"ROSEHEARTS-KUN! YOU MUSTN'T!" Crowley shouted. "ABUSE YOUR MAGIC ANY FURTHER, AND YOUR MAGESTONE WILL BE COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED WITH BLOT!"
"I WON'T BELIEVE IT!" Riddle screamed. "I'M RIGHT! IT'S ME! I'M THE ONE IN THE RIGHT-- NO-ONE ELSE! I'M THE ONLY ONE! WHO'S! RIGHT!!!!"
With a high, ragged scream, he tried to run forward.
Then he stopped.
The scepter went clattering to the ground, and he looked down at his hands, swaying unsteadily.
He clutched at his face, bending almost double and wracked with tremors.
And he screamed.
Tendrils of inky blackness exploded up, engulfing him as he threw his head back, still screaming.
Trey's magical pen dropped to the ground. "RIDDLE!!!!" Came his answering scream, voice cracking with terror and a heartwrenching note of despair.
Kat's eyes were stinging, her throat was burning, and the ground was starting to shake under her feet again. Despite all that, she couldn't seem to move... She was frozen to the spot, eyes fixed on Riddle.
He wasn't even visible anymore... There was just a pulsating mass of black liquid where he had been, churning and shifting unpleasantly.
The ground started rumbling again. More and more shards of earth, leaves, shattered rosewood and bits of hedge floated up into the air.
The black fog was hanging heavy in the air now, and the sky had gone from simply stormy to a roiling pitch black. Strange winds of energy blew through the garden, starting to whip into a frenzy.
She could hear the dorm students screaming and crying out in terror, trying to gather themselves to escape. But-- where was there to escape TO?
People were staggering around, running and yelling over the ever-growing rumblings. But it all just sounded like a buzzing in her ears as she stood, staring at the glistening black mass.
After a few seconds, the black substance started to ebb away, draining back into a puddle on the ground. Little by little, it dribbled down, revealing rose-red hair and a delicate frame.
Riddle was still standing, but slumped, dangling over like a puppet waiting for its puppetmaster.
His clothes...
It was as if the black substance had stained his crisp white uniform, eating away at it. His cape was gone, and the overskirt at his waist seemed even longer... Like a wedding train of tattered, deep red and black fabric, gleaming like silk.
The roses at his hips, too... There were more of them, huge white flower heads stained with black. His sleeves hung tattered from his shoulders, bare arms dangling limply at his sides.
His skin... How had it gotten that pale?! He'd been pretty light before, but now he was shockingly white, like a corpse.
More black liquid dribbled down his forearms, twisting around them like vines and gathering at his hands like short gloves.
He twitched slightly, then jerked.
His torso rolled back upright, slowly. Then finally, he raised his head. His eyes were closed, like he was asleep or unconscious or-- Don't even think that. There's no way that's possible.
It wasn't just that his clothes were stained or disintegrated, she realized. His jacket had been replaced by some sort of bodice, almost a corset. It was split red and black with black metallic accents, forming a spiky, gothic heart on his chest. His high-necked shirt was gone, with a tall white vampire collar in its place... A ragged, almost burned-looking one.
In fact, nothing about him looked crisp or clean anymore... It was all dark and battered, but oddly... Beautiful, in a way, with silklike gleams pulsing through the fabric and leather of the outfit.
But his transformation wasn't complete. Not quite yet.
The black fog around him condensed into hovering droplets, forming shapes... A spiky decorative ruff, like a wrought-iron fence, appeared under the tall collar. A pair of thorned vines arched out from the small of his back like the loops of a bow. Then a sharp, ornate crown, hollow like black filigree, materialized on the side of his head. A few more droplets slithered over his face, tinting his lips dark and clinging to his eyelashes like heavy mascara.
Finally, the remaining liquid spread out, creating an ornate heart-shaped pattern around his right eye.
Then he opened his eyes.
His eyes...
...They weren't gray anymore.
They were a deep red, glowing faintly with an eerie light.
The light from his right eye grew in intensity, and ethereal scarlet flames flickered into life, surrounding his eye like a-- like a...
...Dammit.
She'd reached her limit with the fanciful descriptions... And there was really only one way to describe this, anyway.
He had a fiery, glowing Sans Undertale eye. That was it. That was what it was.
It was red instead of blue and yellow, obviously, but that's exactly what it looked like.
The feeling pouring off of him now... It was strong, almost too strong. It was like gravity pressing down on her, trying to crush her.
She felt her skin crawl, goosebumps rippling across her body in colliding waves. It was an aura of-- of pure darkness... Not exactly evil, but dark, crushing and painful.
"...Oh, god," she muttered, taking a few tottering steps back and clapping her hands over her mouth. "Oh god, fuck... What-- what HAPPENED to him?! What the hell-- what IS that?!"
Riddle looked down at himself for a moment, surveying himself almost robotically.
Then he started laughing.
It started off quiet, but rose quickly-- louder than it had any right to be. There was a crackling, layered sound to it, like he had his mouth too close to a crappy microphone.
Still laughing, he spread his arms, actually rising into the air. A few rivulets of black liquid dripped off the soles of his tall boots, splashing into the puddle at his feet.
The laughter boomed through the air, too deep for a cackle, but way too loud for a chuckle. This was a full-on villain's laugh if she'd ever heard one, deep, menacing and full of pride and power.
After a second, he stopped laughing, drifting forward. His tattered train dragged across the ground, along with chains of playing cards, trailing from his waist like long ribbons.
"All of you are disobedient fools," he declared. His voice wasn't just crackly and layered... It was like there was another voice, a monstrous, inhuman voice, speaking at the exact same time he was. "I have no use for the likes of you. Not in MY world."
Kat stepped back a bit more, hands pressed over her mouth and feeling herself start to shake again.
The puddle of black stuff churned and bubbled, and the ground was starting to shake again... Even harder this time. Something was rising up from the puddle. The thick black substance started taking on a shape, with disgusting liquid-y noises.
"Here, in MY world, I AM the law," Riddle continued, spreading his hands even wider, like he was urging the... thing... to rise even faster. "In MY world... I AM ORDER ITSELF!"
With a final rumble, the thing took shape. It pulled itself all the way out of the puddle with its massive hands, like it had climbed through from another world.
It was-- it was...
...Oh, Jesus Christ-- was that another mine monster?!
It sure as hell LOOKED like it.
Everything was there... The ink-bottle head, the tattered clothes, the churning black 'flesh' and the enormous three-fingered hands.
This one was a whole lot bigger, though.
Its head was a glass bottle, but not round-- this one was heart-shaped, and had an ornate gilt stopper, in the shape of a spiky crown.
It also wasn't wearing a cap or a shirt... In fact, it was wearing a dress. Or maybe a gown would be a better term... Made of faded red and black velvet, stitched together visibly with a patchwork, cobbled-together feel.
A black-and-red heart on its 'chest', a ragged overskirt and bustle from the 'hips', parted in the front to reveal the column of roiling black substance in place of legs, a tall white collar... It looked just like Riddle.
Or at least, Riddle's new-- new... 'outfit', or 'form', or whatever this was... Not EXACTLY, but the resemblance was there, and pretty obvious, too.
...She kind of hated herself for it, but the first thought that popped into her head was 'Stand'. It-- that's what it looked like... The huge behemoth looming behind the small, floating figure of Riddle.
Riddle continued to speak. "The only answer I'll permit is a cry of 'Yes, Lord Riddle!" He declared, extending his right arm.
The monster lifted its arm as well. The black substance shot out, coiling around one of the only rosebushes still remaining in the ground and intact. With a ripping, splintering sound and a skin-crawling schlorp, it recoiled, reforming into the shape of a fist with the rose tree clutched in it.
"And as for anyone who dares to defy me..."
He floated up a little higher, raising his arm. The huge, goopy monster raised its arm too, lifting the rosebush like a weapon.
"I SHALL HAVE ALL THEIR HEADS! AHAHAHAHAHA--!!!"
With an insane cackle, Riddle swept his arm down. The monster swung, rosebush arching down through the air like a hammer.
Kat flinched, freezing again. Shit-- shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT, it was coming right down towards all of them!
Crowley jumped forward, almost shoving Trey out of the way as he raised his walking stick.
There was a flash, and a huge, pale gold half-bubble of light shimmered into existence around him, Kat, Trey and the still-kneeling Ace and Deuce. The rosebush collided with it, bouncing off and actually sending the monster reeling back.
"HURRY!" The Headmaster urged, looking over his shoulder at them. "Gather yourselves and get out of the way-- quickly!"
Kat shook her head, blinking hard. "R--Right!"
Trey was still standing in front of her, frozen and staring at the floating figure of Riddle. Reaching out, she grabbed the back of his jacket, dragging him back with all her strength. "Trey, come ON!"
He staggered, but managed to get his feet under him as she pulled him along, running towards the far end of the wrecked garden.
Grim skittered past her feet, with Trey's magical pen clutched in his mouth. Deuce pulled Ace to his feet, running along as well with Cater taking up the rear.
The group reached the far end of the garden, huddling by a knocked-over hedge wall and panting.
"What-- the fuck-- is THAT?!" Kat coughed, looking back over at Riddle and the inky monster. Grim jumped into her arms, shivering as his teeth chattered around Trey's magical pen.
Cater was pacing up and down, running both his hands through his hair frantically. He'd actually pulled it loose from its half-up semi-ponytail, a panicked look on his face. "This is bad, this is bad, this is reallyreallyreallyREALLY bad... ShitshitshitshitshitSHIT!" He panted, eyes wide and staring at nothing. "Fuck... What do we do?!"
After a second, the half-bubble of light faded, then dissipated.
Kat thought she could see a streaking whoosh of black feathers shoot up through the air. Then, Crowley suddenly jumped down from nowhere, landing lightly in a small burst of sparkles. He put a hand to his forehead, actually looking more than a little shaken.
"Ahhh... Wh-What have I done?!" He demanded weakly, mostly to himself, it seemed. "I-- I can't believe it..."
He took a few unsteady steps back, shaking his head and looking down at his hands in shock. "I've allowed a student to overblot in my presence...!"
"Ohh-er-ot?!" Grim tried to ask.
Kat snatched Trey's pen out of his mouth, and he shook his head, licking his lips for a second. " 'Overblot'?" He repeated, huddling further into her arms. "What the heck's THAT mean?! Is that why he's got that scary dark aura all over 'im now?!"
Crowley shook his head, looking over at them, like he was remembering they were still there. "Overblot is an extremely dangerous condition-- one that mages must avoid at ALL COSTS!"
He looked back at Riddle and the monster. "At this very moment, Rosehearts-kun is overcome by negative energy, and lost control of both his magic and his emotions!"
Kat blinked, glancing back at the rampaging Housewarden. "Oh," she said. "It's-- THAT kind of thing, huh?" Yeah, that made sense...
"Huh?! I-- I still don't get it!" Grim spluttered.
"Me, neither!" Deuce interjected, looking panicked.
Cater ruffled his hair aggressively with both hands, shaking his head and glaring at the group. "Ahhh-- DAMMIT! In other words, he's basically in evil villain berserker mode right now, okay?!"
Trey shook his head as well, apparently pulling himself together. He reached over, grabbing his pen from Kat's hand. "It's not just what he might be capable of... If he keeps unleashing magical energy like that, his life's gonna be in danger!"
"Oh, shit," Kat muttered, holding Grim a little tighter and clapping her hand over her mouth.
"H-His LIFE?!" Grim yelped, ears flattening. "Does that mean-- h-he'll DIE?!"
Ace and Deuce looked around at each other, faces going pale.
Crowley shook his head again, looking around. "In any case-- the safety of my students is my top priority! I must help the dormitory residents to evacuate immediately. As for Rosehearts-kun..."
He looked back at the hovering Riddle, letting out a shaky breath. "...We must bring him back to his senses before his magical energy runs dry! As bad as it would be to lose HIM, there are scenarios that are far, far worse..."
He gave another weak exhale, putting a hand to his forehead. Then he snapped to attention, looking firmly at the little group. "That being said! It is far too dangerous for you to remain here any longer! Escape at once and seek help from the other housewardens and faculty members! I'm sure that, with their assistance, we'll be able to return Rosehearts-kun to his former--"
Ace shoved past, sprinting straight towards Riddle and his enormous monster. He pulled his magical pen out of his jacket, giving an angry shout and swinging it. A massive gust of sparkling wind whipped through the air, shoving the clinging black fog back.
Riddle recoiled, throwing both his arms up over his face to shield himself.
The whole group yelped in shock, Kat actually dropping Grim again as she jumped. "A-ACE!" She yelled, feeling her voice crack again. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU--"
"CAULDRON-- I SUMMON THEE!!"
With another shout, Deuce ran forward as well, pointing his pen. A distant burst of sparkles flashed, and a huge black cauldron fell onto the shadow-creature, making it roar furiously.
"DEUCE!!" She screamed, jumping forward. She narrowly avoided tripping on Grim as he also made a mad dash forward. Pelting across the ground at top speed, he blew an enormous plume of blue fire.
"GRIM!!" She screamed again, clenching her fists in an overwhelming mixture of fear, incredulity and anger. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THREE DOING?!?!"
The floating Riddle regained his 'balance', shaking his head and turning to face the trio of attackers. "Wh--Why, you... You INSOLENT FOOLS! What do you think you're doing?!"
Cater choked in shock again, running up next to Kat and gaping at the three of them. "Wh-- What the fuck... HEY!!! THE HELL ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?!"
As he shouted, Riddle raised a hand, gathering floating bits of rock around him like a magnet. Then he swung his hand, and the shards of stone shot down, flying like bullets through the air.
"SHIT," Kat swore.
Crowley raised his walking stick again, summoning another glowing shield, and the rocks bounced off.
"Wh-- HEY!" Cater spluttered, looking incredulously at the three of them. "Didn't you guys get the MESSAGE?! It's WAY too DANGEROUS!"
Grim panted a little, shaking his head and looking around at them. "Y-YEAH, but... Won't he be in BIG trouble if this keeps goin'?! D'ya just wanna LEAVE him like this?!"
"Grim's right," Deuce agreed, cracking his knuckles. "If I left now, when I could've done something-- I wouldn't be able to live with myself!"
"And BESIDES," Ace added, gritting his teeth. "There's no way in HELL I'm givin' up until I hear that little jerk say 'I was WRONG-- and I'm SORRY'!"
"Wh--" Kat spluttered, then crossed her arms nervously. Dammit... They had a point. She hated to admit it, but they all had a point...
Well, all except for Ace, who just had to put the most selfish spin on every possible situation.
"You guys..." Trey looked back and forth between them. Then he took a deep breath, gripping his pen tight. "...All right... I get it."
He stepped forward, pulling the brim of his hat down a little. He was probably just trying to adjust it or keep it on his head, but it was a pretty cool move...
"...I'll probably be able to overwrite his magic for a little while longer. In the meantime... You guys handle him!"
He turned to Crowley, still holding up his walking stick to maintain the shield, but gaping over at all of them, dumbfounded. "Headmaster-- I'll leave evacuating the students to you!"
Crowley blinked, mouth falling open even wider. Then he shook his head, luminous eyes narrowing in a stern glower. "Wh-- N-Now-- wait just a MOMENT, all of you! This is FAR too dangerous! I simply CANNOT allow it!"
"He's RIGHT!" Cater burst out, stepping forward and gesturing urgently. "Trey-kun, what the hell are you THINKING?! You can't beat RIDDLE- you KNOW that! ESPECIALLY not right NOW!"
Ace scoffed, planting his fists on his hips. "Oh, PLEASE-- come ON! What, you're sayin' you're the type of guy who only gets in a fight when he KNOWS he can win?! What a joke!"
"Yeah, he's RIGHT!" Grim agreed, crossing his front legs with a scowl. "That ain't cool at ALL!"
"And this is the best bet we have to snap him out of this," Deuce added, slamming his fist against his palm again. "It may not be MUCH, but it's sure as hell better than NOTHING, right?!"
Trey nodded. His eyes were fixed firmly on the distant figure of Riddle, almost overshadowed by the enormous mass of the monster.
"...I can't lose him here," he said, voice low and hoarse as he gripped his pen even tighter. "Not when there's still something I have to say to him!"
"G-Guys," Kat murmured, looking around at them.
Oh, fuck, this was terrifying... This was literally the scariest thing she'd ever experienced. She should be frozen right now, or crying, or having a panic attack...
...But somehow, it was also...
Oh, god, what WAS this feeling? This swelling in her chest, this rush of emotion... What was it? Hope? Determination? Resolve?
"...Come ON!" She said, turning to Crowley. "We-- we can't just stand here and do NOTHING... If there's even a chance that we might be able to help, we have to do it-- whatever it takes! A-And-- I mean... LOOK!!"
She threw her arm out, indicating Grim, Trey and the first-year duo. "Isn't this what you wanted?! They're working TOGETHER to help Riddle! That's good, right?!"
Crowley blinked, looking at her in surprise.
Cater looked pale, head whipping back and forth between Riddle, Crowley, and the others. Then he growled, bending double and tugging angrily at his hair again. "Ahhhhh... DAMMIT! SHIT! Okay, okay, I GET it already!!"
Straightening up, he pulled his magical pen out of his jacket, giving a tight smile. "Heroic last stands like this are SO not my style, but-- I'd look like a total LAME-ASS if I didn't pitch in at this point, right?!"
With a brief flick of the pen, a puff of sparkles surrounded his head, and his hair pulled away from his face, shifting back into place.
Kat swallowed, licking her suddenly-dry lips as she felt her legs wobble a little bit. "I'll--"
She paused, clearing her throat a little, then tried again. "I'll stay with Grim, since I'm a-- I'm a beastmaster or whatever... Plus, he's my only dorm student, so I have to look out for him! Don't worry about us-- just help the other students!"
Crowley looked back and forth between the entire group in clear bewilderment. Then he gave a loud groan of frustrated resignation. "Oh, for GOODNESS' SAKE-- FINE, then! I'll be back as soon as all the students have reached safety! Stand firm until then-- and PLEASE, for the Seven's sake, DON'T do anything RASH!"
The shield dropped, and he swung his walking stick hard. A shockwave of energy shot forward, hitting Riddle and the monster. They staggered back in unison, almost falling over.
Crowley turned on his heel, long legs carrying him across the uneven ground. "ALL STUDENTS-- RETREAT TO THE HALL OF MIRRORS!" He ordered, skidding to a stop at the nearest entrance to the hedge maze and raising another shield. "HURRY!"
The dorm students started running towards him. Some were sprinting, some were hobbling and some were supporting or half-carrying each other, arms slung over shoulders and around waists.
Taking a deep, nervous breath, Kat put one of her hoodie strings in her mouth. Chewing anxiously, she turned back to face Riddle and the looming monster.
Riddle shook his head, regaining his balance, and whipped around. He glared at the little group, still standing there defiantly.
"Why-- the lot of you..." His amplified voice growled, booming through the air. "You all have SOME nerve, insisting on such shows of defiance... I shall have ALL OF YOUR HEADS FOR THIS!"
He raised his hand, and the monster pulled back the rosebush, black-and-red sparkles starting to gather around it.
Everyone tensed, and Trey lifted his pen, with another burst of light. A massive flurry of playing cards fluttered down, filling the air like confetti.
Riddle screamed furiously again, and the monster bellowed in unison, bringing its rosebush down towards the group. Everyone scattered, managing to get out of the way just in time.
The garden shook again, and the monster hit the ground a few more times, flailing in frustration.
"DAMN IT ALL!" Riddle's amplified, crackly voice cursed. "You STILL intend to oppose me, Trey?! I'll have your head for this-- I SWEAR it!!"
Trey panted, readjusting his glasses and keeping his pen at the ready. "Alright!" He shouted over the sound of the strange winds of energy. "I've got his collaring attack on lockdown! "
"Yeah, but not for LONG!" Cater shouted back. "We're still in kind of a tight spot over here, you know?!"
"I KNOW!" Trey answered. "So hurry UP! I'll keep Off With Your Head sealed away, so you guys better throw everything you've got at him!"
Riddle and the monster screamed again, and Kat winced, covering her ears and drawing back.
He flung his hand up, and the black fog condensed in the air again, forming into shapes-- weapons. There were spears and pikes, with heart, diamond and spade-shaped heads... Long poleaxes, topped by clubs lying on their side, with the 'stem' serving as the blade.. Scores and scores of them, hovering in the air.
Then Riddle swept his hand down, and they all shot forward in a barrage of raining projectiles.
Ace jumped forward again, summoning another huge gust of wind with a swing of his pen.
Kat ducked instinctively, covering her head and watching the unfolding battle.
Ace's whirlwind actually swept the falling weapons off their course, shaking them back into sticky strings of black goo... But not for long. They reformed in the air, even while the wind was still blowing hard. Ace drew back, looking shocked.
...Shit. Okay-- if that didn't work, then...
"GRIM!" Kat yelled. "LIGHT IT UP!"
Grim pounced forward, puffing out his cheeks and chest. With a loud "FNYAGH!" He shot an enormous cloud of fire, catching the still-whipping wind and burning white-hot. The black weapons sizzled, smoking and evaporating back into that black fog again.
"SICK!" She cheered, pumping a fist into the air and jumping.
"FUCK YEAH!" Deuce shouted, grinning. "NICE MOVE, PREFECT!"
The moment of victory only lasted about five seconds, though. The black fog condensed, reforming into the same weapons and coming raining down again.
"FUCK," she cursed. Sprinting full-tilt across the cracked lawn, she grabbed the out-of-breath Grim, launching herself as far and hard to the side as possible. She hit the ground hard with an "Oof!", curling up around Grim as she felt all the breath get knocked out of her.
Luckily, the first wave of projectiles didn't reach where she'd fell... But she'd hit the ground hard, and she was struggling to catch her breath.
"KAT!"
There was the sound of sprinting footsteps running up to her. A hand grabbed her by the back of the jacket, dragging her upright, and she looked into the face of Deuce.
"Come on!" He ordered, grabbing her arm and dragging her into a sprint. She kept tight hold of Grim, trying not to think about still not being able to breathe.
They zigzagged through the spears stuck into the ground, sprinting towards a partially collapsed hedge wall.
As Kat looked around, she couldn't help but notice something... Where all the spears and axes had landed, sinking into the lawn, the black liquid started to absorb into the ground. The grass around the heads started to sizzle and wilt, crumbling or curling up and turning an inky black.
G-Gross...
They'd almost reached the shelter of the wall when Riddle's monster struck the ground with its rosebush weapon again... HARD.
It shook, like a full-on earthquake, with more cracks spreading out. Huge chunks of earth actually shifted, like mini canyons.
Deuce lost his grip on her arm as they both got knocked over by the vibrations, him landing on his side and her on her back. Grim went tumbling out of her hand, spitting and hissing.
As luck would have it, this was exactly when Riddle decided to launch his next wave of black weapons.
Kat scrambled to her feet, grabbing Deuce by the collar and trying to drag him out of the way this time. She only managed to get a few inches before the black projectiles came rocketing down.
...Fuck, she thought as a spear streaked right towards her and Deuce. There was no way either of them were going to be able to dodge...
Cater leapt in front of them, blocking the spear with his body. It went straight through his chest, just below his ribcage, and stopped, sticking out of his back a good foot or so.
Kat gave a short, high scream, dropping Deuce's collar and falling back onto her butt again.
Deuce scrambled to his feet, going white as a sheet. "D-Diamond-senpai--!!!"
Cater staggered back a few steps, panting. A bit of black liquid dribbled off the very tip of the heart-shaped head of the blade, dangling like a strand of thread. "Ah... Well, shit," he said weakly, knees starting to buckle.
Kat was frozen to the spot, one hand clapped over her mouth as she watched the unfolding tableau in front of her.
Deuce jumped forward, catching Cater as he fell backwards. "DIAMOND-SENPAI!" He shouted, clutching the older boy's shoulders with shaking hands. "Oh shit-- fuck... FUCK! Senpai! SENPAI!"
Cater coughed, grimacing weakly. "H-Hey... It's fine," he croaked, giving a feeble attempt at his usual cheerful grin. "Don't worry about me, okay?"
Kat saw something coming up behind her in her peripherals. Flashy white suit, wavy orange hair...
"But-- Wh-- HUH?!" Deuce spluttered incoherently, staring at the glistening spear sticking out of the upperclassman's back. "I-- gh..."
Footsteps approached from behind Kat, and there was the sound of snapping fingers. Cater-- or rather, the Cater in Deuce's arms-- exploded into a huge puff of white smoke and sparkles.
"Hey, hey-- no spacing out, Deuce-chan!" A voice scolded, and Cater strolled up, poking the dumbfounded Deuce on the cheek. "The genuine item's right here!"
Kat felt herself relax a little, but was still stuck for words, staring stupidly.
"Wh--" Deuce stuttered, looking back and forth from the new-- or rather, real-- Cater and his suddenly empty hands. Then he blinked, eyes widening in realization. "OH! D-Did you use your Unique Magic?! S-Split Card?"
"Sure did!" Cater grinned, nodding. "Now, seriously-- you need to get your head in the game, Deucey-chan! This isn't a-- uh-oh, here comes another one--"
Grabbing Kat's arm, he pulled her up, shoving her into a run towards the hedge wall. She stumbled, almost tripping... And just in time, too, since Grim leapt into the air from behind her, shooting another cloud of fire. It reduced the oncoming projectiles back into black smoke, and Deuce and Cater had plenty of time to dodge between them by the time they reformed.
She skidded to a halt, crouching down behind the hedge wall and panting as she finally got to catch her breath. Even through the loud sounds of eldritch winds and slithering slime, her mind raced furiously. Um-- uh...
"CATER!" She yelled. "Can your duplicates use magic?!"
Cater looked at her, blinking. "Uh... Y-Yeah! Why? You got a plan, Kitty-Kat?"
"Yeah!" She confirmed, nodding. "Okay-- first, Trey needs to be covered so he can focus on stopping the collars! If some of them could take care of that, it'd really help! Plus, the more bodies we can throw at the problem, the better!"
"Ooh-- good plan!" Cater agreed, twirling his pen in his fingers with a grin. "Alright-- SPLIT CARD!"
He swung his pen, sending a wide arc of sparkles through the air.
The sparkles condensed. Then, with large puffs of white smoke, they turned into duplicates of Cater, all pulling their pens out of their jackets.
Cater put his fingers in his mouth, whistling sharply. "Okay, you heard the lady-- two of you go watch Trey-kun's back! The rest of you-- give it everything you've got!"
"Aye-aye, sir!" The duplicates chorused. Saluting, they scattered across the garden, in a darker mirror of the rose-painting scene yesterday.
Kat licked her lips, shouting over the noise again. "Okay-- Grim! I'll help you, alright?! Just like the ghosts back home! Just keep an ear out! Oh-- and run interference on those spears and shit when you can!"
"You got it!" Grim panted, dropping onto all fours with his tail lashing.
Riddle whipped his head back and forth, glaring between all the scattered players. His shoulders hunched, fists clenched again. Then he threw his head back and screamed at the sky, like he was trying to go Super Saiyan or something. "UGIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
More black slime drifted into the air. The splintered rosebushes scattered around the ruined lawn started to shift, crackling threateningly. They snaked out sharp, thorny vines again, trying to snag at the combatants. At the same moment, he sent down another rain of spears.
"GRIM!" Ace yelled, snapping his fingers. "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
A gust of wind started sweeping through the air again, faster and faster.
Grim leapt up in midair, blowing a huge fireball. The wind swept it up into a fiery tornado, burning the creepers into kindling. The projectiles puffed back into black smoke, and the flames fizzled out in midair.
"Oh, shit-- ACE! INCOMING!" Kat yelled.
The monster shot out it's free arm into a whip of black, and Ace and Cater ducked out of the way just in time. The black tendril swept through the air exactly where they'd just stood.
Grim jumped up as it started its backswing, shooting another mouthful of fire at it. The black slime sizzled, a large chunk of it falling off into a pile of disintegrating sludge on the ground. The monster wailed, recoiling its arm, still glowing faintly red around the edges.
"CAULDRON-- I SUMMON THEE!" Deuce shouted from nearby, pointing his pen towards the monster. There was a flash of sparkles.
The first cauldron fell onto the behemoth's shoulders, sending it hard to the ground with a loud thud-crash-gong sound.
Unfortunately, it had shaken it off and gotten back up before the second cauldron had even materialized. Using its rosebush like a baseball bat, it sent the pot rocketing back towards Deuce. He dove to the side, and the thing collided with the ground hard. It skidded across the lawn, leaving a long streak of bare dirt and pureed grass in its wake.
Kat stared at it until it came to a halt at the far end of the garden, then shook her head, turning her attention back to Riddle and the monster just in time. He'd sent another barrage of card-suit projectiles down, and Deuce was still sprawled out on his chest on the ground.
"GRIM! COVER DEUCE!" She shouted.
Grim leapt over, skidding to a halt in front of the prone Deuce and reducing the oncoming weapons into black smoke with a stream of fire. Deuce rolled upright, grabbing Grim by the tail. Leaping backwards, he dodged the reformed weapons by a matter of inches.
Riddle began to raise his hand again. Before he could summon any more spears, a stream of holographic water shot up at him. It hit him hard in the side, sending him rocketing sideways in midair. Barely a second later, he was knocked the other way by a barrage of leaves.
"YES!" Kat couldn't help but cheer, pumping her fist. The first direct hit this whole time!
Riddle and the monster screamed in unison. Both the creature's inky arms whipped out to the sides, towards the pair of Caters who'd taken the opportunity to duck in a little closer and strike.
It caught both Caters full across the chest, flinging them through the air. They collided, one with the ground and one with a nearby hedge wall, then exploded into white, sparkling smoke.
"DAMN YOU!" Riddle screamed, clutching at his hair again. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST OBEY?! REBELLING LIKE THIS WON'T DO ANY OF YOU ANY GOOD! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!"
A beam of sparkles shot at him, hitting him full in the chest and almost knocking him out of the air.
Deuce, holding Grim under his arm, dodged out of the way as the monster shot its arm out again, trying to whip at him.
One of the other Caters shot another stream of shimmering water at the appendage. Another large chunk of goop fell off, almost melting away like something gross washing down a drain.
Kat actually saw the monster shrink-- its transparent heart-shaped head dropped by at least a foot.
"YES!" She cheered again, punching the ground in a rush of success. It wasn't much, but they were at least making visible progress!
Unfortunately, the moment of triumph didn't last very long. With an angry bellow, the monster struck the ground with its rosebush again. It actually made a huge, smoking crater in the earth. Shockwaves of energy rippled out, spiderwebbing across the garden and making the cracks and fractures even wider. The whole lawn shook like the skin on a giant cat's back, knocking the combatants off their feet again.
Kat yelped as she fell forward onto her elbows, wincing a little.
The monster struck again before anyone had a chance to recover, sending more shockwaves through the splintering earth. She saw Ace's body go flying through the air, hitting the ground hard with a loud grunt.
"ACE!" She yelled, scrabbling to her feet and sprinting over to him. "Are you okay?!"
The redhead coughed a little, pushing himself up onto his elbows with a grimace. "Y-Yeah... Ow. I just-- oh, shit--"
Riddle raised both his hands. The shards of broken ground and wood rose into the air again, mixing and intermingling with the reforming weapons.
Kat yanked Ace upright by the back of his jacket, supporting him a little as he wobbled. "GAH! Dammit-- there's MORE?!" He demanded hoarsely, clutching his side. "Shouldn't he be outta magic by now?!"
"Not the time!" She snapped, looking around frantically for anywhere to go. The black weapons were the least of her concerns right now-- the rocks and debris were.
They came rocketing down towards them, and Ace raised his pen quickly, summoning a gust of wind.
The black weapons shook back into strings of liquid, but the rocks and debris kept coming. Kat ducked instinctively, putting her hands over her head.
"DOODLE SUIT!"
There was another flash of light and a fluttering sound.
Kat opened her eyes, looking up at the sheaves of cards drifting down over them. The black substance snapped back into shape, and she tugged Ace back, out of the way of the spears and axes.
"Are you guys okay?!" Trey called out across the garden.
"Y-Yeah," Ace panted, shaking her hand off and straightening up. "Thanks a lot, Senpai!"
Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist. "Come on!" He ordered, sprinting off to the side and dragging her with him.
"HEY!" She spluttered, but her legs seemed to kick into action without her even thinking about it.
Ace dragged her behind a still-somewhat-intact hedge wall. "Look, Kat-- thanks for the help and everything, but you should really get out of here!" He panted, turning to face her. "This is way too--"
"Wh-- NO!" She interrupted him, voice cracking a little with exhaustion and anger. "Fuck THAT-- I am NOT LEAVING! No WAY!"
"Wh-- SERIOUSLY?!" Ace demanded. He was interrupted again by another booming crash, and the ground shook once more.
"YES, seriously!" Kat snapped back once the tremors had stopped. "Look, I meant what I said-- I am NOT gonna leave Grim! Plus, I'm older than ALL of you! I'm not gonna be the kind of adult that leaves kids in trouble without TRYING to do ANYTHING! I will NEVER be that, you got it?!"
Ace looked baffledly back into her face. His mouth opened and closed a few times, like he was trying to work out what to say. Then he groaned in defeat, lowering his head and ruffling his hair aggressively.
"Aaaaagh... Okay, FINE! If you're gonna be all STUBBORN about it-- FINE! But-- but just... Look, just stay here, okay?! Stay outta the way and trust us on this! I'd never hear the end of it from Deucey if you ended up getting killed! Besides, somebody has to look after the furball once all this is over, remember?!"
Kat blinked-- now it was HER turn to gape at him for a few seconds. Then she shook her head, the scowl reappearing. "God... FINE! But you'd better not lose, okay?! And you'd better fuckin' look out for Grim while you're at it, too! Let me tell you-- whatever Deuce was gonna do, I'll do WORSE if Grim gets hurt!"
Ace gave her a thin, tense grin. "On it, Pre-K!"
With that, he ran back out, swinging his pen and buffeting Riddle and the monster with another whirlwind.
"AND YOU BETTER NOT DIE, EITHER!" Kat added in a hoarse shout. "I SWEAR TO GOD-- I'M GONNA GET A OUIJA BOARD AND ANNOY THE SHIT OUT OF YOU EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IF YOU DO!"
She had to duck back behind the hedge as another hail of sharp rocks and rosewood splinters pelted down. When that had died down, she stuck her head back out, doing a mental head-count of the combatants.
Okay, there was Trey-- Ace, Grim, Deuce... And about seven Caters. Everybody looked pretty winded, but nobody was seriously hurt yet...
Riddle, meanwhile, was still hovering in the air.
He didn't seem to be focusing on them anymore, though... Actually, he was looking down at his shaking hands now. His shoulders were rising and falling, like he was short of breath.
"I... I'm right... I'm RIGHT!" He muttered. His amplified voice echoed through the air, even though he seemed to be talking to himself. "I am absolutely, positively, UNDENIABLY right... I HAVE to be the one in the right! Because-- if I'm not, then..."
He clenched his hands into shaking fists. "Then what was any of this FOR?!"
Kat's heart panged again, despite the situation, and she put a hand to her chest. God-- he sounded so... So miserable...
This wasn't the time for this, though.
Shaking her head, she looked around the garden. Luckily, all the students seemed to have been evacuated successfully...
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Crowley now. He had BETTER be getting the other fucking teachers, or I swear to God I'm actually going to go berserk... I'm haunting his ass if I die, mark my fucking words.
With an angry screech, the monster pulled its arm back again, preparing to bring the bush down like a hammer.
Grim leapt forward, shooting another fireball at the thing's descending limb. It sizzled, recoiling a little, but kept coming, and Grim yelped.
"RAAAAH!" Ace yelled angrily, pointing his pen and shooting a gale-force stream of wind. The remaining flames got caught up, flaring into an inferno.
The monster got buffeted back, almost losing its grip on the rosebush. It actually fell over, crushing a hedge wall with a ground-shaking crash.
Riddle screamed again, and the monster flailed, almost losing form as it thrashed around into whipping tendrils. The flames burned away a little more of the black, inky substance before they fizzled out... Even the ragged velvet of its dress was a little charred.
Unfortunately, this just seemed to make it even madder. Getting back up, it wailed, raising both its arms. This time, they split into multiple tendrils, striking at the ground and flailing through the air. Grabbing bits and pieces of debris, it flung them around, like it was literally having a tantrum.
As Kat watched, two more Caters ran up to it, firing beams of sparkles. It shrieked, lashing out with more whiplike tendrils. The Caters flinched as they were practically cut in half, poofing into white smoke.
The monster and Riddle screamed in unison again, the loudest one they'd done so far.
Kat winced in pain, squeezing her eyes shut and crouching back down behind the hedge. Her heart was thundering against the inside of her ribcage, and her stomach felt like a bag of violent static.
Dammit-- she'd made such a big deal out of not running away, but honestly? She was terrified...
I don't wanna be here. I don't, I don't, I really, really, REALLY don't wanna be here...
She pressed her palms over her ears until it started to hurt. Her head filled up with the boom of her panicked pulse, like the echoes in a seashell. I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna be here-- why did I decide to stay?!?! God, this was such a bad idea...
Oh, shit--
She realized that she was starting to slip into dissociation, and had to make an effort to drag herself back to reality. No, no, no, this is REALLY not the best time...
Well, to be fair, when WAS a good time to dissociate?
...This was definitely a really bad time for that, though.
She shook her head, bracing herself before peering out from behind the hedge wall.
Uh-oh-- she wasn't sure how long she'd been 'out', but it looked like things hadn't gotten any better. In fact, they'd probably gotten WORSE.
There were only four Caters remaining now. One of them, probably the real one, looked pale and haggard. He was swaying slightly as he clutched his magical pen.
Trey's hat had gone missing at some point, and there was a sizable cut on his cheek.
Ace was holding a winded-looking Grim under one arm, wincing a little. Both he and Deuce looked battered-- even injured. There were a few large, ragged slashes in their uniforms-- one on Ace's shoulder, and one on Deuce's side and knee. She couldn't see from this distance, but the edges of the tears looked coated with black goo...
Riddle, meanwhile, was still floating-- obviously. But that black fog was almost enveloping him like a cocoon, sending more and more pulsing strands through the air.
With another crazed scream, he swung his hand down again. The monster lashed out, arms splitting into tendrils to cover as much ground as possible.
Ace and Deuce tried to drop to the ground, but they were a little too slow. One of the tendrils caught Ace in the side, sweeping him sideways and knocking him hard into Deuce as he dropped Grim. They both went flying again, and Kat blanched, putting her hands to her mouth as they fell in a crumpled heap.
Riddle cackled madly as the flames in his eye started to burn brighter and brighter. "YES!" He screamed, a terrifying expression distorting his delicate face. "HA HA HA HA-- YES! DO YOU SEE NOW?! IT WAS UTTER FOLLY TO DEFY ME! I AM THE MOST CORRECT! I AM INFALLIBLE!!"
Fuuuuuuck-- this wasn't good...
This definitely felt like one of the final stages before he actually started to die. There was even a little bit of that black stuff dribbling out of the corner of his mouth... God, that wasn't good.
And the others didn't look like they could last much longer... Ace and Deuce were both back up, but it had taken a lot longer than it had at the beginning of the fight.
She-- she couldn't just sit here and do NOTHING... Fuck, shit, god-- think of something! Come on, come on, come on...
Maybe-- maybe she could throw something?
It was a dumb idea, but it was worth a shot... Honestly, ANYTHING was worth a shot at this point.
Looking around, Kat found a suitably sized chunk of ground. Hefting it in one hand, she peered out from behind the hedge wall.
God, if I do manage to hit him on the head, I hope this doesn't end up killing him. How anticlimactic would THAT be?
Licking her lips, she bounced the piece of rock and earth nervously in her hand a couple of times.
Then she hurled it at Riddle with all her strength.
It hit the mark-- somehow. Or rather, it almost hit the mark. She'd been aiming for his head, but she ended up hitting him on the shoulder, making him stagger back in midair.
"Uh-oh," she muttered, getting up from her crouch as he turned to glare in her direction.
"Why, you-- YOU INSOLENT WRETCH!" He shouted, as the monster turned, too, raising its arm. It shot its arm forward into a pillar of black. She started running, managing to escape it by half a foot as it demolished the hedge wall behind her.
Oh god oh fuck oh geez-- Riddle and this thing really weren't giving up! It surged after her, roaring angrily, and she had to duck again as the stream of black whipped over her head.
Unfortunately, she got back up a little too fast-- it caught her on the backswing, sending her flying over the lawn. She barely had time to brace herself before she hit the ground, rolling and skidding a few times. Finally, she came to a stop, with every last molecule of oxygen whooshing out of her lungs.
Ow... That fucking hurt.
She felt the vibrations of the monster approaching through the ground, but her head was still spinning, and her body was numb. There was no way in hell she was going to be able to move anytime soon...
"Foolish girl," She heard Riddle's extremely muffled-sounding voice announce, with an edge of smug malice. "Did you really think that YOU, a pitiful magicless WENCH, would be able to so much as lay a finger on ME?!"
...He did NOT just call me a wench, a small part of her brain thought. For the love of fuck-- I'm really about to get killed by somebody who talks like a Shakespeare villain! I think I'd honestly just prefer 'bitch' at this point...
She managed to roll over, still struggling for breath. Through her crooked glasses, she saw Riddle drift downwards, lifting a hand. There was a stomach-churning jerk, and she saw a few pebbles rise from the cracked lawn. Then she lifted up, too, drifting towards the hovering housewarden.
Riddle brought her to a halt in front of him, one hand, presumably the one he was using to levitate her, raised slightly.
He's gonna start monologuing at me, isn't he, she thought dully.
And, sure enough--
"LOOK at you!" He scoffed, twisting his hand and making her jerk forward towards him. "What did a magicless louse like you even HOPE to achieve?! Did you fancy yourself quite noble for staying behind, instead of fleeing with the others? HA!"
He threw back his head, letting out a sharp bark of laughter. "As if someone like YOU could ever be anything more than a burden! A pathetic, useless little mouse!"
Shaking her head, Kat coughed a couple of times, finally managing to get about half a normal breath into her lungs. "W-Well... Excuse ME for not wanting to run off while there was even a CHANCE of stopping you from killing yourself!" She wheezed, glaring back at him defiantly. "Apologies for being a somewhat decent person, I guess?! Soooo sorry-- it won't happen again!"
Riddle scoffed, looking at her with distaste. "And?! How exactly were you planning to do that, useless as you are?!"
"I. Don't. KNOW," she retorted. "I just knew that I-- I had to TRY! I wasn't gonna be one of those fuckers who runs away from stuff like this! And I'm two years older than you, remember?! What kinda legal adult would I be if I left a kid in a situation like this?!"
He curled his lip, looking her up and down. "Really-- you call yourself an adult?! And yet you possess not a SHRED of maturity! How laughable!"
Twisting his hand again, he crooked his fingers like claws, bringing her almost face-to-face with him. "No maturity, no magic, no common sense-- tell me, is there ANYTHING you're good for?!"
Kat shook her head, scowling back even though she could feel the terror starting to get to her again. "Screw you," she coughed.
Riddle snorted, lip curling even more. "Huh! I'll take that as a 'no', then... As I expected. Well, in THAT case..."
He grinned maniacally into her face, eyes blazing like burning coals as he clenched his hand into a fist. "It would be no great loss to the world if you were to simply VANISH, would it?!"
"Agh...!!" Kat gasped as her arms were pinned to her sides. A crushing pressure enveloped her body, squeezing in from all sides.
Ow-- ow, ow, ow, OW! The pain was-- was getting really bad... She could feel her bones starting to creak. Oh god, they were gonna break...
A jet of red fire shot through the air, zipping between Riddle and Kat. Riddle recoiled with an angry shout, flinging his arms up over his face to protect himself.
The pressure around Kat's body vanished, and she dropped like a stone, giving an involuntary scream as she fell through the air. A sparkling gust of wind swirled up, catching her and slowing her descent from a plummet to a drift.
She landed princess-style in the arms of Cater... Or a Cater, at least. Freezing with her arms pulled tight to her chest, she blinked stupidly a couple of times.
"Whew... Y-You okay, Kitty-Kat?" The Cater asked, panting a little.
Kat blinked a couple more times, then nodded.
"Great!" He replied, giving her a grin. "Good to hear-- oh, shit--"
The monster and Riddle screamed in unison again. Cater ducked, dashing out of the way as the whip of blackness shot out, snaking through the air at lightning speed.
Just like her, it seemed that he wasn't fast enough... Possibly because he was still carrying her.
The streak of black slime caught him full in the back, knocking him off his feet with a strangled yelp. They collided with a hedge wall, judging by the sound and feel of crunching foliage and snapping twigs. Then there was the same loud 'POP!' and rushing of air as the other disappeared Cater-clones.
Kat thumped to the ground again, rolling over and coughing as she waited for her head to stop spinning.
God-- everything hurts... This was the worst beating she'd ever received.
Somehow, her glasses were still on, but they were really crooked now, almost diagonal across her face. Shaking her head, she forced herself up onto one elbow.
The monster was thrashing around, trying to strike at the beams of sparkles and elements shooting at it from all sides from Trey, Deuce, Ace and the few remaining Caters.
"DAMN YOOUUUUU!" Riddle screamed, ripping at his hair again. "DAMN YOU, CURSE YOU-- DAMN YOU ALL! I'LL KILL YOU ALL, I'LL KILL... I'LL--"
A streak of purplish energy shot through the air, hitting him in the chest. He rocked backwards with another enraged shout.
Ace dodged aside just in time as the monster grabbed a piece of demolished rosebush, hurling it in his direction.
"CAULDRONS-- I SUMMON THEE!" Deuce shouted hoarsely, pointing his pen.
There was a huge flash of light above the monster. Then an entire cascade of cauldrons tumbled through the air, piling onto the thing and sending it crashing to the ground.
It roared again, starting to struggle.
But with another flash of light, a second wave of cauldrons materialized. Then another-- and another. Soon, it was trapped under a mountain of cast-iron, still struggling and bellowing, but very definitely pinned down.
Deuce was panting visibly, face glistening with sweat as he tried to catch his breath. Oh, shit-- that probably took a lot of energy...
"UGIIIIIIII!" Riddle screamed again, whirling on the out-of-breath Deuce and raising his hands. A ball of fire started growing above his head, like that one Dragon Ball attack, swirling with red-and-black sparkles.
Deuce tried to run to the side, but wobbled and fell to his hands and knees, wincing as his face went pale from exhaustion.
It was at this exact moment that Riddle hurled the ball of flames. It blazed through the air like a meteorite, straight towards the dark-haired boy.
"NO!" Kat heard herself shout again, struggling to her feet.
A gust of wind roared through the air, sweeping the molten sphere off its course. Running forward, Ace gave a hoarse yell, swinging his pen and sending it right back.
It collided hard, exploding like a firework, and Riddle actually went crashing to the ground in a smoking heap. He struggled back upright, panting heavily and snarling. "Why, YOU--" He began, starting to rise back into the air again.
Before he could get more than a few inches off the ground, two of the three remaining Caters launched themselves at him. Grabbing one arm each, they clung to each limb with their whole body, digging in their heels and struggling to keep him at ground level.
"Ch--Chill out, Riddle-kun!" One of them panted. "If you keep this up, you're REALLY gonna DIE! Are you okay with that?!"
"That's right, that's RIGHT!" The other one agreed, pulling the thrashing housewarden back down as he tried to make a break for it. "This isn't like you at ALL! Where's the Riddle we all know and begrudgingly admire, huh?!"
Riddle gave a long, wordless screech of fury, shaking them off as he shot back into the air. The thorned loops at his back shot out like vines, stabbing both Caters through the stomachs. They yelped in shock as they were tossed aside, disappearing into smoke and sparkles.
Riddle raised his hands again, gathering more black smoke and bits of debris.
Kat ducked, covering her head with both arms and dashing off to the side as the rain of spears and axes shot down again.
She dodged around a few pieces of broken fence and hedge, jumped over a fissure in the ground...
And stepped on something thin, cylindrical and hard. It rolled under the sole of her sneaker, and she fell backwards onto her butt like she'd just slipped on a banana peel.
"Owwww," she complained to herself, wincing and putting a hand to the small of her back.
Well-- she'd managed to get out of range of the projectile attack, at any rate... But what the hell had she just tripped on?
She looked around, and--
Oh.
...It was Riddle's scepter.
Another bellowing roar pierced the air, making the ground shake again, and she looked up.
Riddle was back up in the air, but not quite as high as he had been. He was hurling bursts of red-and-black sparkles and dribbling black weapons at Trey, Ace and Grim-- it looked like they were the only ones still left in the fight.
In fact, 'fight' wasn't really the right word... Mainly, it looked like all they were managing to do was protect Deuce and Cater, who both looked extremely drained.
This is bad-- at this rate, they're all gonna...
And then Riddle-- shit...
What do I do, what do I do, what do I--
...She looked down at the scepter.
Then back up at Riddle.
Then at the roaring, struggling monster, still trapped under the pile of cauldrons.
...It wasn't even a full idea, really. More like half an idea, actually, and even THAT was being generous. But she-- she had to do SOMETHING...
Kat clambered unsteadily back to her feet. Keeping her eyes on the battle, she reached down slowly, until her fingertips brushed cold metal.
Her hand closed around the scepter's shaft. As soon as she'd picked it up, though, she dropped it again, hissing. "OW!"
A crackle of black energy had rippled over the metal, shocking her with a sharp, stinging pain.
"What the fuck," she muttered, flapping her hands. Looking down at the scepter suspiciously, she poked it with the tip of her sneaker.
It rolled over a little, revealing something she hadn't noticed before... A magestone. The oval, faceted magestone that was attached to every student's magical pen... And Grim's ribbon, of course.
Since Riddle was the head of Heartslabyul, it should've been red... But it wasn't.
It was black. Shining like obsidian, and pulsing with a faint dark light.
What had Crowley said earlier? 'Your magestone will be completely overwhelmed with blot'?
She poked it a few more times. When it didn't shock her again, she reached down, pulling her sleeve over her hand and picking it up again. Must've been some kind of energy discharge-- like static electricity or something...
Shaking her head, she started creeping slowly, barely one footstep at a time. Okay, take it easy, take it slow-- please don't see me, please don't, please don't...
She heard a thud and a shout of pain. Ducking instinctively again, she looked around in shock. Trey had just been sent flying through the air, landing hard with a groan.
"TREY-SENPAI!" She heard Ace shout, running forward and swinging his pen to turn another rain of spears aside with a burst of wind.
Trey struggled back upright, clumsily managing to dodge the reforming weapons before falling to one knee, clutching his shoulder. Oh, shit-- that wasn't good...
Putting her head down, she scurried around the edges of the battlefield. Her hands were shaking, but she gritted her teeth, gripping the scepter tight as she crept closer.
The monster was still trapped under the pile of cauldrons, roaring wetly. It didn't seem to notice as she edged carefully around it, holding her breath.
A few of the cauldrons shifted, making her jump-- she froze for a moment.
It still seemed pretty thoroughly stuck... But it was definitely making progress.
Looked like it was now or never...
She edged closer, closer... Soon, she was actually standing on the edge of the creature's ragged velvet hem.
If this doesn't work, then-- well, I guess we're fucked...
But at least we TRIED.
Or-- I did, anyway.
Taking a deep breath, Kat braced herself. Then, with a fierce yell, she shoved the bottom of the scepter hard through the glass of its ink-bottle head.
The glass shattered. Both the monster and Riddle cried out in unison, letting out a long, pained scream of what she could only really describe as agony, or despair.
The ground shook again, and Riddle clutched at the sides of his head, arching backwards and still screaming.
Kat kept pushing, though, driving the end of the scepter down into the dirt on the other side like she was planting a flag. Fuck, I hope I looked cool doing that...
With one final scream, Riddle collapsed into a crumpled heap on the ground. Black fog started to stream off of him, like a factory chimney.
The monster groaned and twitched, cracks spiderwebbing out across the glass of its head and starting to shatter. The black liquid inside hissed and sizzled as the air hit it, and a puff of thick, clinging black vapor rose up, hitting her straight in the face.
"Oh-- shit," she coughed, eyes starting to stream. "Christ..."
Yanking the scepter out, she staggered back, putting the back of her hand to her nose and mouth. God, this smelled awful... All acrid and chemical-y. She could already feel a headache coming on..
But it had an odd aftertaste-- or after-scent, rather. A faint whiff of... Of roses, and baking cakes, and-- and strawberries...
The scepter slipped out of her hand, and she realized, at the last second, that she was falling sideways.
Her body was numb, and her head was swimming, spinning into darkness. The last thing she saw was the blurry shape of two white-clad figures and a small gray potato speeding across the ground towards her.
"PREFECT!"
"KAT!"
Why... Hadn't she hit the ground yet? Was she falling down? Like, through a hole in the ground, or something?
There were cards drifting slowly past, floating upward like they were underwater... The ticking of a clock...
By the time her head actually hit the ground, she'd already been out cold for nearly a full second.
Author's Notes:
Trey's "RIIIDORUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" Vs. Pure Vanilla's "DARK ENCHANTRESS COOKIE! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" FIGHT.
Taking more action cues from the manga, specifically the card suit spear Tiro Finale and Cater's dramatic sacrifice fakeout with Kat and Deuce there. (Which is exactly what she needed; it's not like she was still reeling from the FIRST redhead near-death or anything...)
Although Kat isn't as useful in battle as Jumbo Shrimpy Yuuken.
Hey, at least she's trying.
Crowley had to redeem himself slightly for just standing there and being a dramatic line dispenser for the last two installments. (One of those was my fault a little, so I gave him a W to balance it out.)
Riddle's first swearwords! Even though it's arguably the least impactful one, especially since rampaging villains say 'DAMN IT ALL' or 'DAMN YOU' quite a lot.
...
...I had this idea a while back, when I was wondering what the anime was gonna be like. So I went with it.
...You can probably tell what's gonna happen.
Listen, the MC needs to have SOMETHING besides a relatively normal outlook on things, an (apparently) generally amiable disposition and a fire-cat. Plus, this is Therapy Simulator after all, and you can't really do much Therapy if you don't have a good read on the issues of the person in need of it.
(I finished the Camp Vargas story, and... Nobody connected the two dots between the mine monsters and the Phantoms? That's the first thing I thought of when I saw Riddle's Phantom. I know it's because they were saving up for the big chapter 6 reveal of STYX and everything, but... Really??????)