A/N: And here's chapter 4, ladies and gents! From here, the story is really going to pitch into the horror/gore section. With all these teenage girls and the two ugliest - and deadliest - monsters in history around them, would you people expect any less? ;)
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 4
Hunting and Harvesting
Ayaka cringed as she saw the spires of flame rising into the sky, blacking out the stars in thick pillars of smoke. Several bushes around lay incinerated around her, dead and black long before she came upon the site of the crash. Swallowing the knot that had formed in her throat, she pushed the foliage out of her way, breaking into a cold sweat at seeing one of the bodyguards' weapons melting into a small pool before the small trenches carved into the ground by the helicopter's crash, before her eyes fell upon the wreck itself, and they widened.
She fell to her knees as she saw the form of her mother hanging from the hatch on the wreck's side, nothing but a large chunk of ash and burned flesh. She choked slightly as the smell attacked her nostrils, and tears stung her eyes as she collapsed onto all fours, bawling loudly as her memories of her mother flashed through her mind. Slowly, she inched forwards, ignoring the putrid smell filling her nostrils. I was hard to see with all the tears in her eyes, but she could faintly make out the outline, and the smell of ash in between that of burning steel and flesh confirmed that she was near.
Idly reaching out, a single, loud sob escaped her lips as her fingers scraped against charred flesh. She instantly jerked her hand back, cradling it as she felt patches of salty wetness cover her cheeks as her tears flowed down them, dampening the shoulder areas of her jacket. Biting down on her lower lip, she slammed her eyes shut and reached out again, hand travelling past the burnt flesh until she felt the familiar softness of her mother's skin. Gathering the rest of her courage, she pried her eyes open as she gazed upon her mother's face.
The woman's eyes were still open, irises greyed out from the lack of life in them. Her mouth hung slightly open, and a small trickle of blood led down the side of her cheek, thinning on an area where Ayaka thought she felt dried tears as she cupped it. Moving her gaze down her mother's body, she saw a small pendant around her neck, a custom work made by Ayaka herself when she was six, which she gave her mother on mother's day that year. She gasped, realising how eager her mother must have been for her to come home as she remembered how she only wore that necklace on very special occasions. Extending a shaky hand, she pried it from her mother's neck with a loud sob, and extended her other hand to her mother's face, using her thumb to press her mouth shut, and running her fingers down her facing, closing the eyes. Even through her tears, Ayaka could not help but smile at how peaceful her mother looked. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head, sobbing again as she silently bade farewell to her mother.
Opening her eyes, the girl tried standing up to leave, but her eyes fell on a something that caught her immediately. Part of the business attire her mother wore carried a dark red stain near the ribs. Following it, Ayaka dropped the necklace in shock as her terrified cry caused the birds in the surrounding trees to scatter.
A large hole sat in the middle of her mother's chest, broken, bloodstained bones protruding from the sides as several pieces of intestine hung from it, hidden by the designer jacket of her mother's outfit. Ayaka felt her knees give way under as she fell onto her haunches, face paling at the sight of the way her mother died. Just then, the girl saw something she formerly missed: A large, pale-coloured spider lying dead beside her mother's face. A sticky, gooey tube hung limply from a hole in its centre, and its eight legs curled upwards like fingers as its tail snaked around the corpse's wrist. Ayaka stood up with a weak whimper, stepping back as she realised the one of guards suffered the same fate. A loud snap of a twig behind her caused her to spin around where she stood.
And her scream echoed through the forest as a black, bony hand wrapped around her neck, and her eyes met an open mouth, fangs sporting multiple layers of blood as its tongue, bearing another mouth, shot forwards.
Takane whipped her head in the direction of the scream, and Nutmeg covered behind her. Mei was groggily resting against Takane's body, muttering illiterate sentences under her breath. Takane quickly went back to supporting her underling, as Nutmeg gulped loudly and joined her, helping her keep Mei on her feet.
"Who do you think that was?" The glasses-wearing girl asked fearfully, voice pitching. "That sounded…"
"I know." Takane sighed; face falling as she gazed back into the distance. "But we cannot help. Mei is still too weak to get along on her own. I wonder what kind of healing magic they used on her… This stuff must be very potent if it stays in her system so long…"
"Why are we here, Takane-onee-sama?" Nutmeg asked suddenly. "Isn't this the first place they'll come looking for us?"
"It is." Takane huffed, half-dragging Mei's sleeping form down the road. "But I know that Negi Springfield resides on the campus. If anyone will help us and hear our side of the story, it's him and his friends."
"I know… But…" Nutmeg averted her gaze slightly. "The Dark Evangel's here too… And… And…"
"There's no need to be scared, Nutmeg." Takane smiled. "I know Negi-sensei can keep her check." Nutmeg fell silent as Takane returned her gaze to the road. After a while, her brow furrowed. "Nutmeg…" She called. "Aren't there supposed to be patrols around here?"
"Y-Yes…" Nutmeg squeaked, still fearfully gazing around her. "But it doesn't look like they've found us yet…"
"Come to think of it, I haven't anyone since we got here…" She sighed, feeling Mei's limp body drag her down. "And I'm starting to ache from dragging her around…"
"Hey, I think I remember the one bathhouse being near here. We could go there and check if someone's there now." Nutmeg said. "At this time, someone must be in there."
"I hope you're right." Takane huffed again. "For someone so small, she's rather heavy…"
"You can be glad she's still out of it…"
The two girls broke into a fit of laughter as they dragged the younger girl towards one of the buildings, blissfully ignorant of the sounds of snapping twigs and the scraping of steel on concrete to their left. With their attention turned from the adjacent building, the trio failed to see two near-invisible silhouettes sitting on their haunches atop it. Two bright flashes came from the first one's head, where one's eyes would be, and it uttered an angry, guttural growl as its eyes fell on Mei. With a loud snarl, it stood up, its counterpart following suit as it leapt from the building, tracking its newfound prey.
Hmm? What… Where am I? Setsuna shook her head as she found herself in an unknown room. She awoke to a bright light piercing her shut eyelids, and groaned while she sat up, just as she realised the room was not her own. Quickly, she tossed the covers of the bunk bed aside and shot up, finding herself still fully dressed in her school uniform. Surveying her surroundings, she bit back a gasp as she realised Yuunagi wasn't in sight. Bewildered, she glanced around her, trying to find it.
"H-Hello? Is anyone here?" She asked cautiously, stepping forwards as softly as possible. The front door creaked, causing her to jump back and await the worst as the morning light cascaded into the room, further illuminating it. She tensed, balling her fists and getting into a stance, just as…
"Set-chan?"
Setsuna immediately calmed down at hearing the friendly voice. She heaved a sigh of relief as Konoka entered the room, wearing one of her bubbly smiles. "Sorry if I scared you, Set-chan. I just went out to find some more ingredients for the soup. You really shouldn't be up." The bubbly girls said as she strolled past her, putting a grocery bag down on the small table. "That poison was quite rough, I nearly missed healing you." She said, taking Setsuna by the shoulders with one hand while she put the other to the swordsgirl's forehead. "You still have a slight fever." She exclaimed. "Why did you get up? You need to rest."
"I…I just got a fright, ojou-sama." Setsuna said, hiding a slight blush at the closeness of their faces. "It was an unfamiliar room, so I…"
"I get it, Set-chan." She said, suddenly hugging her. "You scared me. I thought were going to… I mean… You came in all battered and wounded, and unconscious… It scared me." Setsuna smiled into Konoka's shoulder.
"Don't worry, ojou-sama." She assured the bubbly girl. "It takes more than a few drops of poison to kill me." Konoka remained silent.
"Then why did you lose?"
"Huh?" Setsuna tried to break the embrace in her confusion, but failed to do so.
"You came in unconscious, bloody and full of scars that looked like net patterns. So, that would mean you lost. Why?" She asked, head still buried in the crook of Setsuna's neck.
"I… I… Ojou-sama, I just-" The door creaked open again, and with Konoka's head in the way of her head, she craned her neck around the other way, only to see that nobody was there. The door had just shifted open. Probably the wind… She thought with a blush as Konoka finally pulled away. Heaving a sigh of relief, she aimed to look back at Konoka when she felt a wet spot on her shoulder, spreading down her arm and side. Tears? She thought uncomfortably, turning her head to her shoulder. She gasped loudly when her eyes fell on her shoulder.
Blood.
In a panic she quickly pulled her shirt way from it, sighing in relief that there was no wound, before tensing again as her eyes widened. But that must mean - She turned back to Konoka, and her scream failed to leave her throat.
A long, steel dart protruded from the bubbly girl's heart as the blood from the wound soaked her white shirt, turning it red. Two parallel wounds ran across her throat, and more covered her young face as blood rained down her cheeks, eyes gouged out of her head. With a panicked whimper, Setsuna backed away in disbelief. "K-Kono-chan?"
"You still haven't answered me." The dead Konoka replied, arcs of blood sprouting from the gashes in her neck. "Was it him?" She asked, raising her hand to point at something behind Setsuna. The girl immediately spun around, and her scream failed again as a pale hand, fingertips lined with short, black claws, wrapped around her throat, hoisting her into the air. Straining her breathing against the strong, vice-like grip on her neck, she glanced down. Her attacker growled at her from behind its tusked mask as its dreadlocks dangled beside it, forehead covered in numerous glyphs and runes as the red lenses across its eyes locked with her. Just then, the beast raised its arm and flicked its wrist, as two jagged, sharp claws shot out from its gauntlet.
Just as it swiped at Setsuna's face, her scream finally left her as the claws tore into her flesh, before everything turned pitch dark… and then bright white.
With a shrill scream, Setsuna shot upwards, clutching the white sheet to her chest as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. The knot in her throat was so big, she found it hard to swallow at first, and only when she pried one of her hands, pale and matted with cold sweat, from the covers of the bed, she realised that she was shaking uncontrollably. Swallowing several times to get rid of the knot in her throat, she scanned her surroundings with a few whimpers. "Set-chan!" She quickly whipped her head in the direction of the double doors as Konoka burst in, the mask of worry and fear on her face sharply contrasting the one she saw in her dream. Dream… It was a dream… Setsuna kept panting as Konoka sat down beside her on the bed, just as Kaede, Negi and Mana entered. "A-Are you okay, Set-chan?" Konoka asked worriedly, placing a hand on the girl's forehead. "We just heard a scream coming from here, and we thought…"
"We thought those things came back." Mana said when Konoka's voice died in her throat. "That tusked one left a mark on your back. One that was singed into your skin. Konoka managed to heal it slightly, but there's still a scar. We thought that it might have marked you, so it might come back for you."
"I-I'm fine…" Setsuna sputtered, clutching the sheets to her chest. "I-It was just a n-nightmare… Nothing more…" She said again, still shaking from what she saw in her dream. It felt so real… She thought, burying her face in the sheets, which were bunched up around her knees. I almost believed it was real… W-What's happening to me! "How long was I…?"
"About three hours now" Negi answered her. "You were poisoned, Setsuna-san." He said with a worried expression. "According to Chachamaru, the fact that you held out so long against it is almost superhuman. She said that the neurotoxin they injected into you would have stopped a normal person's heart in less than two minutes." Setsuna's eyes visibly widened.
"Then… Then I should've been…" She glanced around her. "But how…"
"Konoka's pactio artefact." Negi said. "Her one fan can cure status ailments, remember?" Konoka nodded at this.
"I cured you, Set-chan." She said with a look of worry on her face. "If I think of what might've happened… If Mana-chan wasn't near you… you'd have…"
"Relax, Kono-chan." Setsuna said, gripping the bubbly girl by the shoulders, making her fall silent at hearing the use of her pet name. "I-I'm fine. Just a bit shaken… That's all… I'll be fine, thanks to you." Konoka whimpered at Setsuna's words, immediately latching onto her body.
"I was so s-scared…" She said softly. "When you came in, all t-the wounds… the mark on your back… I didn't know what t-to think, and I only found out what Mana told everyone after I h-healed you." She pulled back slowly. "Please… Don't ever do that t-to me again, Set-chan… If something ever happened to you, I don't know how I… I…" The young heiress' lower lip trembled as her voice died out again, and she latched onto Setsuna in another embrace.
Setsuna sighed as she tentatively placed a hand on Konoka's back, closing her eyes in an attempt to banish the remaining visions of the dream. "You know it takes more than a few drops of poison to take me from your side, Kono-chan." She said softly, only for Konoka to hear. "I will not leave you. Not because of these monsters. I will not let it happen again, Kono-chan…" She said softly, stroking the back of Konoka's head with her free hand. "I promise you."
Outside, just below the windowsill, a mess of black limbs unfurled from one of the crevices in the wall. With a soft hiss, the creature crawled around the window's frame, black dome shining in the moonlight as its bony body hovered above the wall. Three others like it hopped from the bushes, and six more descended from the roof, sticking to the side of the building like insects as they neared one of the ventilation fans. With a snarl, two of the smaller creatures spat a sickly green liquid at it, and with a collection of sizzling sounds, it ate through the fan in an instant. With another muffled hiss, one of the creatures leapt headfirst into the opening, followed closely by its brethren as they traversed the vents, seeking their next victims.
The double doors burst open again, and Setsuna jumped slightly as Takamichi, Evangeline and Chachamaru entered. Takamichi had a very serious look on his face, but a few traces of worry mixed with the mask. "We need to leave campus as soon as possible." He said sternly.
"What? Why?" Mana asked, turning to face him.
"Did something happen, Takamichi?" Negi asked turning his attention away from Setsuna and Konoka.
"We've just received word from Sister Shakti and Kuzunoha-san." Takamichi said softly. "The convoy that was to escort the richer students has been attacked. Nobody survived." He said sadly. "That is why we must leave immediately." He looked around as Asuna entered the room too.
"What's going on?" She asked, seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces. "Did something happen?"
"The convoy that was sent to extract the rich students was ambushed." Mana filled her in. "Everyone was killed."
"What!" Asuna cried. "But... But isn't that where Ayaka went?" She asked worriedly. Her frustration built when Negi and Konoka averted their eyes, and she frowned as everyone else fell eerily silent. "What aren't you telling me?" Negi gulped as he met her eyes.
"Ayaka-san's chopper came earlier." He said with a guilt-ridden voice. "I… Someone attacked it… It was shot down…" Asuna's eyes widened slightly. "She ran off… We don't know where she is now."
"Wha… How could she just run off!" Asuna raged. "That… That stupid little -"
"That's enough, Asuna." Takamichi said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her, just like we'll find everyone else, but we must focus on everyone in this hospital first. They come first, especially since we don't know what these monsters are yet. We don't even know why they're here. So we must focus on getting the others to safety before we can focus on retrieving everyone who went missing."
"That seems like the most logical way to start." Eva said from beside Chachamaru. "Even as we are now, we won't last forever against these monsters, not with these few numbers. We need to regroup, as soon as possible." No sooner had the words left her mouth, when all the lights suddenly died out, making her furrow her brow in anger. "What now!"
Several sparks flew as the power lines outside fell to the ground, separated from the tower that stood far outside the large hospital building. With a loud snarl, Project X slashed at yet another cable, severing it before the stream of electricity could relay into its body as its dreadlocks swayed wildly in the wind. An orchestra of hisses, snarls and soft screeches played out behind it as more and more of its kin entered the ventilation shafts of the hospital, several more opting to try and enter through the vents at the top of the building as they scurried up the side of the building. With a loud roar, it leapt from the tower, soaring through the air until its feet met the ground, and leapt again until it landed next to the large building. With another mighty leap, its feet met the edge of the hospital's roof as it laned. Growling, it lumbered towards the large hole in the roof, roughly tracing the same pheromones it smelt earlier, when it passed the small wooden cottage. Casting a glance into the horizon, it leapt into the large shaft with another growl, intent on finding its prey.
"The power's down?" Konoka asked, warily eyeing the dark room. "But that's not supposed to happen!" She cried as Mana stalked over to the window, pulling the curtain aside to investigate the reason of the power failure. "There's no storm out there, so it can't be…" She grimaced when she saw the cut power cables' sparks in the distance, and glanced at the tower. "Someone has cut the power."
"What? Why!" Konoka asked, appalled at the deed. "There are people here who need the machines powered! They could die without -" A soft, distant humming sound met their ears as several of the smaller lights came back on.
"The backup generator." Setsuna sighed in relief. "It may not be big enough to power the whole building, but at least now the bare essentials are working." She noticed Evangeline walking over to the window with Chachamaru shortly behind her. Glancing through the window at the area that the sparks were coming from, she studied the area around the tower.
"It looks like those cables were cut where they connected to the tower." She observed. "If that's the case, shouldn't whoever cut them be dead or dying by now?"
"Yes…" Negi answered with a curious look. "The electricity would've been conducted into their bodies because they were in contact with the tower. What are you getting at, Master?"
"There are no bodies on or around that tower." She said, pointing at it. "Whoever cut those cables should have fallen off their perch from the shock they'd receive." She turned back to the tower. "Whoever did that must have…" Her voice died out when her eyes fell on the pale, green-black substance that was trailing down the window. With a curious look, she opened the window and stuck her index finger into it, resulting in a few sickening squelching sounds. Pulling her finger back into the room, she studied it closely before turning to Chachamaru. "What is this?" She asked as the others drew closer to them.
"Eeeew!" Konoka shivered, ducking behind Setsuna again. "That looks gross!"
"It looks like some kind of slime." Mana said, squinting at it. "Some kind of mucus, perhaps."
"Tatsumiya-san is partly correct." Chachamaru said as several numbers and formulas ran over her green eyes. "That substance is a mixture of mucus and saliva, the latter being the predominant ingredient."
"So it's someone's spit?" Eva asked with a disgusted expression. "I wonder whose…" She said, leaning her head out of the window and looking up. She stifled as gasp at what she saw, eyes widening substantially. As soon as she looked out, she saw two black, ridged tails disappear into the now destroyed air vent, bladed tips gleaming in the moonlight as a soft, almost muffled screech met her ears. She immediately flicked the spittle from her finger and pulled back into the room. "We need to leave. Immediately." She told the others.
"What! We can't!" Konoka cried. "What about-"
"Worrying about the other patients is useless now." Evan said sternly. "That snakes I told you people about are here." She said, earning gasps from most of the people. "Everyone in this building is as good as dead if they don't escape now." She looked at them seriously.
"That includes us."
Ayaka's voice was stuck in her throat, forming a large knot as she gazed at the scene before her, horrified at what was taking place. The black creature that attacked her flew off her body after pinning her to the ground. She saw the air distort slightly, before a loud crack came from its lower back, causing it to shriek in agony. For the first time, she saw her attacker clearly. She gasped as she saw herself, filthy, sobbing and bleeding, reflecting in the shiny dome covering the creature's elongated head all the way to the back. She took note of its clawed hands, four fingers forming fists as its arms flailed around it. Its tail lay beside it, severed from its body as its blood poured from the short stump, eating away at the ground like acid. A second mouth shot from its jaw, slamming shut a few inches from her face, and she finally fell back and screamed again, covering her mouth soon afterwards. With a loud growl coming from behind the creature, two areas under its chin burst, acidic blood raining to the ground. She gasped again as she saw the blood coat two invisible objects, rendering them partly visible.
Two blades.
Two jagged, razor-sharp blades protruded from the creatures head, as its body fell limp, lifeless as the two blades disappeared from its skull, allowing its corpse to fall to the ground with a loud thud. She looked at the distorted air with a horrified expression, sobbing slightly as she crawled back on all fours, tracing the footsteps that etched themselves into the ground. She jumped at the loud whizzing sound that entered the air, and several blue dots appeared before her, around the distorted area, gradually growing to expose pale flesh and gun-gray armour. Whimpering fearfully, she gazed at the muscular creature with a mix of fascination and fear, clasping a hand over her mouth when she saw the rows of fangs in the sunken cheeks of its mask, the spiked hide sewn onto the sides of it, and the solid black, motorcyclist-like lens over its eyes. Glancing down at Ayaka's former attacker, it uttered a series of loud clicks, before turning back to the girl. With a loud growl and a flick of its wrist, the two blades extended, glinting in the moonlight as it bore down on her.
She fell forwards in her struggle to escape, and started sobbing loudly again as she sat on her knees, looking the creature directly in the eye as she cried. "P-Please… Please d-don't hurt me… I-I beg you… I d-didn't do anything wrong!" She begged, falling on to her backside as she moved back, desperately trying to avoid the creature. It growled again, almost threateningly as it neared her, and she fell back down on all fours just as it raised its arm. "N-No! Please! Don't-"
It struck.
A loud screech drew her scream from her, and she fell forwards as a ridged tail collided with her, knocking her off her feet as the tip tore into her back with a swipe. Her scream hitched as she landed on her stomach, and she coughed when the landing knocked the air from her lungs. Heaving and panting, she scurried up on all fours and turned to see the armoured monster violently driving his other two blades up another black snake creature's stomach, as its other two claws pinned its tail against a tree trunk. With a loud screech, the black creature's arms arched upwards, and fell limply to its sides; body still suspended in the air by the armoured one's blades. With a loud growl, it pulled its two elongated claws from the dead creature's tail and tossed its body aside with its other arm. With two flicks of its wrists, the blades retracted as the armoured monster turned to face her, softly growling and clicking as it did so.
"You… You s-saved me…" She spoke, tears stopped by the shock she experienced. The armoured creature only glared at her, growling once before disappearing, becoming nothing but a transparent haze before darting off, leaving the blonde girl on her own. Still shaken, Ayaka stood up and looked in the direction her saviour had fled. "W-Why?" She pondered, glancing at the two black creatures lifelessly sprawled on the ground. "What are these things?" She asked glancing around her before her sobs came again.
"What's going on here!"
"I'm disappointed, Satomi."
Corban sighed with mock disappointment as he gazed upon Satomi's beaten, bruised form. His henchman had already taken to replacing the bloodstained bandage around his hand, and the young girl spat out blood pushing up from her stomach as she sat hunched in the chair, bound by her wrists, ankles and waist. "Not only do we find out that you've had almost no success studying our fallen comrade X2," he stated, beckoning to the henchman to line up, "we also find out that you lack the funds to pay us for this little… expedition." He frowned. "So far, over forty of my men have died for less than small change from yet another over-ambitious, soulless nerd." He looked at her. "We can't have that now, can we?"
"I told you…" Satomi spat blood again, shaking from the numerous cuts and bruises on her face. "I was going to wait for the payouts to come… and then I'd have paid you double…" She panted. "These… These new species… They're-"
"I've had enough of your wild theories." He said, throwing a command at the henchman with his hand. With a grunt, he pulled his arm back, and delivered a crushing punch straight into the girl's face. She yelped as she felt her already broken nose crack again under the impact, and winced when she felt the cartridge break again, causing even more blood to stream from her nostrils. "Your opinions of these monsters only serve to get my men killed. Now you only serve as our little 'intel operative'. That reminds me…" He said, ordering the henchman to stand down with another hand-command. He stalked over to her and grabbed hold of her loose hair, yanking her head back to look up at him. "One of my men informed me the Xenos attacked a group of girls near here. Apparently, their teacher did something real amazing… I believe the girls called him… What was it again?" He called to the henchman.
"Seruhiko." He replied gruffly.
"Seruhiko… That's right." Corban grinned as he saw Satomi's eyes widen slightly at hearing his name. "From what I hear, he used a short staff and a funny language to shoot some kinda beam at one of the Xenos before killed. Now, what kinda weapon can do that?" He chuckled as Satomi's face wavered, and she averted her eyes from him gaze. "I'm correct if I say no such weapon exists yet, am I not?" He asked, grabbing her by her aching face and forcing her to look at him. "Then that girl with the white wings wasn't using some weird gimmick either, was she? I wonder what it could be… It's got my men quite riled up. They can't stop watching the footage…" He smirked when he heard her gasp, signalling he was on the right track. Slowly, he leaned down, placing his face beside hers, before speaking in a whisper, "It can't possibly be magic… Can it?" He slowly pulled back and laughed heartily at seeing her pale face. "Something tells me I've hit the nail right on the head."
"You're a fool… If you think I'll tell you anything…" Satomi spat at him, covering half of his face in her blood. She broke into a cold sweat she saw him lick a drop of it off his lips.
"I've seen enough blood to take a liking to it, bitch…" He mocked her. "I was hoping you'd be this stubborn, makes my job much more fun…" He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigar cutter and handing it to the henchman. Next, he pulled out a ball gag, and quickly tied it around her head, effectively muffling her screams. "Take off each finger on her left hand, knuckle by knuckle, as slow as humanly possible." He said. "That thing's edges aren't jagged for nothing. Wait till I start with my fun, and then you give her hell." He strode over to the one table, and picked up a small fishhook and a scalpel. "You know, Hakase, it's a real pity." He said, striding over to her.
With one quick, effortless movement, he pulled her lower eyelid down and pierced it with the hook, drawing a loud scream from her muffled mouth. "Closing your eye will spoil my fun. I don't want that happening, especially since this is my favourite way of making a prisoner see sense, regardless of whether they want to or not." Satomi started to quiver as she saw the madness in his eyes, his evil smirk causing her bladder to release itself as she felt the warm fluid flow onto the seat and down her legs. Slowly, Corban raised the scalpel until the point aimed straight at her eye.
"If you won't see reason, Hakase," He grinned, "You won't see anything at all. Now," He said, slightly probing her eye with the tip of the small surgical blade. She felt her teeth tear at the gag as her scream collided with it. She felt a warm, sticky fluid drip into her eye and cascade down her cheek. Smirking, Corban pulled the scalpel away.
"Now, you will tell me who is proficient in magic on that campus, and if you do," He grinned evilly, "I might consider letting you keep one of your eyes…"
Takane exhaled heavily as she set Mei down on one of the slabs a few feet from the bathhouse. Wearily glancing at it, she frowned slightly at seeing how close, yet how very far it seemed. Her legs ached from the trek across campus, searching for someone who could help, to no avail. People were either too far for her to catch up to them, or too busy running around for some reason. Nutmeg slumped down next to the sleeping girl. "Just how potent is that healing magic?" She whined. "It shouldn't take this long!"
"I know." Takane sighed as she leaned against the wall. "Even though it is quite potent, she should have woken up hours ago. This… This sleep is not an effect of the magic. Something else must be going on here…"
"Like what?" Nutmeg asked innocently. "What could be wrong here?"
"I don't exactly know…" Takane answered truthfully. She had thought about it since they left, ran away as Nutmeg called it, but she still could not come up with a rational answer. "It could be because of something that happened at that temple, but-" She jumped as she realised what topic she reached, and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
Nutmeg chuckled nervously and averted her gaze, suddenly looking at the ground with great interest. Her fingers were intertwined, fidgeting with each other as her shoulders tensed. Takane Goodman, you stupid fool! The older mentally chided as she turned and placed an arm around Nutmeg's shoulders, causing them to slacken a little. "I'm sorry…" She said. "I wasn't thinking when I said it. I should've-"
"It… It's not your fault…" Nutmeg cut her off. "It… It's time for me to get over what happened and s-stop my snivelling…" She said. Takane frowned at herself when she heard how shaky the younger girl's voice was.
"It's not a shame to be scared of what happened, Megumi." Takane said, causing the girl to jump at the sudden use of her name. "You nearly died… It takes a long time to get over that."
"B-But it… It makes me seem so weak…" The younger girl replied, trying her best to keep from crying. "I'm n-not supposed to cry over it any m-more…" Takane sighed at hearing the girl.
"Harrington told you that, didn't he?" Megumi only nodded, hiding her shameful expression. "That bastard…" Takane seethed, suddenly standing up, before kneeling in front of the younger girl. "You can't believe what that man said to you. He's an unreliable, distrustful snake who will do everything he can to get to lick his boss' boots, and he didn't have the right to tell you that."
"But… But he…"
"No buts." Takane smiled. "If anyone should be ashamed, it's him for being such an ass." She smiled, drawing a small smirk from Megumi, which eventually split into a wide smile and a giggle.
"You're funny when you're angry…" She said with a snigger. "I almost feel sorry for Harrington."
"Why is that?"
"I know what'll happen if you ever find him again." She sniggered again. "I think-"
SNAP!
Both girls whipped their heads in the direction of the sound, scanning the bushy area beside them. The lights coming from the bathhouse may have cast some light on them, but the area they were looking at was pitch dark. "Onee…Sama?" A soft groan came from beside them, and they saw Mei wearily sitting up. The two girls quickly scurried to her side, taking her by her arms to steady her. "Wha… Where am… I?" She asked with heavy eyes. "Where… Where is Gandolfini-san?"
"We're on Mahora, Mei." Takane answered with a relieved smile. "We're here looking for Negi-sensei. How do you feel?"
"Tired…" Mei replied groggily. "And my chest hurts… And my head aches…" She groaned. "So basically I'm peachy." Takane suppressed a giggle at this. She's still a bit high from the healing magic, She thought to herself with a smile. "I'm tired…" Mei groaned again, trying to stand up. The first try ended in failure, as she fell back onto the slab, but with a few more tries she was successfully on her feet and able to walk, albeit with a bit of a sway to her step. "I feel drunk…" She said, clinging onto Takane's arm with closed eyes. "Look drunk too…" She groaned.
"Come on." Takane smiled. "There might be someone in that bathhouse who can help us find Negi-sensei." She said as the trio began walking to the building, unaware of the movement tracking them in the shadows. With a hiss, the skeletal figure shot forwards, bearing straight at the bathhouse, relishing in the pheromones it traced in the air, pheromones that meant only one thing.
There were humans to harvest.
"Sakurako!" Misa called at her fellow cheerleader from her bunk. "I think one of your cats is outside again. He wants to come in, and the meowing is driving me crazy!" She called, tired of the constant scratching against the door. "Hurry up!"
"Okay, okay, hold your horses!" Sakurako replied, quickly exiting the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. "I heard him, but I was busy washing my hair. Exactly why couldn't you open the door?"
"The little imp runs away each time!" Misa cried irately. "Just when you bend over to pick him up, he runs off!"
"It's a cat, Kakizaki." Madoka sighed from the top bunk. "Ten to one he's just in a playful mood. Honestly…" Sakurako turned away and opened the door, grumbling to herself as she looked down at the black and white cat. "Hey, Cookie!" She called. "C'mere!" She cat let out a loud meow, turned on the spot and trotted off, stopping at one of the corners, letting out a playful mew. "Oh, you." Sakurako sighed with a smile, before walking over to her cat. Cookie quickly whipped its head down the hall, and hissed loudly, spitting now and then. "Cookie? What's going on, boy?" Just as she neared the cat, he shot from where he was sitting, snaking between her legs before disappearing into the dorm room. "Wonder what that was all about…" She said, glancing down the hall.
Suddenly, a pale spider-like creature shot up from the shadows, legs arching backwards as it rocketed towards her face. Only a fraction of her terrified scream managed to escape her throat before it slammed into her face, causing her to fall forwards, tumbling down the stairs.
"What was that?" Madoka asked fearfully. "That sounded like…"
"Sakurako's in trouble!" Misa quickly shot from her bunk, grabbing a torch that was lying on the table. "We need to go help!" She said as she Madoka shot out of the door, bearing down their friend's location. "This way." Madoka pointed down the stairs, seeing their friend lying face-down on the cold floor. "Sakurako!" She cried, skidding to a halt and falling to her knees next to her knees, shaking the fallen girl. "Wake up! Please!"
"Dammit…" Misa hissed. "This was probably that cat of hers' fault. If she'd just… just…" Her voice died when they turned the girl over, and her eyes widened. Madoka screamed as she saw the spider that attached itself to the girl's face, the two small bags hanging from its sides pulsating as its tail tightened around her neck. She stumbled onto the stairs, tripping and falling just as a strong hand seized her by the throat, pulling her from her perch and tossing her against the wall. Her vision started to swim as she heard Misa call out her name, and she shook her head to clear it. Just as she regained focus, she saw her attacker and screamed.
Misa charged at the creature, swinging the torch with all her might, only for it to hop back, its ridged tail swaying in front of it as the hallway lights reflected off its dome-like head. It took a while for Madoka to realise the girl was shivering uncontrollably, and she only just notice how pale she was. The creature hissed again and pulled its lips back, exposing its bloodstained fangs. Misa swung the torch again, hoping to strike the creature as it attacked. Her plan went awry as the creature ducked under her swing and lashed out with its talons, knocking her clean off her feet, sending her cartwheeling down the stairs. A loud crack came from her left arm as she landed, and she screamed in pain. Madoka remained frozen on the spot, quivering from the fear the monster brought on.
Misa gasped as she felt its bony hand around her throat, and before she could register it, she was lifted off the ground. The creature hissed as it slammed her into the wall, causing her to yelp as she closed her eyes. "M-Madoka! Help!" She cried, trying to shake her dizziness away. Her friend's plea registering in her mind, Madoka shook herself from her daze and grabbed hold of the torch. With a determined cry, she ran at the monster, preparing to swing. The monster, in turn, snarled at her as its tail shot out, slamming into her waist with enough force to life her off her feet and send her flying. With a loud crash, the girl flew through the window, shattering it as she fell from the floor where they were. Misa gasped, breath leaving her lungs, rendering her voice useless as Madoka's body arched through the window's frame, several shards tearing through her pyjamas, cutting her sides, thighs, shoulders and cheeks as she uttered a wordless scream before disappearing from sight.
She tried again to scream, but it refused to come through. Two more creatures, similar to the one grasping her by her throat, escorted another spider through the window, and shortly after, Madoka's horrified cry reached her ears, before something cut her off. Tears stung at her eyes and her voice only came out in soft, inaudible whimpers as she gazed at her attacked. Slowly, it pulled its lips back again, opening its mouth in a loud snarl that sent wafts of its putrid breath onto her face. Her eyes locked on another mouth within its mouth, slowly creeping forwards until it was completely visible. Then it shot forward.
Her voice finally returned to her, and she uttered an ear-piercing scream as she felt the small fangs shear into her skin, tearing flesh away as it drilled into her skull. Her vision cut out and an unbearable amount of pain shot through her head as the teeth cracked her skull, staying that way for a brief moment before the darkness took her.
"Shouldn't you have turned that in, Yuna?" Ako asked as she, Yuna, Akira and Makie sat in the bathhouse. Yuna was currently playing with two of the guns she had kept from the Mars vs. Mages battle during the festival, and was playfully aiming at the bubbles her soap conjured in the water as she soaked.
"Never! They're way too cool." Yuna said, fiddling with one of the toy-shaped weapons. "I kicked some serious butt with these, there's no way I'll simply forget them or leave them there." She shrugged. "I grown fond of them."
"You think so because you shot robots with toy guns?" Akira asked, floating in the water.
"They're not toy guns, damn it!" Yuna raged. "How many times do I have to say that?" She said, rising from the water and reaching for her soap again. "You guys are judging books by their covers… I swear-"
SPLASH!
"What was that?" Makie asked as she glanced at the area the splash came from. "Is someone else here?"
"Nobody should be in here at this time. At least, not now…" Ako pondered. "It doesn't look like anyone's there, anyway."
"Pity. I was hoping to show you guys these aren't toys…" Yuna smirked, tapping the side of one of her guns with her trigger finger. "Besides - huh?" She glanced down at the water when she saw several ripples appear in an area in front of her. "What the-" Her question was replaced by a yelp as she felt to strong hands grab onto her ankles, yanking her feet out from under her. Her friends' cries drowned out in her ears as the water submerged her, and the strong hands gripped her by her waist, pinning her to the floor of the large pool. Several bright flashes illuminated the water as her guns discharged, surging out of the water as she flailed wildly. She felt sharp claws rip into her shins, pressing her feet down as the strong hands moved to her arms, pinning them to her ample chest as she struggled. Through all the bubbles, she just barely made out a black shadow leaning over her, skeletal body distorted in the bubbles. She saw her own eyes, wide with fear, reflect in the dome on her attacker's head, before her eyes met with a small mouth lined with teeth, jetting forwards through the water. With a loud crack muffled by the water, her vision faded to black just as two softer hands seized her by her wrists, pulling her up.
"Yuna? Yuna! Are you okay?" Makie cried, pulling her friend from the water with Akira and Ako's assistance. "Talk to us! Yuna, are you… you…" Her eyes widened at the red hue the water took on, and she impulsively let go of the girl's arm, causing Ako and Akira to frown at her. "…Yuna?" As if on cue, Yuna's head fell backwards and, for a minute, time seemed to freeze as the three girls saw the large hole in her head, blood tapping into the water with each passing second. They screamed as their senses finally returned to them, and they attempted to run from the pool, movements marred by the now crimson water. Suddenly, a hand shot from the pool, latching onto Ako's wrist as Yuna's attacker made its presence known. Ako screamed as its domed head slammed into her face, dazing her, while its talons ripped at her bare body, opening wounds on her chest, arm and thigh as she cried for help. Akira dove underwater as its sharp tail shot at her, tossing Makie aside as she did so. The gymnast quickly shot out of the pool, but slipped and fell back in during her struggle.
Ako cried, as she smelled the blood in its breath. She tasted bile as her nausea pushed up from her stomach, causing her to gag on her breath. The creature grabbed her by her hair, lifting her up and placing its other hand on her chin before craning her head around.
The door burst open as three girls stormed in. Ako recognised one of them immediately. Takane D Goodman, one of Negi's competitors during the Mahora Martial Arts Festival. The angered girl's expression quickly changed to one of shock as she saw Yuna's dead body floating in the water, and Ako saw her apprentice, Mei, and the other girl with them freeze at the sight of the monster pinning her down. The creature glared at them, baring its fangs and hissing madly as it slammed Ako down on the tiled floor, dazing her.
Mei could not believe what she was seeing. As if it were a cruel twist of fate, the demon that had attacked her in the temple, the one that ruled her very dreams was here, in front of her now. Her entire body froze, and she felt warm liquid soiling her pants as her bladder gave in. She paled at seeing the dome covered head, the sharp talons, the skeletal body and the sharp, ridged tail swaying behind it, and she remembered one of their faces scarcely inches from hers. She heard Nutmeg whimper beside Takane, followed by a loud thump from behind them, accompanied by a girlish yelp, signalling that the girl had fallen over.
She saw Ako's tears streaming down her face as Akira shot from the water, tackling the creature and forcing it off its feet as its head slammed into the edge of the pool, cracking it. The taller girl dove back into the water just as its tail shot at where she previously stood. The creatures hissed, glancing back at the still waters, scanning it for its attacker. It reared its head, arched its back and screeched, making Takane and the other girl cover their ears. Several more crashes met their ears as shards of glass fell into the pool, and six more creatures entered through the skylight. Takane frowned again, seeing the creature seize Ako by her ankle and drag her back as the other six shot into the water. As if on cue, Akira shot out of the water again, this time behind it as she aimed to dive into it. Before Takane or Akira could react, however, a loud snikt echoed through the bathhouse as Akira dove straight into the creature's sharp tail. That wasn't there before, Takane thought, shocked at how the creature guessed where Akira would appear. It… It outsmarted her!
The creature snarled as it tossed Akira's bleeding body at two if its kin as the other four guarded its flank. Shaking herself from her shocked state, Takane immediately sprung into action as six of her shadow minions took form, and her elaborate shadow armour decorated her body. The minions shot forwards, attacking each of the six newcomers as Takane herself went for the one terrorising Ako. With a flick of her wrist, as shard of shadows shot at the creature, impaling it in its side as it flew upwards from the force, sickly green blood squirting onto Ako's arm.
The silver-haired girl's screams drew Takane's attention from her opponent, and she clasped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening as the blood started eating through arm. The green liquid mixed with her blood as it started attacking the bones in her arm, chewing through it in a matter of seconds. To Takane's amazement, within a few seconds the acidic blood separated Ako's arm from her body, the limb lying next to the girl as she screamed in anguish and horror. Takane saw that the creature she had attacked was still reeling from the blow, and she saw Akira crawling from the battle raging on the other side of the bathhouse. "You!" She called at Makie, making the crying girl look at her fearfully. "Get your friend! She needs you!" She cried, quickly grabbing a towel and rushing to Ako's side. Quickly and efficiently, she had tied the towel around the stump that was Ako's arm as Makie wrapped a towel around herself before helping Akira to her feet. Four more of Takane's shadow minions materialised, two running to replace the one that the six creatures had slain, while the other two charged at her opponent, now standing up from the wrecked bedding that it landed on after her attack.
Slowly, Takane wrapped another towel around Akira's chest, closing the wound up as Makie wrapped a towel around Ako, sobbing loudly as she watched the girl writhe in pain. Takane finished up with Akira and helped her up, beckoning to Makie to do the same with Ako. She glanced at Mei and Nutmeg. The former girl still stood transfixed on the spot, tears streaming down her deathly pale face as she watched the seven creatures battle Takane's minions, and Nutmeg had run to the corner of bathhouse, where she sat on her haunches, sobbing loudly. "Megumi!" Takane called to her, supporting Akira's limp body against hers. "Get to Mei! We're leaving!" She called, summoning more shadow warriors to fight the beasts. Nutmeg simply stared at her blankly, as if she did not understand, tears streaming down her face as her small body racked with sobs. "Snap out of it, Megumi!" She called fearfully, seeing the seven monsters push her warriors closer to them. "Mei needs you!" As soon as she finished her sentence, four sharp talons carved into her back, drawing a loud scream from her as she dropped Akira.
"O… Onee… sama?" Mei muttered, when she heard Takane's scream, fixing her gaze on her mentor as one of the shadow minions pulled the monster back. With a flick of its tail, one of the minions' head flew from its shoulders before dissipating. "No…" She muttered, her artefact seemingly forming in her hands by itself, as if by her will. "No!" She screamed angrily, tears flowing freely down her face as she raised her broom in the direction of the monsters. "You will not harm my sempai! Flagarantia Rubicans!" She cried, firing a large blast of fire at the creatures. Their screeches reverberated off the walls as they were burned alive, flailing and snarling as loudly as they could. "Onee-sama!" She cried, rushing over to Takane, who held up a hand as she slowly stood up. "I'm fine… Go get Nutmeg! I'll help here…" She huffed, standing up and helping Akira to her feet. Mei wasted no time, rushing over to Nutmeg's side and pulling her to her feet, ignoring the cries escaping her mouth as she dragged the girl from the corner. Takane pulled Akira towards the door, followed closely by Makie and Ako, both sobbing loudly as they ran to Mei and Nutmeg, waiting for them by the double doors.
Glancing back into the room, Mei saw five of the creatures crawling towards them, screeching loudly as their bodies sizzled in the flame. With a look of pure rage on her face, she raised her broom again. "Captus Flammeus!" Upon chanting her spell, several ropes of flame shot from the ground, tangling the creatures' bodies, choking them on the fiery ropes. "I h-hope you monsters die slowly…" She muttered through her tears, slamming the double doors just as the creatures' shrieks had reached their peak.
"Dammit! Which way?" Evangeline seethed as they stormed through the now abandoned hospital. "How many passages can this damned building have!"
"We need to turn left here, mistress." Chachamaru said in a monotonous voice, eyes flickering as several sparks shot from the hole in her chest. "There are nineteen more passages and seven large rooms to go after this turn, according to the building's blueprints." Several more sparks flew from the hole in her chest.
"Are you okay, Chachamaru?" Takamichi asked with a concerned voice.
"Please, don't tell me you're going to break down at a time like this…" Eva said irately. Negi thought he had heard a light hint of concern in her voice, and a quick glance to Setsuna and Asuna proved it. "The last thing we need is our guide out of here shutting down…" The small vampire continued.
"My sensors indicate I have seven minutes and forty-two seconds before my body automatically shuts down, mistress. We need to utilise that time to…" The gynoid's voice fell silent as everybody grimaced at the sight before them.
"What the…" Takamichi gawked at the hallway, removing his glasses to ensure his eyes were not fooling him.
"Gross!" Asuna said with disgusted expression.
"Wh… What is this?" Negi asked in disbelief.
"I don't know…" Mana said, readying her guns. "And that normally spells trouble."
The hallway before them no longer looked like it should. An organic, greenish-black material covered the wall, arching into mounds and strips across the floor, forming small bumps as large cocoons of the same material covered the walls. A shiny mixture of spit and light foam covered the material, and several of the hospital's patients were cocooned into the walls, eyes lifeless as their blood leaked from the large, gaping holes in their chest. Konoka instinctively leapt behind Setsuna again, quivering as she hugged her guardian from behind. Mana and Setsuna steeled their gazes, readying their weapons for an attack.
"Good lord… What happened here?" Negi asked, astonished at the display.
"It must be the snakes…" Eva muttered, turning to face the group. "We can't stay here. As I said, our numbers are few, and we'll end up like them," she beckoned to the dead patients, "if we don't hurry."
"Then lead the way." Takamichi said, putting his glasses back on.
"Where to now, Chachamaru?" Eva asked, turning to the gynoid. "I hardly know where we're going in this mess."
"One of the wards is ahead of us, mistress." She responded. "It could spare us time and the probability of an ambush from the snakes if we go through it, but it also means moving deeper into this hive-like area." Evangeline frowned at hearing the gynoid's response.
"So what do we do now?" She asked, turning to the rest of the group. "Go around and possibly get attacked, or go through and possibly get attacked. Which is it?"
"I vote for going around." Takamichi said seriously. "We can't risk going deeper into this… this thing."
"I second that." Negi said, raising his hand. "It's far too dangerous."
"I say we go through." Asuna said with a blank expression. "It's a shortcut, so it's one of the better options."
"Anyone who will second her?" Eva asked. Setsuna, Mana and Konoka all raised their hands. "Then we go through…" She huffed. "Come on." With a soft click, they pushed open the double doors. The moonlight cascading through the windows cast ominous lights across the dark room, illuminating the wet, organic material. It spread across the roof area of this room, acting as support beams and ramps leading up to the walls, and most of the doors were sealed with the same material. Konoka gasped as she looked around. "This must be where the pregnant women were kept…" She whimpered, pointing to the gurneys. Each woman sat with an expression of fear etched into her lifeless face, stomach seemingly torn in half as the blood dripped down the side of the small beds, intestines decorating the crimson sheets. "Oh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" She whined as she pressed her face into Setsuna's shoulder.
"This way." Chachamaru pointed at the double doors on the opposite side of the ward. Her arms jerked as another set of sparks flew from the hole in her chest. "That door should lead to one of the staff-only doors near the entrance hall."
"Are you sure you're alright, Chachamaru-san?" Negi asked with a worried expression on his face.
"I am, sensei." She nodded. "It's simple damage. Hakase-san should be able to fix it once we find her."
Evangeline started to walk ahead, scanning the room in search of any enemies. The eerie atmosphere of the room made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she could not help but shiver when looking at how the women were mutilated. Such a messy job… She though, pulling her eyes from them as the group caught up. "Let's move on." She said curtly. "I don't like it here…" They moved forwards slowly, remaining alert in case these 'snakes' Evangeline spoke of dared to attack, but even halfway to the doors, nothing happened. Eva found herself tensing more and more the closer they got to the door, and she instinctively held out her arm to stop the group. "Something's not right here…" She said, looking around her. "Their numbers should be enough to have attacked already. Why…" She paused, eyes transfix on the doors. Her breath left her as she saw the two spiky crests protruding from indentations in the organic matter surrounding the doors. "GET BACK!" She yelled, hopping back with the group just as tow sharp tails collided with the area where she once stood with a loud clang. Gritting here teeth, she watched as the crests began to move, and the group stood dumbfounded when what they perceived to be part of the material around them, started to move.
The monsters slowly emerged from their hiding spots, arching their backs and rearing to their full height as they towered over Negi and his friends. Slowly, almost threateningly, they stalked forwards, pulling their lips back, hissing at them. One of them reared back and screeched, shaking the walls and forcing them to cover their ears as it uttered its shrill, twisted roar. Eva's eyes widened when several hisses echoed from all around them. "That's not good…" She said, looking around as her heart started to race. Konoka yelped and latched onto Setsuna from behind, trying to hide her teary eyes in her friend's shoulder.
The smaller snakes were coming from everywhere. Peeling out of the walls, pouring from the vents and entering through broken windows, and within seconds, Eva and the others found themselves surrounded. "Bollocks… Chachamaru, how many are there?" She asked as she scanned the monsters surrounding them.
"Eighty-eight and counting, mistress." Chachamaru said, as another large collection of sparks flew from the hole in her chest. "I have five minutes left before I shut down, mistress. Do we fight or flee?"
"Do you actually think we stand a chance fighting them?" Asuna raged. "Hell, we'll a hard time running from these things, let alone fight them."
"Ninety-six and counting, mistress." Chachamaru said. "An attack is imminent." Eva balled her fists as she glared around her, gritting her teeth again. She saw each of the people beside her get into their fighting stance. Takamichi dug his hands into his pockets and Asuna summoned her pactio artefact. Mana took aim at two random snakes while Setsuna drew her sword. We won't last against these numbers… Eva thought in a slight panic. Not if they got through my barrier so easily… "Their numbers have stopped at one hundred and eleven, mistress." Chachamaru said, just as each monster leapt forwards, charging at them. Eva sighed as she saw the wave of creatures storm at her, and Konoka's shrill scream was enough to tell her they already struck on that side. Staring dead at the monster closest to her, she readied herself.
"Well… This is just brilliant."
A/N: All done! Really, really sorry for the nasty cliffy. That battle is simply gonna take too damn long. Or not... And my apologies to any fans of Yuna, Sakurako, Madoka and Misa for killing them off. Just to reconfirm it, YES, THEY ARE DEAD. As in, not coming back. Gone. Poof! Missing. I won't even try to justify it, cuz the chances are you won't see it as a valid reason no matter what I say. But, for the sake of an explanation, I need the real threat of these monsters to sink in with people like Negi and Takamichi, and the only way to do that is to kill off characters they both know. Happy? No? Thought so. Don't really care, though…
Anyhow, thanks for reading, and a special thanks to everyone who reviewed my fic. You guys are Awesome, period! I hope you guys enjoyed this one!
Stay sic, people!
-Slipkn0T- out.