I hit him too hard." Heathcliff commented, grinning at Asia with the tooth in his hand. She started to tear up.

"H-Heath… how were you… what did you…?" Asia mumbled, wiping her eyes. Heathcliff dropped the tooth and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She leaned on his arm and smiled.

"Don't worry. Everything's alright. I can explain, but I don't think we should stay here. Freed might get up… I ought to execute him." Heathcliff said. He released Asia and an obsidian blade jutted from his arm. He made his way towards Freed, but was stopped when Asia grabbed his arm.

"Heath! Don't! Killing isn't right!" Asia yelled, holding him back as best she could. He was merely allowing her to do so, since he could easily overpower her. But he didn't. Her innocent expression and transfixion on him forced him to stop. He couldn't overpower her even if he wanted to.

"Fine, I'll spare him for now. But we have to get out of here. Drop the barrier and we'll go." Heathcliff said. Asia released him and he felt the magic barrier around them fall. He suddenly grabbed Asia and darted out of the building, leaping up into the night.

Heathcliff landed in a deserted area, a small park with a reflection pool in the center. He set Asia down and checked the area. He relaxed slightly and sat down on the bench with Asia. She hung her head and stared at the ground.

"So, mind explaining the psychopath with the gun and the fucking Lightsaber?" Heathcliff asked, leaning on his knees. He noticed a change in Asia's emotions. She was distraught.

"Heath… they make me do horrible things, all in the name of God. Just because I was exiled. But… you're a Devil… I can't believe my first friend is an evil being of Hell, and these Fallen Angels…" Asia cried. Heathcliff put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and cried. He stayed silent.

Poor girl. I know all too well what Catholicism is and what they really care about. I wonder why they exiled her. Heathcliff thought. He felt something breech his sixth sense and stood up quickly, watching as they approached from afar. A barrier that disrupted the area went up with psychedelic colors running through it. A Fallen's barrier.

"L-Lady Raynare!" Asia exclaimed, hiding behind Heathcliff as the Fallen Angel floated in front of the fountain. She grinned wickedly and held a red spear in her hand. It was the same woman who attempted to kill him the first time.

"You… you're the fuckin' psycho wombat whore that tried killing me. Well, I'm a bit more prepared this time, ya cunt." Heathcliff growled, his breath steaming in the air. He felt flames in his mouth as he licked his tongue. He spat off to the side, leaving a burn on the sidewalk.

"My, my… you're alive, and a filthy Devil no-less. Just give me the girl and we can go our separate ways. No need to fight. Your master would be furious." Raynare said, brandishing her spear. Her playful but arrogant smile annoyed Heathcliff.

"Ha, like I'd hand my friend over to a damn wench like you. I don't care what ancient code says I can't go out and fuckin' kick the shit outta you, I'm going to anyway." Heathcliff said. He crouched low to the ground and waited as she dropped lower to the ground. She clicked her tongue and threw her spear at him. Heathcliff pushed Asia away and spun out of the path of the spear. He rushed forward, firing a web at Raynare's face. It splatted and covered her eyes. She screamed and tried ripping it off. Heathcliff jumped and landed on her shoulders as she haphazardly flew about. He grabbed her by the hair and launched a powerful knee into her face, knocking her out of the air. Heathcliff pulled himself back to dry land with a web as Raynare crashed into the water.

"You fucking monkey…" Raynare growled as she cut his web off with a spear. He watched as she shook the water from her wings and glared at him. A grin sprouted on her face as she raised her spear. He watched her closely, but when she threw it, he nearly had a heart attack. He rushed forward, his reaction time allowed him to intercept the projectile as it flew towards Asia. She yelped as he slammed into the jagged spear, catching it in his hands.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Heathcliff shouted, rolling to a stop and throwing the spear out of his grasp. His hands burned with a red aura rising from them, and the gashes in his hands were enormous. He growled and grunted, his muscles firing feverishly from the intense pain.

[I'm shutting your pain receptors down! Wait! What the fuck!?] Kiva exclaimed. Heathcliff screamed as the pain intensified. It didn't hurt his body now, but his very soul. His senses stopped delivering information as he screamed. He felt it tearing and searing, even when his hands went numb. He suddenly doubled over and the pain tripled into a menagerie of absolute agony and suffering. Another spear was present in his stomach, as he was distracted by the pain in his hands. The spear was ripped from him as he collapsed onto his back, watching as Raynare embraced Asia.

"You fool. You thought you could stop a spear of Holy Light? Now then, we'll be going." Raynare said, slowly ascending into the air. Heathcliff fought through the pain and fired off a small web. It connected to the bottom of Asia's dress and mingled with the fabric. He felt a familiar magic appear behind him as a red glow erupted from the ground. He flipped Raynare off as a delicate pair of hands dragged him into the glow.

"ASIA!" He screamed before blacking out in pure agony.

I swear… I'm still your friend, and I don't leave my friends behind.

Done. Sorry it's short, but I figured it's better than nothing. If it seems like my style changed halfway through this, it's because it did. I wrote part of this months before I realized it still existed and wrote another version in my ignorance.

Leave suggestions for ranged attack's Heathcliff could possibly use in a review. I'd appreciate the ideas and I'll credit you if I like it.

Thanks guys,

See you next time with the King of Symbiosis.