Battle Royale III: Arena Edition

First, a little backstory. Battle Royale I and Battle Royale II were of the Chatbox Edition, and Battle Royale II ended with the notification that it should be done in the Arena, so because I enjoyed it greatly, I have decided to follow orders and make Battle Royale III of the Arena Edition!

Rules:
1. Your character enters battle ready, full power. Whatever weapons or spells they need to prepare/charge/etc. ahead of time, they have. Unless you feel the need to give yourself a handicap, that is~
2. There is no need to give your character a reason to go at it with the characters, just write their entry and start hacking! This is OOC, after all.
3. The location. The Battle Royale takes place in The White Labyrinth. It is a maze of infinite size that houses large open rooms, corners, hallways, doors, small rooms, empty broom closets, and termites.
4. The usual forum rules. No godmoding, controlling other people's characters, flaming, etc.
5. You may only allow one of your characters to participate at a time. If at any time they are killed, you must [do something that will be decided once we see whether anyone actually joins how popular this actually gets] to respawn.
6. Have fun!

---

{OOC: I'll start off, I guess.}

There is a large open room with many doors scattered haphazardly along its four, equilateral walls. One of them opens, revealing a young girl, seemingly unarmed. She scans the room, searching for life.

The young empress would hear the slight sound of something running this way, it's claws scraping against the tiles of the hallway leading into the room. An Alaskan silver back wolf, running from the darkness of the hall, stopping in it's tracks and bending it's legs once it sights the girl. It immediately growls and backs away a bit. What could that thing possibly be doing here? It immediately let out a small howl, the noise echoing through the many halls and rooms that filled this maze of a building. It would then turn to run away back down the hall. How odd.

"Awww...You couldn't find someone more challenging?" A voice echoed, rather disappointingly as footsteps are heard from the halls as a man with long red hair, bangs sticking out and a purple suit of sorts, steps out looking rather disappointed. However his expression changes as his wolf was startled for a good reason. He smiled rather ominously as he looked into her eyes.

As she searched the room for other people, Vita heard a faint scratching noise. It began to grow louder and louder, until its source finally burst into the room from another of its many doors. It was a large wolf, that upon setting eyes on her, immediately growled and backed away.

Heh. It seems that even if the world at large has yet to recognize my authority, this beast has. As she smiled at the thought, it turned to run back into the corridor it had emerged from. A short moment, someone, likely the beast's master, spoke.

"Awww... You couldn't find someone more challenging?" The man initially seemed quite disappointed, but like the beast's had, his countenance quickly made a one eighty. Only, unlike the beast's which had turned to fear, his had gone in a completely different direction. This feeling... After feeling it just once, it becomes unmistakable. It was blood lust. This man wanted to kill her.

"Hello there.~ What might a cute girl like you being doing in a place like this." Even with that knowledge, she returned his gaze and replied without so much as flinching.

"The same as you, most likely. Why else would anyone be in this place?" She spoke confidently, not at all fazed by the man. Her tone, body language, and countenance all implied an absolute confidence in her abilities.

"Well, before we begin, we may as well introduce ourselves. I am Vita Vesta Caesar, the Empress of the Roman Empire. And you are?" She spoke audaciously, with a great smile on her face. Her claim was ridiculous, but it was clearly evident that she was not fooling around in the slightest.

Renavin stared at her with a rather perplexed look, before trying to stifle a laugh and ultimately letting it all out. This girl? Empress of a fallen Empire? That's about as unbelievable as a hurricane made of entirely of penguins and sharks. The worst part was is that from what he can tell from her body gesture and her voice, she was very serious about her claim.

"Ahahaha! Ooooh...You seem like a fun one.~" He smiled at her, before clearing his throat real quick and giving a genuine smile. Unlike the one earlier, where a murderous aura had formed around him. He spoke rather formally like and smooth as any gentleman would. "I am Renavin Tomokota, of the Tomokota family." Renavin had got into a habit to sometimes introduce himself by not only his name but his family as well. Mainly when people either formally challenge him or is in the presence of someone who may be very entertaining. He tucked his arm and bowed. "Glad to make your appearance, Empress Caesar-chan." It didn't seem like he was mocking her really, since his body language showed genuine politeness and confidence. The two wolves beside him also bowed in unison, obviously he had some sort of control over them.

Though I have to say... He smirked a bit under the cover of his long spikey hair. For such a young girl, she has no real openings...How interesting.

"Ahahaha! Ooooh... You seem like a fun one.~" After a half-hearted attempt at restraining himself, the man laughed ferociously, and spoke those words. Fun? Considering the man's demeanor, it was unlikely that was something she should take pleasure in being considered. After a short pause, however, he appeared to calm down, and introduce himself as she had requested.

"I am Renavin Tomokota, of the Tomokota family. Glad to make your appearance, Empress Caesar-chan." In stark contrast to earlier, he was being extremely polite, even going as far as to make a respectful bow. It appeared completely genuine, and under different circumstances, she may have even fallen for it.

However, she had already seen his earlier appearance, and it was undoubtedly the real deal. Most likely, his current gentile demeanor was simply a facade he used to interact normally with the world at large. Also of note, judging by how they bowed along with him, he appeared to have some level of control over his wolves. She wasn't certain, but it was likely that he used his magic to do so. If so, then if she took him out, his pets would likely fall soon after.

Her plan of action was decided.

"So you don't recognize me either. Well, I suppose that's to be expected of your type. Perhaps you'll change your mind if I crush you? Wolves refuse to follow those who are weaker than they are, after all." Everything that needed to be said, had been said. All that was left was to begin.

"Diana Augusta, imbue me with the swiftness of the beasts you hunt!" As she spoke the incantation, she removed a small knife from her skirt pocket. And the moment the last word left her mouth, she rushed forward with inhuman speed, aiming to put a gash in his side as she ran past him and opened up the distance between them once more.

Renavin smirked as the young girl came at him at inhuman speed, the dagger in hand. Such a petty knife wasn't exactly going to cut it, even if she had such speed.

*CLANG*

The sound of sharp metal colliding with a hard object, as sparks flew by her hand. Renavin spun around with a laughing smile on his face as the wolves bared their teeth at the girl at the sudden hostile action. He slowed his spin until he was facing her again, holding his right hand up confidently.

What did she hit exactly? She was aiming for just the threads in which was covering the flesh she hoped to to cut open. However, she didn't even make a scratch. That was when there was a view of an object in his right hand, a small dagger to be precise. It wasn't very long nor wide, but it's design and decals were odd, as it curved slightly upward.

"You know...They call me a 'Blood Joker' sometimes..." He started to monologue, as Renavin started to pace a bit with in the room. More foot steps can be heard in the distance. More wolves to be precise. He couldn't possibly find more contenders if he didn't have enough scouts looking for them. Four more silver backs ran in and took fighting stances, a line formation more or less between him and the empress herself. "They say I have too much fun, toying with my blood as I spill my enemy's. Can't say they're entirely wrong."

Throughout their entire conversation, she may not have been noticing that his right hand was hidden right in the middle of it, grabbing the sacrificial dagger in it's holster under the his coat. He chuckled as he suddenly sliced his own flesh, clean and quick. Blood didn't drip out as naturally as one would expect, instead it started to form something, a long thin blade.

((Moment of Truth - G-Senjou no Maou))

"Now then..." He smiled wickedly as the blood stopped feeding his blade more surface area, quickly whipping it toward her, signaling a charge. "LET US BEGIN!" Three wolves didn't hesitate to make the charge, their speed immense, and their teeth ready rip the flesh off the young girl. Three enemies at one time, while the other three guard their master. Quite the challenge considering he himself seems well experienced.

Her attack failed, bouncing off his body with a clang. She's caught her opponent off guard, but he must have had something hidden under his clothes that he'd used to block her attack. It had also prevented her from even scratching his clothes, so whatever it was, it wasn't normal, though precisely what properties it had there was no way of knowing.

Continuing her dash, she skidded to a stop some distance away from him, having reopened the distance between them as she'd originally planned. With the failure of her attack, she'd be at risk of a counterattack if she remained within close range. Especially with that small dagger that had appeared in his hand at some point in time, without her noticing.

"You know... They call me a 'Blood Joker' sometimes... They say I have too much fun, toying with my blood as I spill my enemy's. Can't say they're entirely wrong." He paced the room as he spoke, and several more wolves entered the room, forming a wall between the two of them, and outnumbering her further. And as he spoke, his right hand was hidden from view. He was buying time, preparing something. Perhaps it was whatever had blocked her attack?

Regardless, she couldn't interrupt him. The wolves' battle formation was sound, and she'd be at a disadvantage if she made the first move. Just as she began to plan a method to break through safely, however, he interrupted her train of thought abruptly and violently.

"Now then... LET US BEGIN!" He pulled a long red blade from his coat, presumably what he had been attempting to prepare as he delayed her, and whipped it towards her, signaling the beginning of a charge.

Three of the now six wolves rushed towards her, baring their fangs. With her small body, taking even a single blow would be devastating. As a result, her choice of spell was obvious. She would simply have to acquire power capable of matching theirs.

"Oh Mars Augustus, bless me with your great strength!" She yelled the incantation at the top of her lungs, and rushed forward to meet the wolves. She didn't have much time left for the Blessing of Diana, so she'd have to get in and out, fast. She ignored the three attacking wolves completely, and made straight for Renavin.

She avoided the fangs of one wolf, ducked under the claws of another, and used the head of the third as a jumping board, landing a powerful kick in the process. She'd successfully bypassed the vanguard, so now she had to take on the general and his guards.

She did not assault from either side, attempt a head-on charge, or try and slip past them and attack from behind. Rather, she continued flying through the air, and fell right towards Renavin, a kick to crush his skull falling straight from the sky!

A cramped, white tunnel opened up before Takashi as he began exploring. He had no idea what to expect as he made his way down the seemingly endless hallways in search for anything to change the admittedly monotonous silence. Even if he wasn't one for most kinds of social interaction, he was certainly yearning for some after about five minutes of exploring. However, upon turning a corner to be greeted by an expansive white room, his wish had been granted. 

In the center of the room he found a peculiar sight. Six wolves with silver coats, three of which were charging at a young girl while the other three were seemingly guarding their master. He took in the sight for a second, which was enough for him to realize just how much danger the girl was in. He did not hesitate for a second, even as he witnessed the girl yell out some strange incantation that he could not completely understand from the distance he was and dodge all three wolves, even using the last animal like a trampoline to propel herself towards the feral beasts' master. At that time, he strangely felt that he had to make his presence known. She was going to be slaughtered. He had to do something, even if it would put himself at risk; even if he wasn't that powerful to begin with! Thus, he ran forward a few extra yards and yelled at the top of his lungs: 

"...Heh." The tall man let out a slight chuckle, as he watched the girl easily bypass his wolves. He was analyzing her power as she began her approach. It seems that she can increase her attributes such as speed and strength in order to best their enemy. It was interesting, but frankly disappointing. He took into account that she may be able to use more than one, or possibly one at a time. But either way, it seems this battle was indeed in his favor.

However, this is what made him even more disappointed. It seems the empress has underestimated him. Going for a killing blow already could end the battle quickly, but unless you're fighting someone someone incapable of protecting themselves, it's just leaves several opening. The most obvious one is that she's in the air and without any real way to change her direction, all he has to do is to swing upward and cut her leg off, while dodging to the side. How boring.

Renavin quickly got ready to swing as he legs were ready to pounce to the side, and as he was about to swing his blade into the girls leg, he heard something. "HEY!" Renavin took a glance as he was dodging, losing some concentration in his swing so at best it'll only leave a gash in her leg, instead of actually cutting it off entirely. Whether he'd miss or make contact, he swiftly managed to get out of her range of such a devastating kick she had.

He turned his head slightly over to the boy on the other side. "...Another one huh." He smiled slightly, as the three wolves trying to attack Caesar ultimately started charging at the boy. Obviously he was no comrade of his and he won't allow his guard to falter again just because someone interrupted his fight. "The more the merrier~!"

The three wolves in which guarded Renavin already turned toward the blond Empress, two of them already lunging at her, hopefully to get her off guard after trying deliver such a heavy kick and possibly getting delivered a brutal gash to his calve or thigh.

This was bad, this was very, very bad. She'd focused too much on beating the enemy down quickly and had carelessly left herself wide open as a result. Renavin had already noticed her mistake, and was swinging his blade toward her in a deadly arc that would slice off her legs!

"HEY!"

As she brought her legs in towards her body so as to give her enemy less of a target, she glanced over in the direction the voice had come from. The newcomer was a boy, only a year or two older than herself. He didn't appear to have the air of a magician.

But regardless of his identity, he had provided a distraction that had very likely saved her life. The slash that would have removed her legs, or at the very least give her a debilitating wound that would have left her defenseless, had instead left a large gash. If it were left untreated, then it would be dangerous, but in the short term, she could live with it, making it much better than the alternative.

As she hit the ground, two of the wolves that had surrounded Renavin moved in to attack, while the remainder were sent after the boy. Renavin seemed to have said something, but she had no time to focus on that. Her priority was surviving.

The Blessing of Diana had already faded, but Mars' Blessing was still going strong. She had a slot open for another blessing, but she had to get out of her current predicament before she could make use of it.

She was off-balance, and the wolves were coming at her from both sides. She couldn't do any fancy acrobatics from this position, so she'd have to get down and dirty. She deliberately fell down to the ground, and rolled under one of the wolves, using brute strength to push away its paws, and quickly got back up once she emerged on the other side.

She was at a disadvantage in this room. The wide-open space was a huge advantage for Renavin and his wolves, but in a hallway he'd only be able to send a few after her at a time. As such, she made a dash for the closest door. It was a shame she had to leave the boy behind, as she appreciated the help, but it was too dangerous to remain in such a disadvantageous position.

As she ran, she chanted a spell under breath heal her legs, as they were slowing her down. "Saturnus Augustus, lift the burden of this time from my shoulders."  Upon finishing, a faint light enveloped the wounds on her legs, and they disappeared, allowing her to continue her dash with renewed speed.

Takashi saw this coming. That was the whole purpose. Get the attention of the pack so that the girl may have some chance of survival. However, now he had bigger problems. Three wolves started sprinting at him with murderous intent and there wasn't much in his arsenal he could do to physically stop them. So he did the only thing he knew how. He waited and charged a burst. The room itself lacked any sort of opposing current, so he didn't have to worry about resistance in any direction. He just watched their distance, waited, and planned his next move.

One second. The wolves had begun their charge, bolting over to his position at blinding speeds. Two seconds. They were about half way when an idea popped into Takashi's mind "They seem to be traveling in a relatively straight line. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage..." Three seconds. They were getting close. "Let them come. I have an idea of what to do." he thought. He thought about how the girl had leaped over the wolves to avoid them. Perhaps he could use that to... Three and a half seconds. They were too close for comfort. "No time left to think. I have to act now!" 

Takashi directed the burst forty five degrees upwards, took a single step forward, jumped up and began what was essentially a front flip, using the propulsion of the burst which he placed directly underneath him to initiate his move. By the time that he was above the wolves, he was directly face down, and parallel to the floor. He watched them speed under him, just barely missing him, as he used the initial velocity to continue his rotation so that he landed feet first. He turned around, and faced the threat, a second idea appearing in his mind, one that could buy him the little bit of time he needs. All he could do now was wait for their move as he began to charge yet another burst. "This could work. I just need them to charge me once again".

The wolves quickly spun around, their hind legs ready to pounce at the scarfed wonder. They slowly started to tighten their formation, instead of spreading out. Something wasn't right, since these wolves looked like they were adapting to the situation, but in normal circumstances they should be spreading out in order to make it more difficult for him to attack them. But when they clump together, they just become one target. However, this confusion of this move wasn't meant for them, as the presence of someone speeding behind him became apparent when the air shifted with his movements.

One quick slash toward his back, whether it'd cut him in half, or leave a very large wound. Renavin was very quick on his feet and the boy probably didn't have the proper time to dodge his attack. His blade was small and thin, but definitely deadly and sharp as it dug into his flesh within an instant. The wolves were just a mere distraction with their odd formation, all to make sure he didn't focus on the real enemy. "You really are gullible...How boring." Renavin, as said before, does not like hurting children all that much, but he was obviously not going to go down without a fight, so he gave him a quick match.

Almost in unison with the attack, the wolves lunged for Murakami who may or may not be already doomed from however much damage Renavin had done, as he quickly jumped back at a safe distance, unsure of this boy's power and rather played it safe. "The first mistake you made was picking a fight with someone you can't win against...The second. Turning your back on that same enemy." Renavin smiled triumphantly as he took out a deck of paper, and took four more out, letting his blade lose form so slightly so that he can smear a bit of his blood on the magical paper. After a small smoke screen was caused by the simple summoning spell, four more wolves came out. "Alright~! Which ever you four can cut off the adorable empress will get a treat~!" He spoke childishly as the four wolves sprinted off in different directions from where she ran, likely to try cut her off as he said.

Kazuki walked down the long hallway laid out in front of him. He, marked the location in case he needed to return here. He searched for any location he had marked outside of this maze of hallways but it seems that all his portals on the outside were no longer available. Kazuki decided to follow one of these hallways until he found anything of note. He kept walking until he heard the sound of footsteps coming from an intersecting hallway. Hiding behind a corner, he watched as a boy with a scarf walked on past him. It didn't seem like the boy had noticed him. Kazuki decided to follow the boy, perhaps he would lead him to something interesting. He followed the boy until he came to a wide open room. He couldn't see what was inside the room as the scarfed boy was blocking his view. Kazuki was quite surprised that the boy hadn't noticed him, perhaps he was better at sneaking than he thought.  

 

Kazuki was surprised as the boy suddenly rushed forward into the room screaming. With the scarfed boy no longer blocking his view of the room, he could see the events taking place. A tall man, lots of wolves, and a girl were all engaged in some sort of conflict. It looked like the girl had been in a lot of trouble until the scarfed boy had interjected. It look as if his interjection had distracted the tall man, preventing him from finishing off the girl. The girl then got out of the room as fast as possible leaving the scarfed boy alone with the tall man and the wolves. This didn't look good for him, unless he was some powerful esper or something. The wolves lunged at him and he managed to avoid them by doing some sort of aerial maneuver. The boy faced the wolves who looked poised to attack, however the real threat was behind him, the tall man quickly lunged forward and slashed the scarfed boy in the back. Kazuki gasped. Kazuki rushed in to help the boy. The wolves were poised to pounce at him but Kazuki reacted just a bit faster. As the wolves left the ground aimed at the scarfed boy, they suddenly found themselves heading straight for a dark circle that had appeared in the air between them and their target. This was of course a portal, a portal that redirected the wolves so the were aimed directly at the tall man. Dispelling those portal Kazuki quickly made another portal linked back to the hallway he was in before. He picked up the scarfed boy in his arms and exited the room through the portal, closing it behind him. The hallway wasn't all to far away but it was enough distance that it would give him some time to look at the boys wound. It look quite serious.

She was almost there. Almost to the door. Once she reached it, Renavin's advantage would be mitigated to the point that she'd be able to turn the situation around. Just as she was about to put out one last burst of speed, however, a cooing voice echoed through the room.

"Alright~! Which ever you four can cut off the adorable empress will get a treat~!"

Those words were accompanied by four new sets footfalls. She couldn't look back, as that short delay would cost her precious time, but that wasn't necessary. The footfalls were all she needed to be able to tell that there were now four new wolves chasing after her.

If even a single one of them caught her as she was now, her blessings all used up, they'd easily tear her to shreds. In this situation, using another blessing with a timed duration would be unwise, so she went with something a bit more flexible.

"Vulcanus Augustus, give me leave for the use of your forge's great fire."

Just as the blessing took hold, and the door was just a few steps away, two of the four wolves caught up to her. She swung the door open, and as she turned around to close it behind her, she saw one of the wolves lunging at her, its jaw not even an arms length away. Before it could land a blow, however, there was a spark.

And a moment later, a great explosion. The force of it blew the beast away, flying into another wolf that had the poor luck to have been standing right behind it. The door slammed shut. Footsteps began to rapidly fade.

Darkness greeted Takashi. "Am I dead?" he thought. The last think he remembered was a sharp pain and the feeling of some liquid running down his back, practically pouring in fact. Then, he lost consciousness as he fell into some stranger's arms. However his sight cleared slightly as he awoke in a hallway. There was a strange boy with what looked like a T-shirt and cargo pants. He couldn't see any specific details through his clouded vision. Takashi saw the stranger look at his back. Something wasn't right. A sharp pain across his back followed by something wet flowing? "Was I cut?" Takashi then saw something come into his vision. It seemed to pool and had what seemed like an iron smell. Blood...his blood.

When he realized the situation, the pain came back to him in full force as he cried in agony. Through the pain, he thought of only one thing. "Bandage....I need a bandage..." He didn't want to die. Death scared him. He still had so much to do. He couldn't die yet! He then thought of something. His scarf. He could untie it and use it to bind the wound. It wouldn't stop the bleeding, not by a long shot. However, it would be enough. So, he began to tug at his scarf, but he was far too weak. He had lost too much blood. His limbs did not want to move. "The wind...it feels...cold..." Takashi pondered about his death. "How funny..." he thought to himself. "Here I lie staring death in the face...and I feel only fear..." He did not want to die. He had to hold on for a little longer. His senses began to fail him, although he still retained an inkling of consciousness.


"Please...forgive me..." he spoke quietly, addressing the mysterious girl from earlier, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He thought to himself as he held onto what could be his last breaths: "Now for the true test...hold fast...or expire..."

Renavin snickered a bit as he gracefully stepped to the side as the wolves launched in between the black disks that had appeared before him. He didn't know what they were at first, but once he saw the nose of his beloved familiar, he could see the working of his ability. "Some kind of portal huh?...Interesting.~" He smiled wider as the wolves that had been misdirected, and would not waste a moment to turn around as if they suddenly knew what had happened. As they went to go for a second lunge, the dark haired boy had disappeared with the other. "Aaah...A tactical retreat...Hmph. I'll gladly give chase." Renavin chuckled as she turned and started walking down another hall way as his wolves followed him together.

------------

The wolf let out a whine of pain, as the explosion knocked it backed into a fellow pack member, who stumbled backwards by the force of the launch. The other two wolves seemed to be okay, but the one who had gotten so close to injure the young empress, showed heavy signs of injury. A smoke like smell coming from it's fur, it's legs twitching a bit and refused to get up other than whine to the others for aid. They slowly nudged the poor creature with their noses and licked the wounds.

It didn't take long before Renavin arrived, giving a rather sad smile to his familiar before crouching down and stroking it's head gently. "You did well...You can rest now..." The familiar seemed to glow so suddenly, before it's body crystallized into a light and seemed to turn into a beautiful, fading light, shrinking ever so slowly until the paper, in which had summoned it, was left behind. He slowly grabbed the paper and stuffed it with the rest of his deck. He won't be able to use this one for a while. He examined the blocked hallway, now filled with rubble and sighed. "Mah...Looks like we'll be going around." He turned on his heel and walked down the hallway, disappearing into the maze with the pack. Taking his time...He was truly enjoying this.

The scarfed boy's condition looked very bad. He was bleeding very quickly. Kazuki looked around for something he could use to stop the bleeding. The only thing he noticed was the boy's scarf. He quickly unwrapped the boys scarf and folded it over on itself to make it thicker. Kazuki wrapped the scarf around the now unscarfed boy's wound. He tied it very tight so it would apply as much pressure as possible. Hopefully this would be enough. "Sorry I had to use your scarf, but if you live through this, I'm sure you'll thank me in the long run," Kazuki said with smirk.

Kazuki decided that he would look around the nearby hallways to see if he could find anything else that could help the boy. He let the boy know where he was going, although he wasn't even sure if the boy was still conscious or not at this point. Kazuki marked the spot he left the boy so he could return quickly if he found anything and the started wandering through the halls again. This time though he was very much on alert for other people that might try to attack.

Run, run, run, run.

Just keep running. She had to put more distance in between them. She ran and ran, made countless turns until she lost all sense of direction, and eventually just feel to her knees, lungs greedily devouring oxygen from the air.

She almost died. Now that she was out of immediate danger, the thought was catching up to her. She’d almost been killed, and all because of her own stupid mistakes. She'd made one poor choice after another, and ended up having to be saved. She bit her lip.

“I'm still too inexperienced…”

That was the crux of her problem. During her time with the church, she'd amassed significant combat experience, but she’d had little to no time to use her Roman spells in such a setting. Even if she knew logically which combinations were best, when to use what where, she still has yet to make it second nature enough to use the spells to their fullest potential in the heat of battle.

A footstep. Someone was approaching. She’d long since caught her breath, but the end of the hallway the sound was coming from was too far away. She couldn't run up to meet them, and it was already too late to go back the way she came. As she gripped her knife in her right hand, her only consultation was that whoever they might be seemed to be on their own, and more importantly, human.

Takashi felt his scarf loosen and unwind, followed by agonizing pressure on his back. The stranger who saved him said: "Sorry I had to use your scarf, but if you live through this, I'm sure you'll thank me in the long run." He then heard him walk away, leaving Takashi alone in the empty, blank hallway.

As he lied on his side, staring down the hallway, Takashi pondered about his situation. "Bleeding profusely from my back and barely able to stand up in an environment with some man who is hunting us for whatever reason. I'm not sure how whoever saved me was able to escape in the first place, but while I'm glad he did, it only delayed the inevitable..." He closed his eyes and thought back on his life. He saw everything that he had done. He saw the faces of everyone he's known. Then, a thought came to him. He couldn't leave them. Not yet. He had far too much to do to leave them. So, what was once acceptance of his fate turned into determined denial and he felt a sudden rush. "No...it doesn't have to end this way..."

He winced in pain as he mustered what strength he had left to move and began rocking back and forth on his side until he was flat on his stomach with his palms on the ground. "I have not come this far...done so much...to die now..." With the miniscule strength he had left, he pushed himself up slightly and crawled over to the wall. He could feel the blood track behind him as he turned himself and tried to rest his back against the wall. The ordeal felt like it took hours rather than minutes. He looked down and saw his legs, the right pant leg coated in his own blood, along with his hands, the right hand having light smears of blood on the palm and back. He sighed deeply, but then groaned in pain, remembering the slash on his back.

"I need to gather my strength, but I can't just sit here forever." He formulated his plan as he took off his sweater to use as an extra "bandage". First he would recover as much as he could. Then, he would go after them. He knew it wouldn't be easy. In fact, in his condition, it was a death sentence. He needed a lot more time to do anything, let alone charge any kind of useful burst. However, he knew that he couldn't stand by and wait for death. If he was going to die today, he would not die without fighting back. 

As he made his plan, he very slowly folded his legs, place his hands on his lap, and closed his eyes, drifting into his sanctuary.

Kazuki wandered through the maze of hallways looking for anything that might be useful to the boy who had been slashed. These hallways seemed to go on forever. It was a good thing Kazuki had marked the spot where the boy had been or there would be no way he would have found his way back. Kazuki continued to wander the halls until he came face to face with a girl. Kazuki had only seen her briefly, but it appeared to be the same girl that the scarfed boy had rescued earlier. She seemed to be holding a knife in one hand. Kazuki marked the space behind him so that if she made a move he could retreat back to where the wounded boy was.

"Hello there," Kazuki called out to her. "Your that girl from earlier right, the one who was being attacked by the wolves." Kazuki then realized something. "Wait, are there still wolves chasing you now!" Kazuki had seen the man who seemed to be in control of the wolves send some after the girl. It was possible that they were still chasing after her. If so she might be in trouble.

Kohaku woke up laying on the floor of a completely white room with multiple doors. She had no idea where she was and her body was aching all over. At her feet, she noticed a messenger bag. Inside of it, she found multiple cases. The first contained syringes and various chemicals ranging from Acepromazine to potassium cyanide. She had no idea why she even had them. They were just there. She closed the first case and opened up the second case which was an equally large first aid kit containing multiple essentials like bandages, scissors, forceps, and anti-septics. Aside from the two cases, there was also a notepad with a pair of pens, some sports drinks, and some food.

Realizing that sitting there and staring at the mysterious bad was not going to get her anywhere, she stood up and strapped the bag around her upper body. "I need to leave here," she muttered. That was all this boiled down to. "As long as I can find my way to safety…"

So, she walked through the door in front of her. After going on for a few minutes, she went through multiple turns with no end in sight. Seeing as this seemed to be a maze, she continued to walk straight while recording the locations of the turns and forks. If she ever reached a dead end, she could backtrack as much as necessary and switch paths.

However, she eventually saw people…two to be exact. One was a thin boy with black hair. The other one was a shorter girl with blond hair who was panting like crazy. She approached them. "So, there are other people here too, huh. Do you have any idea why we're here? Moreover, are you feeling alright, miss? You look exhausted."

"Hello there, you're that girl from earlier right, the one who was being attacked by the wolves. Wait, are there still wolves chasing you now!"

It was human, and not the enemy magician. She could tell from just his panicked voice that he was no magician. Rather, this was likely his first time being in a life-threatening situation, judging from the panic in his voice. He was not a threat. Rather, if she played her cards right, he could even be an ally.

"Hmph, of course they are. Did that man seem like the type to give up on his prey to you? I imagine those wolves are roaming the halls searching for me at this very moment. You as well, most likely."

As she spoke, her originally labored breathing fell to a much slower pace, and she felt the fresh blood flow into her tired limbs, alleviating the burning some. She was back in fighting shape now, but that didn't mean she could relax. Rather, she had to gain this young man's assistance as soon as possible before Renavin discovered her location.

"So, there are other people here too, huh. Do you have any idea why we're here? Moreover, are you feeling alright, miss? You look exhausted."

"Hwah?!"

T-That startled her! A voice had suddenly sounded from behind her, and she'd instinctively jumped forward, increasing the distance between her and the other party. Yes, that was what she did. Definitely! S-She didn't flinch! Empresses don't flinch! They don't flinch!

Upon turning around, she a girl about the same age as the boy, and she appeared just as inexperienced. As such, her analysis of the girl brought her to the same conclusion as she had regarding the boy. She could be an ally.

"I-I'm fine! Just a bit weary from running is all. My breathing is already back to normal. More importantly, who are you?"

Not long after he began, Takashi grew impatient. Though his wound didn't have a lot of time to heal, he didn't have time to sit around and wait for death to come. So, he slowly got up, picking up his blood-soaked scarf in the same, painfully slow motion. With one hand on the wall for support and the other at his side, wavering in order to provide balance, Takashi slowly made his way along the wall. 

As he made his way along the wall, his senses blurred and refocused. He had to stop occasionally to regain his strength, but he continued nonetheless. Eventually, he heard voices, some of which sounded familiar. He turned the corner and saw three people, one of which was a silver haired girl and another was a black haired boy with cargo pants. The third was the girl who he saved before. While he wanted to speak, he was too weak to say a word. When he began making his way to them, he took two steps before falling to one knee and then collapsing to the floor with an audible thud. He groaned in pain as the shock from the fall reached the slash on his back. "I cannot fall now. Not when I'm so close," he thought while struggling to maintain consciousness.

"Hmph, of course they are. Did that man seem like the type to give up on his prey to you? I imagine those wolves are roaming the halls searching for me at this very moment. You as well, most likely."

Kazuki pondered that thought for a moment. She was right, the man didn't seem like the type to give up so easily, however, by the way she phrased that sentence, it sounded like she'd managed to lose the wolves for now.  

"So, there are other people here too, huh. Do you have any idea why we're here? Moreover, are you feeling alright, miss? You look exhausted."

A second girl had appeared from around the corner and startled the girl Kazuki had been talking to.

"I-I'm fine! Just a bit weary from running is all. My breathing is already back to normal. More importantly, who are you?" The first girl asked of the second girl.

At this point Kazuki realized that he hadn't introduced himself to anyone yet. "I'm Kazuki," He said to the both of them, even though the question was not directed towards him."The best transporter in all of Academy City." The sight of a first aid kit poking out of the new girl's bag, however, reminded him that he had been walking around this place with a purpose. "And now I think it's about time I do my job. I see you have a first aid kit there. I was actually looking around for anything I could use to help someone. They're in dire need of medical attention." Kazuki waved his arm and a portal appeared against the hallway wall. It led back to where he had left the scarfed boy. "If you could follow me, he needs help fast!"

Without waiting for an answer Kazuki stepped through the portal to where he left the boy... But there was no one there. Kazuki looked around worriedly until he spotted a small trail of blood leading off in the direction he had walked earlier. The boy must have tried to find help on his own, this was bad. Kazuki ran back through the portal and told the others what he had just seen, that the boy was probably looking for help somewhere. Kazuki then heard an audible thud behind him and turned around to see the scarfed boy laying on the ground. "There he is!" Kazuki exclaimed. That boy was really lucky to just stumble upon them like that. They just might be just able to save him yet.

"Hwah?!"

The young blonde girl seemed to flinch in surprise at Kohaku's sudden arrival. 

"I-I'm fine! Just a bit weary from running is all. My breathing is already back to normal. More importantly, who are you?"

The boy seemed to make an immediate reply. "I'm Kazuki, The best transporter in all of Academy City." Kazuki seemed to pause and take a moment to look at Kohaku, specifically the first aid kit that seemed to be sticking out of the opening in her messenger bag. "And now I think it's about time I do my job. I see you have a first aid kit there. I was actually looking around for anything I could use to help someone. They're in dire need of medical attention." 

Kohaku's ears perked up at the sound of this. Before she could even respond, the boy had created a portal on the wall and led her into it. "If you could follow me, he needs help fast!" 

Knowing that this was not the time to be hesitating, she simply followed him. "I'm Kohaku, by the way. Like you, I am also an Esper from Academy City." 

Once she finished introducing herself, though, she immediately noticed the trail of blood on the floor. That wasn't good. That likely meant that the injured person had went to seek for help. However, that could lead to him losing more blood. The priority in this kind of situation is to prevent as much blood loss as possible. 

However, rather than following the blood trail, Kazuki seemed to go back in through the portal he came in through. Seeing as Kazuki had likely figured out where the patient in question went, she simply followed him and listened to his explanation before hearing an audible thump. By the time she turned her head to discern the location of the source of the sound, Kazuki had done the same and exclaimed, "There he is!"

Seeing the boy who had fallen unconscious on the floor, she immediately ran up to him and put down her messenger back against the wall near him. There was an obvious wound on his body that caused Kohaku to cringe at the sight of it. It was likely immensely painful but any anesthetic that she applied would likely not be local enough to prevent the numbing effects from reaching surrounding muscles. 

She pulled out the first aid kit in her bag and opened it up next to the boy. Next, she pulled his arms above his head and pulled off the clothes on his upper half. The best thing to do in this kind of situation was to immediately expose the wound. 

Once that was done, Kohaku put on some gloves. She then picked out some Isopropanol wipes to rub around the area of the wound to clean out the dried blood as well as disinfect the area surrounding the wounds. Once she had finished with that, she threw the used alcohol wipes to the side and touched the boy's back with both hands. His hematocrit is still at 42% but is slowly dropping. If we can prevent any more blood loss, we should be able to stabilize him. 

With that, she immediately grabbed multiple packets of gauze from the kit. She then neatly applied the gauze to the laceration. "Both of you! Help me out. I am going to apply a pressure dressing and I need you to help me out here. I need you to help me lift his upper body by about 5-7 centimeters and apply the bandages. One of you will need to apply pressure to the wound while the other does the lifting."