MSHL: Muscles and Dust

Mash Burnedead and the Contrasting Portal Magic

"The old guy's back."

"Mash, that's the Headmaster!"

"I know."

"You two, stop bickering. If he's come back from the Bureau then his news will be important."

"Why are you here again?"

The first conversation of the day when the more noteworthy students (plus Finn) woke up this day. Daut was taken from his far-away fantasy of marrying Lemon and Lemon was kidnapped from her purely innocent dream of becoming a cream puff and then marrying Mash. Mash then eats her or at least was about to if she hadn't been woken up. Lance was already up looking at the picture of his sister in his locket, which did not mean he had a sibling complex! And finally, the only student that actually matters in this story-I mean the main characte-oh, uh I mean the savior of Adler Dorm! Mash Burnedead was rudely awoken from his dream of a creampuff coffin, the most delicious way to go.

Oh yeah, Finn was here too. I guess.

Finn looked around his room that was for some reason being used as their group's hang-out spot. When he asked about this Mash only said, "Because yours is the cleanest, and it has a kitchen." Even though Mash also shares this room with Finn.

Finn then looked to the ceiling parting his yellow and white hair, wearing his red and black tie and cloak befitting of the Adler dorm. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being looked down upon?"

Daut frowned at his friend, from the comfy chair that he bought from Finn with some of his herbal tea collection. Seriously, it's more extensive than you might think. "Ain't God supposed to be looking down on all of us?" His jagged mark under his eye wrinkling with his left eye.

Mash, who was busy munching on a creampuff, noticed this discussion and thought to give his two cents. "Isn't God dead though?" Wearing the same uniform, Mash sported a sleek bowl cut with a lightning-shaped mark under his left eye.

Lance, who had been contemplating the grapevine he'd heard from the students recently, (He still can't believe how much he'd missed from the time he was away) glared at Mash. "Where in this world did you get that conclusion?" With a somewhat scraggly light-blue haircut and two straight marks perpendicular to each other under his right eye.

Mash looked seriously over to Lance, "I could feel it in my muscles."

As Lance refused to even exercise that answer, this let Finn respond instead. "Did Kevin tell you?"

"Nah, it was Koji."

"I thought your brain would've told you that."

"Mash?"

"You named your brain after yourself?"

"Well, my brain is my mind and personality so might as well."

"I'm disturbed at how much sense that makes."

"Wait…" Daut was confused. "You name your muscles?"

Even Mash looked unimpressed, "Well… duh, are you surprised?"

Daut raised his finger… and then put it back down. "Ya makes too much sense."

Lance rolled his eyes at the trio's idiotic behavior. The fact that he continues to hang out with them is a mystery he chooses not to dwell on. Not at all.

Big brother! Why do you always pick fights?

Damn him and his bleeding heart! Oh well, he planned on filling in the others with the information he gathered, but he supposes if they're just going to goof off then he might as well let them be.

Because they picked on you.

He had better things to do anyway, like practicing his poetry!

I'm a big girl! I can handle some bad words!

He still had his greatest inspiration after all. "O, 'tis unworthy ears and monstrous heart soften at thy gentle words~"

And he'd be damned before anything took her away.

MSHL

With his almost two decades of muscle building, Mash also developed his senses out of boredom. Those senses include his hearing so, unfortunately, he had to hear his friend recite poetry about his little sister. He didn't know what he was saying exactly, but he had an idea. With some newfound wisdom, Mash ignored Lance and instead looked for something else to distract himself.

"Daut?"

Pausing to finish his tea, Daut looked at Mash. "Ya, man?"

"You look different."

The so-called 'main character' preened, "Finally, took ya long enough to notice."

Mash nodded, "Did you get a new headband?"

Daut stopped, in all honesty, he was wearing a new headband since his old one got destroyed. But that was what Mash noticed about him? What about the fact he finally got out of his full-body cast!? "Dude, my cast is gone! How did ya not notice that!?"

Mash furrowed his brows, "You had a cast on?"

Daut stared at Mash, "OF COURSE I DID! DID YA NOT SEE ME AT DINNER A FEW DAYS AGO!?"

Eyes minutely widening, Mash's brain (otherwise known as Mash) finally caught up to him. "Oh yeah, that was you? Huh, you were so quiet I couldn't tell."

Silently fuming, Daut calmed his nerves. Mash was always slow on the intellectual side of things. He thankfully made up for it in his willingness to learn, but it was still much to be desired. Breathing a deep sigh, Daut relaxed. Those self-help books on anger management aren't as stupid as I thought! "Whatever yes, I did get a new headband. Ya like it?"

Mash nodded, "I think it suits you." It fit his demeanor more than the black and white headband he had before. The dark blue contrasted his bright red hair, making it stand out more and also fit with the red tie of the Adler uniform.

Then Mash got confused, "Wait, if you had a full-body cast on then who took care of you?"

Daut conveniently looked away from Mash, trying futility to hide his now hair-matching face. "I uh, got some help from that Magia Lupus lady."

"Who?"

"You wouldn't know her; she goes to a different dorm. Wait, she was also at the dinner! How do you keep forgetting who was there?"

"I was distracted by Abyss and Lemon, anyway did you have fun?"

Daut ignored the unfairness of the world that was Mash getting to hang out with Lemon and instead answered his question. "I mean, I'm grateful she helped me out but you don't know the things I've seen thanks to her!" Daut's voice took on a haunted undertone.

That got Mash's mild attention, "You're right, I don't. What happened?"

Hey strong man, wanna be my body pillow?

Daut shivered head to toe, "Things I thought I wanted, but not actually thought through. I would totally do it again of course… man, this explains some of the crap I'm into."

Finn, who was silently listening in on this conversation also shivered. "Can we just get going, I think the headmaster's already back."

Writing down the last of his new lines, Lance nodded. "You're right, we should make haste."

The group strode out of Finn and Mash's room, out of the newly replaced door, and into the extravagant hallways. Think Hogwarts if the castle makers were pretentious jackasses, then you get Easton Academy, one of the most historical and prestigious magical academies.

The gang spotted long blonde hair rushing towards them, waving frantically with a sickle-shaped mark under her right eye. "Hey guys, wait up. Don't leave me behind!"

"Hi, Lemon."

"Good morning, Lemon."

"H-Hey."

"How was your morning?"

Brightening up, Lemon caught up to them. "It's going alright, I was having a pretty good dream though…" She sighed.

"Yeah…" Daut and Mash both wistfully agreed.

However, Lemon took Mash's agreement in the wrong way. Oh my god! He was dreaming about me, wasn't he! Oh, Mash, you don't need to hide your feelings from me~

Giggling away at her thoughts, she followed the others to the main hall for some breakfast.

Finn asked the question some of them were thinking about. "I wonder what's the big announcement? Do you think it'll be about that Cell War guy?"

Lance put a hand on his chin, "Most likely, maybe even some more information about this Innocent Zero group that's supposedly so dangerous. If Mash could make one of their members run away, then I don't think they'll be too much of a problem."

Daut looked dubious, "Yeah, but he's Mash. Compared to us, they're probably pretty powerful."

Lance glanced sharply at Daut, "Do not underestimate my power, and don't compare me to you."

Daut pulled out his spiked wand, already steaming. "Oh yeah, show me your power then! I'll only have to kill your stupidly handsome face once before you shut up!"

In response to his posturing, Lance readied his magnolia wand. "If you wish to die, then allow me."

"The lines are getting long, let's hurry up." Spotting the line to the food, and more importantly his desserts, Mash grabbed his friends and leaped over to the next in line.

While in mid-air, Daut put his wand away. "Tch great, now the moods gone."

Lance responded in kind, "Next time then."

Daut smirked, "Yeah sure, kill ya next time!"

"I can't believe you people are my friends," Finn replied while contemplating the life choices that got him to this moment. It all started… when I was born…

MSHL

Having finished with a hearty breakfast, in which Daut might've accidentally set a world record for speed eating (I missed out on some meals okay?), they all gathered in the main hall with the headmaster looking over all of them.

Headmaster Wahlberg was a very gaunt and well-groomed man. With a white beard almost as long as him and rounded spectacles, he looked every bit an old and wise mentor figure, in his own weird way he was a good teacher. It just so happened that his teachings sometimes included extreme mental, and physical stress to get a point across. Even though he was the most powerful wizard among them all, he only sported a single curved mark under his left eye.

He cleared his throat, "Thank you all for the warm welcome back, my students! It makes an old man like me so joyful to see the younger generation so up and about."

Mash looked confused, again. "But we've been just sitting here?"

Finn answered the best he could, "I guess that's warm to him?"

"Weird."

"I suppose."

As they quieted down, the headmaster continued. "But, enough about me and my ramblings. I believe I have some grave news to share with you all."

The entire student leaned forward in anticipation. There had been many rumors going around the kingdom and academy about death row inmates escaping and important meetings being discussed in secret with all of the Divine Visionaries attending. Now they can finally get some concrete details.

"The criminal organization known as Innocent Zero has resurfaced."

A shocked gasp.

"One of them infiltrated the basement of this very school."

Even more, shock emanated from the crowd

"And finally, a dangerous individual calling himself the 'Portal Master' has been running across the kingdom."

A few students passed out.

"But, do not worry!"

Wahlberg pointed to a certain student in the crowd, "Because this one first-year student managed to repel the intruder, and it just so happens that he is the best candidate for a Divine Visionary in the entire school year!"

Heads swiveled over to the direction the Headmaster was pointing to, revealing Mash eating a creampuff. Not paying attention to any of this.

"What?"

Outrage soon followed.

MSHL

"I can't believe that Wahlberg guy! I helped fight too, almost died even! Why do you get all the credit!?"

Mash shrugged, "You can have it." He didn't really care about this stuff; the coins were all that mattered. And his creampuffs but that was a given, they're simply a way of life.

Daut stopped in his pacing, "Oh really? Thanks, man." He relaxed into his chair in the dorm room. Man, this chair was worth the hefty price! Goodbye Ruby Blaze tea, I'll miss your exotic, somehow spicy flavors...

Lance stepped in to stop Mash from making a big mistake, "No, don't. This is perfect for my plan."

Launching out of his chair and twisting over to Lance, Daut whined. "Aww come on, you weren't there! I was a total badass back there!"

"That doesn't matter, if Mash gets enough recognition then we by extension get noticed as well since we're all in Alder, come next year we could become the new Divine Visionary candidates! Then we all get the chance to accomplish our goals."

Finn chimed in with his concerns from the kitchen where he was helping Mash, "Isn't that like we're just using Mash for his social status at school?"

Daut nodded from his reclined position, "Yeah, and besides it's not as cool unless I accomplish my dream myself. If I'm not the one killing all the pretty boys in this world, then what's the point?"

"You disturb me…" Lance rubbed his face and let out a tired sigh, "Stop being an idiot, most of us want to be Divine Visionaries anyway. If we help him out, it'd just be the same as us if we got the coins ourselves."

Finn gave a dubious nod, "I guess that's a little better."

Daut just crossed his arms, "Whatever, Mash! Get ready! You're not the only one trying out for Divine Visionary, you got that!?"

"Okay." A little friendly competition is good to get the blood pumping. Mash is glad Daut isn't just sulking in the corner.

"Mash, are the cream puffs done yet?" Lemon, who was completely ignoring the conversation, asked. Since the Headmaster is trying to make Mash into a sort of celebrity, they might as well celebrate!

Mash only nodded at Finn, who nodded back and began the process of finishing up the cream puffs. "Here you guys go, my first batch of cream puffs ever!"

Now seated down, everyone tried the homemade delicacy. "Wow, not bad Finn."

Finn sheepishly scratched the back of his head, chuckling all the while. "Well, I guess I learned from the best."

"Mash is still way better."

Even though Finn knew it was true, it still hurt a little inside.

Mash finished his treat and softly smiled at his pupil, "I'm proud of you, this was good."

…with his eyes feeling wet, Finn only nodded while wiping at his eyes. Finally, he has a skill completely unrelated to magic! Granted it was making cream puffs, but baby steps were always needed. Taking one of his own creations for himself, he made to sit down until he heard a knock at the door.

Opening the thankfully still intact door, Finn was met with white cloaks and a hungry look. Magia Lupus… "Oh, welcome. I just made cream puffs; would you like some?"

Love was already moving when he said creampuffs, reaching out she tried to take the one in his hand. A slow hand raises from Lord Abel stopped her in her tracks. Dang it, not fair! As befitting of a Magia Lupus member, she sported a mark under each eye.

Wordlessly, Abel slowly took the offered treat. Blankly staring at Finn, the whole exchange with his crossed pupils. His three marked eye never leaving him.

Abyss put a hand on his new blade, her blade? Who can really tell? "I assume it hasn't been poisoned?" If this weakling even dares harm Lord Abel, then his sword will remove his head from his body. As all of his peers have, he also had two marks.

Shaking his head rapidly, Finn quickly responded. "N-No, Mash would kill me if I ever messed with a creampuff!"

"Ah." Abyss awkwardly put his hand down, "A fair point."

Still blankly staring, Abel nodded. "Why thank you, I will enjoy this confectionary even if the quality is lesser to those of greater skill."

"Trust me, this is the best ya gonna get from him in terms of niceness." Love ever so helpfully chimed in with a cutesy grin that would've made Finn a stuttering mess if it wasn't the same grin she used when trying to kill him and Daut a few days ago. Instead, he simply paled.

MSHL

"Oh, hey puppet dude, you haven't kidnapped anyone, have you?" Whether the greeting was Mash's idea of a joke or not, is a mystery.

"Not right now, I'm a bit busy with the whole restructuring of Lang at the moment."

"Ah, that's good." Mash then gave a small smile to Abyss. "Hey, Abyss."

Abyss gave a smile back at him, always pleased to see him. "Hello, again Mash, greetings everyone, g-good d-d-day Lem-Lemon." Unfortunately, the presence of a girl still ceased his motor functions. Love didn't count since she does her best to avoid him. It stings a little less these days. But only by a little bit.

"I saw what happened this morning. It seems you have the Headmaster himself in your corner Mash." Abel stated as he took a seat. It was impressive how much closer to becoming a Divine Visionary Mash had gotten in his first few months. Abel supposed he would've been envious if Mash hadn't saved their lives from Cell War.

"Yeah, he really wants me to become one for some reason."

"He didn't tell you?"

"Probably, I wasn't listening."

As Mash and Abel caught up, the two groups sat across from each other. Daut was looking in any direction other than Love, Finn was sweating but not shaking this time, Lance was staring at them, assessing them in case they ever became a threat again. Love noticed none of this, as she was busy stuffing her face with creampuffs and occasionally winking at Daut. Abyss was doing his best to act naturally across from Lemon, who was making eyes at Mash next to her.

Mash you lucky bastard! Both Daut and Abyss thought at the same time. Forming a strange connection when doing so. Weird, but what do I know right? I've never been in a relationship and neither have you! I'm not projecting, you are!

Getting back to the conversation, Abel was asking Mash what he knew about the Portal Master.

"Who?"

"That one fugitive the Headmaster mentioned."

"Yeah, I wasn't listening."

Giving off a deep sigh, Abel did his best to push past his frustration. "He is a more recent criminal making a name for himself in smuggling rings and as an expert robber. His Portal magic is said to be extremely versatile and powerful."

"Are you reading off a script?"

"Mash, do be careful. Even you cannot punch portals."

"Like that one over there?" Mash pointed to a shimmering blue portal behind Abel.

Abel followed his finger, "Yes, that would be about accurate."

"Ah, gotcha."

"..."

"..."

"-Hold on a minute!?"

"Knock knock…" Said the floating magic portal.

"Who's there?" Said the oblivious Mash.

"Chell."

"Chell who?"

Out the portal a figure leaped out, "It is I, Chellington Cube II!" Wearing an orange suit and pants, with the only to contrast being white hair and a white undershirt. Chellington wore a wide smile on his face as he stared the students down. His two jagged marks are crinkling as his smile literally met his eyes.

"Who?"

Abel gained a few sweat drops, the closest thing to him getting dumbfounded. Besides that, one time in the basement when Mash pile drove him. "I just told you."

"I know, just joking." Mash nodded to himself at his great joke, all thanks to How to be the Comic Relief for Dummies, it taught him how to break dramatic tension like no other.

"I see." No, I don't.

Lance and the others, now noticing the threat, all pulled out their wands. Except for Abyss, who instead unsheathed his broadsword. Newly-made thanks to Mash breaking his old one.

Chellington just looked confused, "That's strange, this isn't the Lang dorm is it?" He began to look around until he lost control of his body. Moving his eyes around, he saw that weird white-haired kid with a creepy baby doll in the crook of his arm outstretching his free hand towards him. Some kind of body-control magic? Then he noticed the almost invisible puppet strings keeping him in place. Oh? So, he is here.

"What could you possibly want with my dorm?" Abel lazily kept him under his control, perhaps the 'Portal Master' was a bit too overhyped. Oh well, the reward for capturing a wanted fugitive would make up for his disappointment.

"I don't care about your dorm, I want you!" Chellington smiled, just his luck! He's got his target right where he wants him. Just a little longer…

"You're too old for him. He's only attracted to puppets anyway." Mash backed up his new acquaintance, raising one ready fist. First that weird rock-licking guy, now a peeping tom? This whole school was cursed with bad luck.

"They're my primary source of magic power, not a part of my personal fantasies." That's not how people saw him, right?

"What're they even talking about?" Daut whispered over to Finn, who was cowering behind him.

"Something dangerous and weird, I'm sure."

Chellington chuckled deep inside his throat, these little brats were pretty funny! Too bad he had to cut this exchange short. "While you were talking about who sticks what in what, I was readying another spell."

Before he could even blink, Abel found himself falling towards the floor. Looking down, he saw a similar simmering portal beneath, swallowing him whole. This… is not ideal.

While his legs were already inside the portal he was suddenly across the room in an instant. "Well, that was embarrassing. Thank you for the assist, Abyss."

Said savior nodded beside him, glaring poison at Chellington. "Of course, Lord Abel, allow me to make him pay with his life!"

"Oh? Is the boy-girl angry at me for trying to take away his owner? Isn't that just adorable!" Now free from his strings, the Portal Master grinned wildly at his future victims. Without even looking, he side-stepped the enraged fist aimed at his delicate face. Smirking at the mushroom head, he leaped backward bowing deeply. "Aww, come on! Is everyone here tryna ruin all the fun?"

"I'll show ya fun! In fact, I'll show it to ya twice! Explom!" Out of his wand, two identical suspended explosions rocketed out of Daut's wand towards that smiling jerk.

"Hah! Is that the best you got!?" Still smirking, Chellington leaped forward avoiding the resulting double explosion behind him. When he felt a crushing magical force above him, he quickly dodged sideways.

"Damn, it's like he can sense our magic." Lance was admittedly miffed, his Gravioli was never avoided before.

"Oooh, not bad Crown! You're getting closer to the tru-Woah!" A little too close for his comfort, Chellington ducked and rolled away from another insanely fast fist. Damn, it's like he has no magic. I can't even sense him! This is so not fair!

Blinking, he got himself an idea. It was so obvious! "Hey, mushroom head! Was your mom or dad the human?"

"Huh, who's that weird mushroom head guy?"

What? "I'm talkin' about you, ya idiot!" He screamed as he simultaneously dodged multiple explosions, strings, and gravity itself!

"I don't look like a mushroom, do I?" Is that why Finn keeps telling him to change his hairstyle? Nah, it can't be. His hair was a bowl shape, not a mushroom shape. "I think you need your eyes checked; my head doesn't look like a mushroom."

Oh, for god's sake! "Whatever, your mom banged a mushroom!"

"I don't have a mom."

"Your dad stuck his tiny dick in a mushroom!"

Instantaneously, Mash appeared right in front of him, his fist already cocked. "That was pretty mean."

"Finally, sorry kid! You just lost!" He tried to summon a portal in front of him but found his magic suddenly gone. Out of the corner of his eye, he locked gazes with the boy-girl's blood-red Evil Eye.

"Say you're sorry."

Oh, shi- BOOM!

MSHL

"Well, glad that's over." Mash dropped the fist he used to smash that rude jerk's face in, he wasn't moving, but it's best to be sure. "Where can we bury him?"

"MASH! PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM!" Finn was slightly hysterical, becoming an accomplice in a murder wasn't exactly in his life plans!

"He's probably alive."

"THAT'S NOT REASSURING!"

"If he still breaths, then I will finish the job." Abyss, ever so vigilant, raises his blade.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ANYBODY, I CAN'T HAVE THAT ON MY RECORD!"

Lance glanced over to his right, where Love, the Magia Lupus member was eating the leftovers of everyone's plates. "Why didn't you help protect your leader?"

Love shrugged; cheeks puffed out. "You guys had it covered."

"I see." No, I don't.

"Um, hey guys?" Mash's voice came from behind them.

"Yeah Mash?" Coming out of her hiding spot, Lemon poked her head out.

"His portals were blue right?"

"Uh, I think so?"

"Then why is this one red?"

When everyone craned their heads over to Mash, all their eyes widened when they saw a crimson portal starting to create a vortex inside poor Finn and Mash's room. The vortex was trying to suck them inside the portal, leading to god knows where.

"Hold on everyone," Abel said calmly as he wrapped himself in his strings to keep from moving.

"Wow, thanks genius!" Daut growled out as he hung onto the floor.

Everyone followed their leads, with them grasping the first thing they could find. Abyss stabbing his sword into the floor. Lemon hung onto the wall she was hiding behind. Lance increased the gravity where he was standing. Love kept sitting where she was, thankful that the table was bolted onto the floor.

Even though Mash was the closest, he kept still by simply digging his heels into the floor and keeping his center of balance low. That was until one of the creampuffs he was saving for later, and his charm inside his Adler cloak got sucked into the red portal. Eyes widening the slightest bit more than usual, Mash leaped after it without thinking. "My babies."

Lance saw this and prepared to cast a reverse Gravioli to bring him back, only in his panic he lost his focus on the spell that was keeping him safe. Leaving him vulnerable to the rapid winds of the now crimson and unstable vortex. Grasping wildly, he grabbed the nearest object he could find. Unfortunately, that object happened to be a pissed-off, Daut.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE A VIRG-" Was the last thing the remaining students heard before the trio was sucked through the disappearing portal.

Then, silence… for about a second.

"Oh, fuck."

MSHL

The first thing Mash felt when he landed (besides the creampuff and charm that was safely tucked in his cloak once again) was the bundle of limbs on top of him. Next was the dirt staining his uniform, and the harsh sun in his eyes. Or at least it would've been harsh if Mash hadn't trained his eyes by staring at the sun for long periods of time during his earlier youth. Those were the days.

Mash slowly got up, ignoring the groaning pile beneath him. Looking around, he saw they were somehow in a tent with a ripped hole in the ceiling. Stocked with books and papers filled with weird writing, a sharpening wheel next to a large neatly cleaned bed, and a bone-masked red and black-wearing woman who was just standing there.

Mash took in the red eyes beneath the intricate and creepy bird mask, the extremely pale skin covered by cool-looking red and black armor, and the dark mane coming out of her scalp. He only had one question;

"Are you a vampire?"

"..."

"Cause if you are, I kinda need my blood."

"..."

"Ya know? Cause blood keeps my heart pumping, which then leads to my muscles activating and then… I'm sure you know the rest since you drink it."

"The consumption of your blood is of no interest to me."

"Well good on you, realizing that drinking blood is bad."

"The spilling of your blood, however, does interest me."

"That's not much of a difference." The Vampire was circling him how, making Mash hover protectively over his still downed friends. The portal must've been a terrible trip if they were still unconscious.

"Friends of yours?" Her red eyes seemed amused, almost gleeful as she stared him down. What she saw in Mash, a part of him had an idea.

His blood of course.

"Yup, we had a bit of a tumble. Looks like it was weirder than we thought if a vampire was waiting for us." The bloodsucker's hand on her sword still hadn't moved. Mash, however, could see the way her body moved. Her posture was of a fighter, ready to try and cut him down.

She wouldn't have much success, but she's immortal. Mash wondered, could he punch out immortality?

She chuckled, "Tell me, where are they compared to you."

"The ground."

Sighing, she pulled an amused look with her eyes. "I can tell, you're strong. Can almost sense it even."

"Is that why we're here?" Great, another stalker. And here Mash thought that love magic chick was bad. This one seems to be able to actually fight.

"Would you believe me that was merely happenstance?"

"So, this was an accident?"

The vampire craned her neck, "Accident… destiny, whatever you want to call it. Doesn't change the fact you're all trespassing."

"Sorry, we can leave right now if you want."

Tsking, she shook her head. "I'm afraid, for you, that's not possible. I need something in return for all the time you've made me lose."

"Don't care, I'm an advocate for gender equality. I'll kick your ass if I have to." Mash said as he raised his fists. A sword is trickier than magic, something he had first-hand experience in. Magic, he can resist and endure, but even the toughest of armor can be pierced or cut by a skilled hand and sharp blade.

"Let's hope so, otherwise your friends will not be able to wake up." She gestured behind him.

Looking behind him, he saw his friends missing. A flap in the tent twitched in the wind.

Turning back around, he gave the stupid demon a glare.

"That look…" She looked positively thrilled. "Looks like I was right. You are strong."

He readied his fist.

She held a hand out, "Not here, I'd rather not have my bed destroyed. You understand." She opened a familiar red portal behind her. "I'll be waiting for you outside. Where you may ask. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Best to not keep me waiting." Stepping into the portal, she smiled with her eyes. Vicious glee etched into her eyes.

Then she was gone. Leaving Mash alone.

He slowly lowered his fists with a sigh. This is getting repetitive… but she's got Lance and Daut, for their sake I need to be at my best. So, I'll just have to take my cream puff… and eat it.

…

Mhm, so good…

MSHL

Making his way out of the tent after getting some nutrition, Mash spotted a bunch of rapscallions staring at him. And by staring, he meant anything ranging from dark amusement to a poor man's pity. If looks could kill, he would be mildly annoyed. Still, these creeps either kept staring at him or trying to talk to him. He just brushed them off with a well-placed head turn or glare. Mash had to admit, their reactions were pretty funny.

All the tents looked the same, so he just walked around the place until he spotted the vampire. How she survives in the sun, Mash wasn't sure. What Mash was sure of, however, was how much this place reminded Mash of home. Not those wannabe bandits or weapons lying around, but more of the rural placement. Growing up in the woods his whole life, something about the free air and birds chirping made him feel nostalgic.

Pops…

Mash knew his pops still believed he was in the school, trying to become a divine visionary to give them the peaceful life he always wanted. Especially for his only son.

Mash's eyes grew hard, his pops needed him. His friends needed him; this wasn't the time for old memories. Narrowing his eyes, he put his other superpowered sense to use. All the training he did to spot a specific acorn from miles away, and then aiming for said acorn was finally going to pay off. Mash leaped into the air; many times, higher than the tallest structure in the bandit camp.

He quickly looked for his friends or that vampire woman, only spotting a makeshift arena. Shrugging in mid-air, he changed trajectory and launched towards the arena. He's bound to get some answers here, when in doubt, look for the biggest building.

As soon as he neared the ground, he twisted and landed on his feet with both knees spread out. Instead of trying to bounce off of the ground harmlessly, he made sure to make as much of an impact as possible. Something about these guys just screamed insecure to him, the need to flex their muscles as much as possible to prove they're not worthless members of society. If there's even a society here.

Plus, he also liked flexing his muscles sometimes.

Dusting off the dirt from his pants and cloak, he cracked his neck. The arena was bigger than he first thought, with a stone floor even. The floor even has pretty-looking symbols and logos etched into it. Guess they thought it looked deep and cool. Surrounding the stone arena floor, the walls were made of wood but didn't look cheap. These guys put a lot of time and effort into this thing. Too bad Mash will probably break it.

"Curious…" Behind him, he heard a familiar bloodsucking voice. "Your aura isn't normal."

"Maybe your 'aura' isn't normal." Are they talking about his non-magical status? If so, then Mash has to finish this quickly so they don't report him to the bigwigs. If they do find out, he'll have to make sure they never talk. Besides, what's a few bodies in the forest? No one will find them anyway.

"Always have an answer, don't you? Even when they're wrong or just ridiculous." The vampire was shaking her head, chuckling with mirth. Mash noticed a lot of the creeps surrounding them, more so on her side. She's probably the leader or something.

"Where are they?"

"Who?"

Mash stared.

"So dramatic… they're inside the arena. Shall we join them?" She turned around. Mash followed. I kinda feel bad for her, being in the sun for so long must hurt.

"Why do I get the feeling you're thinking something moronic?"

"You're just projecting, that's not a healthy way to live."

When they got inside, Mash found himself staring at a suspended cage. A cage housing all of his friends. Well, two of them. The cage slowly got lifted by a wooden crane until it was high in the air above the arena, looking down on them all.

"Do you like it? I'll admit it's impractical, but it gets the point across." Behind the mask, Mash could feel she was smirking. It was starting to annoy him.

"You really are a vampire."

Her fingers twitched, "For the love of-My name is Raven Branwen. I am a human in case you can't tell." One of her eyes was twitching as well, Mash admitted it was a little satisfying seeing her so miffed.

"Are you sure? With your red eyes and pale skin, you could be." It made sense really.

She answered in a snippy way, "Quite sure, now enough of this… just out of curiosity what did you think of the tribe?"

"Tribe?" He scratched his head, trying to recall his earlier thoughts. "Well, to be honest, it reminds me of home."

"You grew up in a tribe?"

He shook his head, "No, but I lived in the woods with pops my whole life."

She hummed, intrigued. "Is that so, is your father also like you?"

"Nah, he doesn't like fighting." That's the main reason he wants to be a Divine Visionary, so he and his pops could live in peace.

Clicking her tongue, she shook her head in disappointment. "Such a tragedy, growing up with someone as cowardly as your father."

"...huh?"

"Is that why you left him, you just couldn't bear the sight of him anymore so you left without looking back?" She took off her mask, showing him her teeth.

"Look… I can tell you're really insecure and I kinda feel bad for you, but that's the second time pops got made fun of today." Mash took a step forward, leaving a small crater for a footprint. "It's starting to make me mad."

Raven was silent before she put her mask back on. "It seems I hit a chord; this banter has taken up too much of my time. Let us begin."

Mash noticed her hand holding the hilt of her sword in a death grip, he wondered how close he came to her trying to bisect him.

He guessed it didn't matter, she's getting her chance soon anyway.

MSHL

Raven was giving introductions, playing up the fight between them. Grandstanding herself, and showing absolute confidence in her ability to win. Mash, on the other hand, was just standing there waiting for her to finish. Man, this is taking forever. Is she done yet? How long can you just talk about yourself?

Waiting for her to utter the words, 'ready, 'start', or even 'go', Mash desperately wished he had some more cream puffs. The ones he ate in preparation weren't enough to sate his appetite. Was he addicted? Is this what addiction was like?

...Nah, can't be. his passion was simply that, passion.

"Are you prepared, little boy?" With her finally finishing up her speech about strength, power, and or powder in that order, Mash nodded. Taking the time to neatly fold his dress shirt, tie, cloak, and dress pants off to the side, he got into a ready position. He also ignored the mocking laughter that met his ears.

Raven cocked her head to the side, "What a strange fighting style, did your weakling of a father teach you that?"

The floor broke under his heels as he rocketed towards Raven. She had barely enough time to roll her eyes as a portal appeared before her.

Right before reaching Raven, Mash stuck one foot into the ground, pivoted his hips avoiding the portal altogether, and drove his elbow into her face. Crack went her avian bone mask, as the shattered pieces clattered when they hit the floor. To her credit, Raven managed to right herself quickly after his elbow threw her away from him.

Spreading her stance, she unsheathed her blade. The dark crimson reflecting her damaged eye, revealing bloodshot rage. "Oh, sorry about the eye. I guess. We can stop if you want?" Growling, she stabbed towards him. The curved blade already aiming for Mash's head intent on turning him into a shish kabob.

The ready Mash cocked his neck to the side to avoid the pointy stick. Unfortunately getting him in range of her knee. Exhaling some air, he got pushed back as he quickly dodged the sharp edges aimed at him. While Abyss was faster in his attacks, Raven's were a lot more calculated. Perfectly calibrated to cause the most damage and pain.

Realizing this stalemate, he backed off and cracked a knuckle. The resulting shockwave surprised her, how a simple popping of a bone can causes enough air pressure to push her back she had no idea. Mash took advantage of this momentary lapse in concentration by following up with a fist aimed at her center mass while he himself stayed low to the ground.

The sheer power of that attack would've broken through her armor if her aura hadn't protected her. Instead, she got thrown to the ground cratering it.

"Can we go now?"

Laughter met his words, even the downed Raven joined in. They're like a cult. Weird.

Still chuckling as she got up, Mash got a good look at her face for the first time. "You… could it be?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked at him carefully.

"You don't have a mark."

"Mark?"

You don't know?"

"Speak quickly, we're in the middle of our match." Raven's tone suggested she wasn't the most patient person.

"Wow, you really are homeless." Raven bristled. "If you don't have a Mark, then you're not born with magic." Mash ignored the widening of her eyes as he discovered a revaluation.

Mash could finally understand why they lived like this, why they were so insecure about themselves. It seems so obvious now, the woods, the staring, the weird portal-

Wait a minute… portals are made of magic right? Then that means…

"Someone gave you your magic." Mash stared hard. Those inmate guys everyone keeps talking about can give artificial magic to people. They gave some to Abel, maybe they could've…

Raven schooled her expression, "Magic you say, you believe in such fairy tales?"

Mash ignored her, "You planned for this, didn't you."?

Snorting, she shook her head. "Stop being an idiot, the only reason I'm even tolerating you is that you're strong."

"You should kick us out, we won't mind." The other two might be unconscious, but Mash was sure they'd agree with him.

"Oh, but I'm having such a good time!" In a glint of dark metal, Raven thrust her katana straight into his face with all her strength.

Creak Raven's blade clattered, stuck between his front and bottom front teeth. instinctively, before Raven could even think to pull it out, Mash bit down. Crack

Mash spat out shards of metal, "Ew, your sword tastes awful." He watched as Raven wordlessly sheathed her blade.

"It has been a while since anybody has made me experience a first."

"Um, 'kay?"

"If you want your friends, then you'll have to keep a secret." She said as she closed her eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Mash wasn't really good at lying, whenever he tries to, he gets too nervous.

He went ignored as red flames started spewing from her eyes. Opening them, her eyes blazed with power. "Are you ready to stop holding back?"

Mash took a stance, fists at the ready and feet parallel to each other. Yellow eyes hard as diamonds. "I knew it."

Those critical thinking lessons really paid off. Lance would be so proud.