Into the Shadows

The rain poured down. Mud churned violently beneath the stomping boots. The moon barely peeked out from the clouds. Its weak light shone down upon a procession. Trucks driving into what equated to little more than a hole in the ground. Men milled about both the trucks and the hole. A few held various weapons, guns, swords, bows etc. Each soldier was covered by a dark colored cloak with the hood thrown up over their heads. They called out to each other occasionally, the only sound in the silent dark other than the rumble of the truck engines. They had no idea of the figure that watched them from high above.

Katsumi grumbled under her breath as she peered down. Rain had soaked her uniform into her skin. She could feel the water running down her body. This never would've happened in a VRMMO. "Why was I picked for a covert operation? Why couldn't they pick someone that's still in Special Ops?" She groaned, letting her head drop. Maybe this was what she  Ghost popped up over her shoulder. The ever moving ball of mechanical parts nudged his creator. She nearly jumped out of the tree. While her heart finally stopped racing, Katsumi glared at her little creation. Perhaps she should be grateful. His limited AI capabilities were growing. He'd been aware enough not to continue on yapping as he usually did.

"Is there something that you need?" She hissed. Ghost looked up at her with his one central eye. "I'm scared, Creator." He mumbled softly. Katsumi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Ghost didn't have many emotions yet. They were still developing after the freak accident that had helped create him. He'd used that fact against her several times. Faking an emotion to illicit a response from her. Then he'd spend the time mocking her for having emotions. Ungrateful is what she called it. Yui had been the intended recipient of that vessel. It still ground the Rune Knight's gears that Ghost had been born inside it instead.

Finally the swordswoman responded. "I highly doubt that given you've pulled this trick before. We're out in the field now. Its not time for jokes or pranks." Ghost chuckled lightly, his parts spinning around the central eye. "Lighten up, Creator. Its a few goons. You can take them in your sleep." Katsumi raised an eyebrow at him. Leaning back in the tree, she rested her head against the trunk. Her eyes slid closed. "Two longswords, good quality, made of unknown metal, Four machine guns, each fire magic bullets at about 100 rounds per minute if not tweaked or a newer model, one enchanted hand crossbow with unknown capabilities, three without primary weapons, most likely powerful mages with unknown capabilities, and an extendable rocket launcher or grenade on each belt." Ghost bumped into her forehead. "Huh?" Katsumi waved her arm at the soldiers. "Its their loadout. It speaks to training, and I'd bet they've worked as a team before now. Even catching them unawares wouldn't help me. They outnumber me."

Katsumi swung out of the tree, landing neatly at the base. Ghost followed after slowly. She looked at the nimbus of illumination around his frame. That would be a dead giveaway. "Go distract them if you wish, or stay here. You're too visible in dark tunnels." Ghost humphed but flew off into the darkness. Katsumi watched for a moment. If he was going to distract them, she'd make use of that. Suddenly, the mechanical contraption dropped to float above her head. His light got brighter and brighter. "Hey! Hey! Over here! There's a - gurk" Katsumi yanked him out of the air. The damage was already done. the soldiers were moving toward her position. The swordswoman swore as she violently stabbed Ghost's off switch. His light went out and she shoved him in a pocket.

"Baka! Little ingrate! He's getting an 'update' when we get back to HQ" Katsumi said pulled out her sniper rifle. It was a new addition to her creations, tinkered into existence in the last few hours. Waiting a few hours for people to show up was hella boring. The swordswoman sighted down the scope. The mages and the hand crossbow owner were her biggest worry. The cliff was a sheer drop below her, preventing the others from easily reaching her. Her finger squeezed the trigger. The gun bucked back into her arm. A blue shield appeared around her target. "Damn it." Katsumi muttered. She squeezed off a few more shots. Each one pinged off the shield. This wouldn't be an easy fight.

Fire crashed into the hillside next to her. Dirt showered the ground below. A nearby tree would have caught fire if not for the rain. The swordswoman peered around for the responsible party. The had crossbow was being reloaded. Great. An explosion shooting crossbow. Just what she needed right now. The ruffians were advancing on her position rapidly. Katsumi could either get in a shoot out with their ranged units or... do what she did best. She'd been honing her sword styles consistently since exiting GGO. She'd even debated implementing them into her magics. It wouldn't be hard. Her raven hair shook free of its bond. It was time to remind Fiore of the Black Swordswoman - or at least start that legend.

The sniper rifle was strapped onto her back before Katsumi stepped off the cliff. She drew the Henkan I and elongated it into its sword form. "Arashi Style - Soft Falling Rain" She murmured to herself. Her body responded, flowing into the correct forms. The sword flashed in the pale moonlight. Katsumi landed among the soldiers. Two were whipping around. The rest were shocked by her falling attack. "Kennonai Style - Moonlight Slash" Katsumi didn't halt her attacks. Instead she focused them. The two who'd reacted professionally were the most dangerous. A sword swept by her head. The Rune Knight lashed out with her free foot. The other was bearing all her weight. Now extended, Katsumi was in a perfect position for one of her sword forms. "Arashi Style - Flash Lightning" Her body lifted off the ground, spinning vertically. Her blade pointed outward moving up and down. The soldiers nearest to her were turned to mincemeat.

As Katsumi landed, the soldiers around her fell down or fell back. She'd reduced their number by half with a handful of seconds. A sting permeated her battle focus. Her left arm had been hit. Careless. She still had room for improvement. No time like the present. The swordswoman moved to her left. The highest concentration of the retreating soldiers was there. Two were injured. One was the prepared veteran. He turned his gun on her, yelling at his men. Strangely, Katsumi didn't hear a word. "Kennonai Style - Shooting Star." The muscles coiled in her legs and released. A burst of speed put the Rune Knight next to the shouting man. Her fist sank into his solar plexus. Continuing with her momentum, Katsumi used the body as a center point. She spun around it, her sword whipping out. Two down, three left. "Arashi Style - Storm's Afterimage" Her body exploded into motion. She barely kept track of what was happening.

When the sword form was finished, Katsumi stood shaking in the rain. Perhaps that last had been a bad idea. It strained her body. She still had the four long distance fighters, two soldiers nearby and an untold amount in the motorcade or inside the bunker. The swordswoman groaned, straightening back into fighting form. While she was proud of her sword forms, now might be the time for a little magic. She touched the Henkan II. "System Call. Generate Elements: Luminous, Aerial, Thermal. Unlock Secret Art. Noble Phantasm: Blasted Tree." Her lips buzzed from the speed of her words. The Henkan II cleared her trench coat, transforming as she pointed it at the sky. "Discharge!" Lightning streaked down from the sky to strike her enemies. Most of them fell in smoking heaps. Two unfortunately remained standing. She'd honor their final moments with a duel.

Magic swirled about Katsumi's body. It sank into a fighting stance of its own accord. Katsumi didn't need to think. Hours of training were taking over. Instinct from surviving LAO drove her movements. She couldn't have programmed it better in one of her creations. A sword came down. Hers came up deflecting the strike. It sank into her arm. Her fingers pierced the man's stomach. She whipped her sword down. A diagonal line opened up on his body. Lightning crashed into Katsumi's back. She screamed in pain. Still her body didn't tense. It followed through finishing off the man before her.

Another magic strike hit her back. She grit her teeth against the pain. There was a mission to finish and this was only the front door. Enough screwing around. No time to be honorable. The swordswoman spun around, going to one knee. "System Call. Generate Thermal Element. Form: Bow. Invoke Conflagrant Flame Bow. Release" The spell spilled from her lips. It was a little bastardized but it worked to activate the intended spell. Fire short from the Henkan II. It crashed into her attacker and pierced through. The truck behind him was struck as well. Fire exploded over the hood. The engine failed immediately. Katsumi took stock of the motorcade as her battle focus faded. "Shit."

Only two trucks were left of the motorcade: The one she'd broken and one behind it. Every other one must have gotten into the base. Katsumi scowled up into the rain. "Of course Ghost had to ruin this mission for me. First thing I do gettin' back is dismantling that ass and rebuilding him into something useful." The drivers were climbing down from their cabs. Each was reaching for a weapon. "Stop. I'm here for the lawful execution of Magic Council Orders. If you draw weapons, I will defend-" She started to warn them off. It only seemed to make them draw weapons faster. Once fired a bolt at her before she was finished talking.

"If that's how you want it." Katsumi muttered under her breath. She was moving, dodging the incoming attacks. A few nicked her. The gamer girl grit her teeth. There was no way to tell how her body was. In a game, that's easy to tell if you were near death. A health bar, or a mana bar, any sort of HUD was what she needed. When she got back to HQ, she'd sure as hell be making one. Katsumi skidded to a halt near the first driver. "Kennonai Style - Crescent Moon" Her foot clipped his chin. He went down, unconscious. The second driver seemed to think better of continuing the fight. Evidence of Katsumi's skills lay evident all around them. She placed her weapon on the ground and knelt, hands behind her head. It was obvious she'd done this before.

Katsumi shackled the woman, pulling out a hacked iLac out. It let her check the woman's identity. A criminal record with several outstanding current warrents appeared on the screen. Katsumi let out a low whistle. Evidence pointed to each of her opponents being hardened criminals. "You want to tell me what you are doing in the base?" The woman turned her head. No help there then. She'd have to figure things out on her own. "Let's see what you were carrying." The swordswoman moved to look into the back of the trucks. There were various mechanical parts, minerals, rare materials stuffed into the trucks. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it at all. The designer/inventor in her did salivate over the possibilities this haul could mean for some of her research.

The Rune Knight couldn't make any sense of the mish mash of cargo. Perhaps the base itself would hold the answers. What to do with her prisoner though? She couldn't leave her alone. Running with cuffs wasn't difficult. Killing her wasn't an option either. Katsumi's brow furrowed. She felt disturbed that the option had even crossed her mind. "Time for a nap, Oba san." The swordswoman said pulling back her arm. The woman looked up at her in shock. The flat of the blade slammed into her temple and she slumped. Katsumi sighed stowing the Henkans. It was time to descend into the belly of this beast. Her wounds had gone numb from the cold of the rain. If she didn't go now, the adrenaline would fade, her body would warm up and she'd struggle against the pain. Better move.

Katsumi looked around the battlefield. Those that were unconscious would stay that way for now. The dead... they could be dealt with at another time. The materials in the truck could be collected at another time as well. The Rune Knight stepped toward the hole. It really felt like descending into the gullet of a beast.

WC: 2152

The inside of the base didn't look any better than the mud fields outside. Great brown streaks followed a defined path into the darkness. Grime covered the walls. Scorch marks could be seen in various areas. With the grey of the walls, it all seemed to absorbed the darkness. It made shadows deeper, darker than normal. Katsumi wrinkled her nose. She didn't even want to think about the smells. This base had been in use for at least a few weeks from the reports. Why hadn't they even bothered to clean up? This state also made it difficult to follow evidence or find what she needed easily. The Rune Knight could always follow the tire tracks. That would lead her to the central hub or at least something connected to the central hub. From there, she only had to find something to take back to the bosses.

Except Katsumi didn't think it would be that easy. The contingent of guards outside plus the armed guards pointed to something dangerous. Likely, going to the central hub would end up with Katsumi fighting on two fronts: the soldiers and then whatever they were using this base for. Her death would be all but assured in that scenario. The raven haired woman looked around for other options. Two hallways branched off from the wide truck path. Those would be her best bet. The question was which to choose? Each looked nearly identical. A few feet of grimy gray walls and floors before the darkness ate up everything she could see.

The swordswoman scowled, putting her hands on her hips. No guarantee told her that either was a good choice. Neither did she know if the guards outside had alerted their friends in here. She might not have much time to chose. Reactivating Ghost to explore the other pathway could solve her dilemma. If she trusted Ghost not to screw her over again. The Rune Knight rubbed her hands on her thighs. Time to choose. She stepped into the leftmost tunnel. Come what may in this creepy tunnel. She'd be ready for it.

At least that was what she told herself. To her shame, Katsumi screamed loudly when a rat ran by unexpectedly. A miracle allowed for the scream to had not discernible effect on her surroundings. The Henkan I found its way into her palm. The cool feel of the familiar metal helped calm Katsumi's nerves. The dark seemed to press in on her. It almost suffocated what little air she was able to get into her lungs. The tunnel stirred up memories. Memories of endless labyrinths that held powerful enemies at the end. Enemies that inevitably ended up destroying her friends, ripping them out of her life forever. An enemy she'd been too terrified of facing, losing the remainder of her friends.

Lights shone through four doorways. A few voices also called out, laughing. The Rune Knight couldn't tell which doorway had people. She crept toward the first one. Peeking in, Katsumi got a quick look around. Computer terminals filled the interior. The screens were covered in filth. At the center of the room was the source of the light. A metallic nest sat upon a wooden table. Various metal bits poked out from the nest. The nest seemed to be woven of long pieces of a silver metal with a few golden threads in between. On top the nest were three eggs. They appeared to be metallic despite being a pure white color. The center of the nest cast a powerful golden light upon each of the eggs. Katsumi had never seen anything like it.

The Rune Knight peered at the other rooms. Did each one hold this strange nest? She looked back in on it. What was the purpose of this nest? Of the eggs? Were they a weapon? Some creature experiment by deranged mages? An uneasy feeling settled into her stomach. Perhaps destroying the eggs was the best course of action. They were an unknown. What if they hatched behind her while she continued to explore? The raven haired woman steeled her nerves. Her foot edged into the room. The moment she did, the light turned red and a hard shrill sound came from the nest. Threads of silver-like metal shot toward her. Katsumi activated the Henkan and did her best to parry the attack. She retreated quickly as the onslaught intensified. Luckily, the threads couldn't pass the doorway. Runes flashed in the doorway when they tried. After a few attacks, the threads retreated. The harsh sound lasted a little longer before cutting off abruptly.

Katsumi frowned. The nest provided for the eggs and defend them? Interesting. There must be a symbiotic relationship. If not, the nest existed solely for the eggs. A disruption to nature that would be. Though with mad scientists or mages, that might be the case. This all assumed that the eggs and the nest were living creatures. "What are you doing here?" A voice asked. The ringing sound of a sword clearing its sheathe accompanied it. Katsumi turned, holding her sword up. Four people had appeared in the corridor. They must have been the voices. Three were wearing long white coats. Scientists or researchers of some kind. The one who must have spoken stood in front. She wielded a long sword. There was something off about the sword. Katsumi couldn't quite put her finger on what it might be.

"My name is Katsumi Akahoshi. I represent the Rune Knights and the will of the Magic Council. I was ordered to investigate this base due to explosions coming from it at all times of night." Katsumi explained carefully. The woman looked over her shoulder. She couldn't be in charge then. One of the scientists gave a small nod. "You must die. This work cannot be brought to the outside world." The soldier said once she was facing forward again. The sword clicked, the blade falling limply to the ground. Katsumi raised an eyebrow. What good was that? The woman showed her a moment later. The sword blade whipped toward her with only a small movement of the wrist. Katsumi ducked under the strike. Another flick pulled the blade down into Katsumi's shoulder. She cried out, feeling her arm go limp. Damn it. Her body must have been more badly damaged outside than she thought. That or the woman's blade was more dangerous than it looked.

Katsumi bladed her body. She left the point of her sword near the ground. There was a play she could try. Groups of LAO players had occasionally formed like this one. A stronger player with several weaker ones but one of the weaker players was actually in charge. She'd never understood why it worked. However, if she could place pressure on the weaker scientists, they might call off the soldier. "By attacking me, you've committed a crime. I will do my best to bring you all in alive but I cannot guarantee it. I'm not entirely in control of my magics." A stream of magic began pouring off her blade. The soldier started visibly sweating. She looked over her shoulder again. So, probably not a mage then. Otherwise she would have woven a spell to counter. Either a shield or an attack. All the better.

"Wait! We'll surrender!" A male scientist stepped forward. His hands were up. Katsumi checked for any signs of magic. Nothing that she could see. Excellent. Situation diffused. Her body pulled upon something, healing itself. She could feel the skin knitting back together. As disconcerting as it was, she decided to ignore it. There would be time to deal with that after her mission was over. "Have her drop the weapon, then each of you line up against the wall. No sudden moves or I will take that as an attack. I have no qualms about defending myself. You outnumber me after-" A horrendous screech ripped through the air.

Something smashed through the third doorway. Cracks rapidly grew across the ceiling and floor as the blur slammed into the man who had stepped forward. He managed half a scream. Then blood sprayed across the walls. Katsumi tried to understand what her eyes were telling her. The creature before her looked like something from a horror film. Wires poked out of its - well you might call it skin. A thin sheen of metallic substance covered its body in a facsimile of skin. Plates of varying metal covered parts of it. A unnatural jaw unhinged, tearing into the scientist. Only two bites had been needed to destroy the torso. If it hadn't looked so strange, Katsumi might have called it a rabbit.

The woman soldier attacked. Her sword whipped through the air and rang as it collided with the creature's skin. It didn't look like it had done any damage. It did however, make the thing stop chewing. It turned its head slowly toward the woman. Katsumi leaped forward. "Arashi Style - Acid Rain" She cried out, stabbing rapidly. Her sword barely made a mark. The creature's head creaked as it turned back toward her. A swiveling eye locked onto her. Katsumi scowled up at it. What the hell was this thing? One of the back limbs lashed out at the Rune Knight. She danced backwards, barely avoiding the strike. Could this be what was in the eggs? She shuddered, taking another step back. The soldier had drawn its attention again. This time it dropped the corpse and let out a shrieking cry.

Once again, the creature turned into a blur. The soldier disappeared in a spray of red gore. The scientists behind her barely had time to turn. The creature bisected the first with the strange protuberances on its head. They could apparently extend and whip about. The other died as it landed on top of her. Katsumi barely held back her gorge. The creature creaked turning back toward the Rune Knight. She pulled out the Henkan II. There was no way she could allow this thing out in to the public. Even if it took her last breath, she needed to finish it here. A moment passed as the two combatants stared each other down. Then each leapt into action.

WC: 1706
PWC: 3858

The clash lasted for seconds. Katsumi gave it everything she had. Without magic, she couldn't manage to do anything. Her strikes, her slashes, nothing made a mark on the creature. In return, the rabbit thing nearly tore Katsumi apart. Its claws punctured her stomach. Her left arm was nearly separated by its wire ear things. Almost to add insult to injury, it also left a long scratch down her cheek. The swordswoman didn't think it was going all out. The creature was toying with her. After all, it had managed to tear apart the others in the same amount of time. She wasn't arrogant enough to think it was due to her power or skill. This creature was well above her abilities. At least, without her magic in the equation.

They separated. Katsumi's uniform was soaked in blood. Maybe clashing without magic had been a bad idea. The swordswoman went down on one knee. Her body couldn't support the loss of blood. She didn't have any healing items or spells either. The raven haired woman frowned, looking at her shoulder. How had that healed before? Even as she thought it, Katsumi felt a pull in the center of her chest. Her shoulder began to pull itself back together. The wound in her stomach did the same. And as the damage was fixed, a gnawing hunger pulled. It grew in intensity. The blood around the hall, the flesh littered about the floor - it all looked appetizing. Drool gathered in her mouth. Katsumi barely realized she had taken a step. She stopped with an internal scream. What was she thinking? Human flesh looked appetizing?

Something had happened. Something had changed within her. Katsumi would have to put figuring it out off for now. She needed to focus on the creature, on her mission. Once she was in a safe place, she could freak out. The creature was rubbing blood on its face. It seemed to be taunting Katsumi. The swordswoman scowled. "You waiting on me?" The creature made a chittering noise as it nodded. Katsumi dropped into a fighting stance. Her sword was up, level with her body. Her newly healed left arm held level as a balancing agent. She already knew what she wanted to do. The spell she needed to use glared at her. It should have been used with the first encounter. Katsumi let out a maniacal grin at the creature. "Well then come and get me."

The creature shrieked and charged forward. It purposefully wasn't using its full speed or the speed it had shown before was some kind of magic. In which case, maybe it had worn off. Katsumi wasn't going to bank on that. "System Call. Upload. Time Piercing Sword. Execute." Her sword glowed with power. Feeling the magic increasing her speed to inhumane levels, Katsumi set her trap. The spell took her swings and froze them in mid air. On her command, they would activate slicing into anything in that area. She kept her swings small in an area the creature was sure to pass through. Even if it didn't do as much damage as she hoped for, it should hurt the thing at least. As the creature passed through, Katsumi activated her spell. It cut into the rabbit thing. A limb fell off leaking golden fluid. Its head followed after. The larger chunks of the body pelted Katsumi, adding gold to the red of her uniform.

The swordswoman frowned, wiping golden fluid off her face. That had been ridiculously easy. After the emergence of the creature, this seemed like a let down of a finisher. What had happened? Katsumi poked one of the chunks with her sword. It collapsed in on itself. The mess began bubbling, releasing a putrid scent. The raven haired woman wrinkled her nose and stepped back. That reaction was unusual. Whatever experiment going on down here needed to be stopped. The people running it didn't care about their people. The materials were thrown at the project from what she'd seen so far. As an inventor, Katsumi was offended by the callousness of this whole thing.

Guardian down, time to find out where the bakemono had come from. What had created it? Katsumi's eyes passed over the corpses of the humans. Pausing for a moment she bowed at the waist. "Oyurushi kudasai kono unmei kara anata o kyuu ema sen de shi ta." She apologized. There may not have been a way to save them but that didn't mean she shouldn't have tried. Instead, she'd sat like a waste of space. This, even after promising she would be better, do better when trying to save others. The swordswoman straightened. Bodies kept piling up around her. Despite her straight back, Katsumi could feel the weight of that responsibility crushing her. Eventually, she'd have to confide in someone. If she ever found someone she trusted enough. She'd have to make friends again at some point for that.

Now. To the mission. Katsumi skipped the first doorway. She already knew what was in there. She skipped the second as well since the bakemono had come from the third doorway. She'd likely find more there. She stepped up, her sword at the ready. Inside was another nest. This nest had a few differences. For one, it wasn't plump and alive. It had been flattened into the floor. The threads appeared to be sparse and more golden strands were present. Metallic shell pieces lay scattered about the room. Katsumi stepped into the room. Runes flickered brokenly about the doorway as she passed. Perhaps the creature had been stronger than intended? It took a quick investigation to find a few things. The remnants of eggs with small creatures still forming in their shells. They'd been crushed. A needle filled with a glowing liquid had been tossed against the wall as well. Best Katsumi could figure, they'd forced the creature to grow rapidly. The pain had driven it insane while also given it a massive power boost. The boost had only lasted a short moment before it began to break down at the most basic level. They'd sacrificed one creature for some unknown reason. It had ended up backfiring on them spectacularly.

Katsumi shuddered as she stepped out of the room. She would hate to see a naturally grown version. It might actually overwhelm her. The other two rooms held more nests. The first nest had more of a red theme while the second was a purplish color. The colors probably had some significance but Katsumi couldn't find any other clues. She suspected that the answers lay down the other tunnel. That or the central area and the other tunnel didn't serve a purpose. The swordswoman rubbed her forehead with her free hand. What the hell was going on down here?

WC: 1134
PWC: 4992

Katsumi decided to take the other tunnel. In most video games not clearing every tunnel came back to bite you when you fought the boss. Besides the caliber of the creature she'd just fought wasnt something she wanted at her back. The swordswoman advanced, her sword tip near the ground.

The creatures turned toward Katsumi. The hallway turned into a horror show covered in eyes. "Ah... kuso." This hallway must be the opposite. The hoard vs. one powerful monster. A chittering sound slowly built in intensity. Katsumi slowly raised her sword. Hopefully, this wouldn't be her last mission.

WC: 99
PWC: 5091

Rather then the horde of insects flying at her, a white mist began gathering. It rushed toward Katsumi. She ducked trying to avoid whatever it was. The mist enveloped her without incident. As Katsumi stood straight, childish giggling echoed around her. She whipped around trying to find the source of the noise.

A gaggle of children stood behind her. She called them children loosely. They looked more like large insects dressed up as humans. The result was a grotesque combination of both. "Our costumes are pretty neat, huh miss?" One of them buzzed. Katsumi stared at the child in horror. Blood ran from the edge of the human 'costume'. They were skins, she realized. The skin of children. And it smelled delicious. "Give us candy, miss. We deserve sweets. We have great costumes." The leader said, holding up a basket made from a human skull. The others joined in, clamboring for treats. Then pincers sank into Katsumi's hand. That shook her out of her daze and the Rune Knight ran away.

She ran from her slavoring for the skins as much as the monsterous kids. Her mad dash through the mists never seemed to bring her to a wall or some kind of exit. Instead, she saw a moving shadow ahead. Katsumi moved toward it hoping it would help. Instead a tombstone rose. Her name was emblazoned across the top. Crossed swords were punched below the letters. The raven haired woman put a hand over her mouth. Was this a premonition? Would she die here? She should have brought backup.

Katsumi collapsed at the foot of the tombstone. A man walked out of the mist. He held a bottle in ome hand and he appeared to be dressed up. The sloppiness of the costume took Katsumi a moment to place it. A vampire. The vampire man giggled, waving the bottle at her. "Whatcha doin down dere? Ya look down. Lemme ask you a question. What happens when a vampire goes into the snow?" He waited, but Katsumi just stared at him listlessly. "Frost bite! Why don't vampires have many friends?" Again an awkward pause. "Cause they're a pain in the neck! What do you give a sick vampire?" Katsumi pushed herself to her feet. She was done with this. The man shouted the answer after her. "Coffin drops!" Then the mist swallowed him once again.

As Katsumi walked, she noticed something was following her. Thinking it was the vampire man, she turned to yell at him. A black cat stood there staring at her. Could this get any weirder? Her Luck must be in the negatives. "Shoo, shoo" she said, waving her hand. The cat seemed to smirk knowingly. Kat scowled turning to continue her journey. She periodically looked over her shoulder. The cat was always there, following and staring.

Katsumi looked over her shoulder so often she nearly ran over a little old lady. The lady was pushing a cart. Seeing Katsumi, the lady's face split into a wide smile. "Hello dearie. Would you like a treat?" While it was phrased as a question, the swordwoman heard a command. The cart was covered in sweets. Her sensitive nose picked up the delectable scent of pumpkin spice. Quickly, she snatched a pumpkin latte off the cart. "There now can you show me the way out?" The lady cackled as she dissipated. Katsumi nearly threw her coffee in frustration. How was she supposed to clear this dumb level?

Another cackle erupted around Katsumi. She sipped her coffee, throughly annoyed. What would appear now? Shadows gathered, forming into a nicely dressed humanoid with a pumpkin head. The thing glowed lightly orange. "Season greetings to you, milady." He said with a deep bow. The voice was masculine anyway, it might not be a him. "My name is Sir Jacky Pumpolian the 3rd, Master of the Dark Arts and a demon bound to this lovely season. Answer my riddles three or be doomed to wander these mists forever!" Katsumi took another sip of coffee. She raised an eyebrow. "Well? Ask then. I'm ready to get out of here!" The demon looked a little put out as he cleared his throat. "Right. Uh, The person who built it sold it. The person who bought it never used it. The person who used it never saw it. What is it?" Katsumi mulled the riddle over for a short while. Her mind worked it out. "A coffin. Next riddle please" Jacky clapped, bowing slightly to her. "What do you call a skeleton that makes you laugh and giggle when you’re sad?" Katsumi scowled at the demon. Was that supposed to be a real riddle? "A funny bone. Are these supposed to be hard? Next!" Jacky did a flip. Then he clasped his hands under his pumpkin as his body hung above his head. " I have a name but it isn’t mine, you don’t think about me while in your prime. People cry when I’m in their sight, other lie with me all day and night. What am I?" Katsumi knew that one without really thinking. She'd spent a lot of time around them. Many people hadn't made it out of LAO. "A tombestone" Katsumi whispered. The demon nodded, his fingers clicking. The mist fell away but Katsumi felt no sense of victory. Only overwhelming sadness.

WC: 889
TWC: 5980