Why German Cafes are Death Traps

Sylas would soon find himself out of the alley, not quite where he entered.

"Oh dear. It seems I just wrecked the trail. At least, that portion of it. Of course, you could try looking for it, see if you can find it again, but that would be a waste of valuable time, and my constructs are almost to the other community center. You'll need to hury." The last bit, he said in a sing song voice.
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"Oh, and, coincidentally, the batch I sent to handle your meister has arrived. And guess what? It has bombers in it, and I don't think I will inform her of what they do. No, I think I will perhaps proxy one, and detonate it inside the community center, forcing them all out into the cold, where I will hunt them like rats."

MEANWHILE

The civilians moved to the back, all except for Spider. "I think I'll stay, thank you. All I might have is a pig sticker, but, I was in MI6. I know how to make a pig sticker very lethal."

The door slammed once more, bending a bit inward. For a few moments, nothing happened. "Think they decided to go awa-"

He was cut off by a loud BOOM, as the door exploded, literally knocking it off its hinges. "....Fuck."

Of course, while he stood up, in strode.....Well, it wasn't a raider. First of all, it already had armor, and its shape was all wrong. No spikes, no tendrils, and, in the right hand, a long, black sword.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE, MY SECOND NEWEST CONSTRUCT, THE INK KNIGHT! See, I took what you said about armor to heart, and decided, why not send something with a much, much higher armor rating!"

With that, the ink knight got into a defensive stance.

Dowan laughed at the knight, starting to circle it. "Ignatius, I can tell that you're a man of some skill and honor. Would you indulge me in a gentle...persons wager?" She said it as she did not to insult him, but as she was a woman and not a man, she found it more accurate.

Sylas growled, using his axe as a pick to climb up to the roof of the building that formed the alley, using eyes that were accustomed to heavy snowfall to try and find the lights from the community center. Quite suddenly, he stumbled, falling headfirst into the snow on the roof as his cloak vanished, leaving him in a shape that would best be described as horrible. A perfect target.

Dowan looked a perfect mixture of mortified and worried, but quickly regained her composure. She cleared her throat a few times before addressing him once more. "I propose a duel. Me vs. this thing. You can make it as strong as you want. If I win, your creatures withdraw from this place..." She paused, thinking for a few moments. "And you bring Sylas to me. If I lose, well.." She trailed off, the consequences seeming frightfully obvious.

OOC: I was kind of hoping he'd just attack...

OOC: Sylas, that is.

(OOC: Not Inkers style. He prefers to play headgames with his opponents.)

"Well then. I find your terms agreeable. I accept. PROXY. I would like to point out, however, that you failed to specify that I should not attack my other target. Ah well. Too late now, at any rate. My constructs just arrived there, and I am getting a nice, tasty glut of souls as we speak. Anyways, would you like the first move?"

MEANWHILE

Sylas would begin to hear distant screaming. "Good news. Your meister just initiated a duel for your life and those in the community center you were hiding in. So, unless I somehow manage to kill her, you are safe for the moment. Safe to know that, despite how far you pushed yourself, you weren't fast enough to stop me from reaching the OTHER community center. Which is much, much larger. Those screams you are hearing? That, my friend, is what I like to call DINER. Such a shame. Had you been stronger, the lives that are getting snuffed out might have survived. Let their tombstones be a MONUMENT to your failure!"

Sylas only offered a groan, too weak to complain or protest. Too weak to move. He hurt in places he wasn't aware could feel pain. Even his soul burned in agony.

Dowan smiled a bit at the news. "We're not idiots, Ignatius. Rose can follow screams quite easily..."

As the slaughter began at the other community center, the air began to fill with glowing rose petals, and the wind began to grow more intense. Tendrils going towards victims were cut into pieces, and constructs close to people were ripped apart by the deadly petals. Rose dropped from the rafters, spinning Kyllic in her hands. "Hospitals in Berlin are so nice. Not as nice as the streets. Which I've been wandering all night to try and find you. You owe me a little payback for a week ago, Inker. Thanks for the screams. A nice beacon." She flourished her weapon, leveling the spear head with the nearest construct.

"Oh dear, its ROSE. Whatever shall I do? That was sarcasm, by the way. Just so you know."

...

" Specifying that because I have a bad track record when it comes to sarcasm. Anyways, Rose, good to see you, even if it IS through the lense of my constructs. How was your hospital stay? Terrible, I imagine. After all, german food causes the WORST indigestion, and hospital food is supposedly even worse, or so I hear. Anyways, allow me to inform you of something. Your brother, a rather angry individual? Currently indisposed and in my custody. Now, I promised not to kill him, but you would be surprised what a person can live through. Now, if you leave now, I will take you to him, and no harm will come to him. continue impeding my plans, and we will see how much he can take before his mind breaks."

MEANWHILE

A chuckle would come from the knight. "It doesn't matter how well she can follow screams. I have her brother. I can't kill him, but she does not know that, and unless you are an Olympic sprinter, you will not be able to inform her before my goal is met. After all, this blizzard is preventing calls."

Rose's grip on Kyllic tightened, and she looked to the ground. "Sylas... Is a Death Scythe. On top of that, he survived meeting a kishin. Two, actually. That man... He's been through hell after hell after hell..." She looked up quickly, a feral grin on her face. "He can withstand whatever you can give him! I'll kill you, and then I'll rescue him!" The rose petals gathered around her, forming together into two foot long glowing pink thorns. She gestured forward, and they flew, the pointed ends piercing through the heads of the constructs. She leaped forward, following her thorns into battle.

Dowan leaped forward, crying out in rage. Her sword dragged against the ground for a moment, causing a line of sparks to follow her, until she slashed it upwards, into the Knight's sword. "Bastard!"

Rose would notice that their were only a few Raiders out. Originally, there had been ten, but now, there were only three or so due to her attacks. The remaining three then decided to upchuck boiling ink at her.
The others, of course, were out back, sabotaging the power so thoroughly, it would not be able to be repaired in a night.
"Oh, how PRECIOUS. Such FAITH in your brother. Thing is, I have methods available to me that most don't. Including the artifact that turned me into a kishin. Or, I could have some of my raiders take some souls and shove them down his throat. Or, I could remove his legs. I could remove his eyes. I could drag him to a paint store, force him to inhale the stuff giving him brain damage. I could also make him a eunuch. I could drop him in a snowdrift, let him get hypothermia, have him get nerve damage. Oh, the THINGS I could do. Last chance, rose, or I start with his legs. And, guess what? I. Will. Make you. LISTEN. I will broadcast his screams through my constructs. You will hear as I SLOWLY saw his legs off, removing any possibility for him to "

MEANWHILE

Dowans slash would be stopped by the Knights blade. Which was very, very hard. "Ah ah ah, Language. And, furthermore, you realize a bastard is a person who does not know who their father is? Really, next time, TRY to come up with an appropriate insult."

The thorns paused for a moment, turning towards Rose. A diamond opened up on each, a glowing purple dot appearing in the center. "Kyllic! Soul release!" She began to spin her weapon quickly, the wind becoming sharp as daggers and starting to cut the remaining constructs, forming a shield around her and the survivors. Unseen to the soulless ink constructs, Rose and Kyllic resonated higher and high, and suddenly the thorns shot through the walls, controlled by the now non-present Rose as they flew through the snowing sky to find Sylas. Rose stayed standing, but was in a trance, maintaining the spinning of her weapon through muscle memory alone.

Dowan skidded her blade down the Knights, aiming for the elbow where the armor looked maybe a tad thinner for added flexibility. She struck her blow home, crashing the heavy blade into the creature's elbow with immense force. She gritted her teeth, pressing harder and harder. "J-Just... Shut... UP!"

Sylas finally managed to roll himself over, looking up at the black sky. Another person stood to the side, on the edge of his gaze. Someone who looked just like him. He slid down to sit, looking at the battered body in the snow. Thus they sat there, in the dark night.

The blow managed to do quite a bit of damage to the Knights arm, but it did not sever it completely. Of course, while she did this, the Knight sent a kick at her stomach. "What? Are my words BOTHERING you? Are they getting under your skin? I should hope so. You're weak, you know. You are having THIS much trouble, just with one knight? I have DOZENS in my employ. And they are not even my strongest construct. Of course, if your feeling inadequate, I could always tell you a path to power proper. You would never have to worry about failing your loved ones. Never have to worry about not being strong enough. All you have to do is ask."

MEANWHILE

"Oh SYLAS! Guess who I met! If you awnsered 'rose', then you are a correct! And guess what? I had her decide between you or a bunch of strangers! And she didn't pick you. would you like to know what she said? Ask! Its hilarious! Oh, before I forget, I promised to remove your legs, so I suggest you start packing snow on them, get them numb. I would hurry if I were you. Not a lot of time."

EVEN MORE MEANWHILE

The lights would go off in the community center.

"Rose, rose, rose. Poor girl. You can't keep that up forever. Meanwhile, you still have the rest of that batch to deal with. And, guess what? I'm sending ANOTHER batch after that! Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Things are looking GRIM."

OOC: I may have to bring in more people to make this even *Do not want*

Sylas stares blankly up at the sky, some part of him processing what was just told to him, but lacking the energy to care. He was content to lay there, in the darkness of the night, snow falling onto his broken body.

Dowan was infuriated. And that was bad for the knight, because she needed to break something. This was the down side to her incredible strength. It was tied so closely with her anger. And the angrier she got, the stronger she got, but the more control she lost. She took the kick with only a grunt, looking up at the knight with an expression of pure rage. With an inarticulate yell, she charged the knight, parrying a thrust and sliding down to hack at the elbow of its sword arm again, this blow even stronger than the previous. "I SAID SHUT UP!"

Rose didn't respond, for she wasn't really there. She was with the thorns, zipping through the air to find her brother. Instead, Kyllic's voice echoed through the hall, calm and collected as ever. "Tell me, do you know where the fastest winds are? I'll give you a hint, it isn't here on Earth. Jupiter, actually. The Big Red Spot is just a giant tornado..." His naginata form began to glow, a second blade appearing on the bottom, and the top one curving like a fan. "I named this attack after that place. RED SPOT REAPER!" Outside of the bubble that was created by their control over the wind, the gale grew stronger and stronger, until objects soared haphazardly through the air. Every gust seemed sharp as a knife, starting to tear into the ink of the constructs.

The knights arm would come right off. "I think not. Your rage, it makes me feel GOOD. On top of the world, as it were! Tell me, how often do you enter this berserk state? How often are you forced to rely on the capricious boon of rage to drive you forward? I'm guessing often. Care to give me an exact number?"


MEANWHILE

Sylas would hear a clanking noise, as a knight climbed up to where he was. Walking over to his location, he raised his sword. "Sorry about this, chap. Its just business. But hey, you'll still be able to take on weapon form!" With that, the knight brought his blade down on Sylas's legs.

ALSO MEANWHILE

The remaining constructs indoors were killed.

"Very well. I can see when I'm not wanted. Of course, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Think I'll just keep scouring the city for prey. Probably SOME place filled with lots of easy targets. Just a matter of looking. Very well. I bid you, adieu. And, don't get any ideas about trying to use this reprieve to track me down. Plenty of dark places outside where I might hide a spy to keep an eye on you. Au revoir. And, tell Rose when she wakes up, no hard feelings. Think I'm going to try a hospital next. That'll be fun."

There was a soft crunch as the Knight's sword stopped just above Sylas's legs. All of the thorns, 9 in total, had gathered to form a barrier around where the blow had fallen. As one, they pushed the sword away, slowly but surely until he was in no immediate danger. Sylas let out a shaky breath. "Rose..."

With another scream of anger, she thrust through the knight like it was butter and her sword a hot knife. She grunted, tearing the sword upwards and at an angle so that a portion of his other arm hung loosely at the side. She panted, both from anger and from exertion. "I...win."

The spinning stopped, and Kyllic began to glow, reforming in his human body just as rose collapsed, still in her trance. He laid her down, her head in his lap, and gently began to comb his fingers through her hair, staying vigilant until she would awaken.

Dowan would hear a laugh. "Why, yes you did. This time. But there is ALWAYS a next time. Consider my offer, Dowan. Power, power enough to completely destroy me and all my ilk could be yours. All you have to do is ask. Until next time, then. Toodles." With that, the knight melted into a pool of ink, and Dowan would hear a rustling outside, as the constructs left. "Well, that was a debacle." Said Spider, looking simultaneously impressed and worried. "Some one get this girl a coke or something. She probably needs it." One of the civilians would shuffle off. "Anyways, Dowan, was it? Thanks for the assist. A lot of people would have kicked the bucket if it wasn't for your help."


MEANWHILE

"How touching. Well, your friend won the match, so I get to haul you back to her! Thing is, not something I can so with the thorns. So, you could either stay here, and freeze to death, or you could disengage the thorns protecting you, and I could haul you back, legless but alive. Your choice. Of course, there is ALWAYS a third option. Want to hear it? No? Too bad, telling you anyways."

The knight pulled out an odd silver ring.

"This thing. A gift, as it were. Restore your health, let you walk back on your own two feet. Free of charge. All you have to do is ask."

Of course, Inker neglected to mention that the ring was a duplicate of his own that would drive the fellow to madness extremely quick, but really, what did it matter?

The echo of Sylas that had been his only companion in this long night eyed the ring, and gave a quick shake of his head, a too wide grin spreading across his face. "That's not sporting. Adding a third member to our little entourage. Three's a crowd..." His tone seemed to shift, becoming a bit saner. "Rose will know what to do. Get ready."

The thorns pulled back from the Knight's sword, but stayed close to Sylas. Then, one zipped into the night sky, and the rest fell on top of him, only to vanish. However, the reason for their disappearance was a transfer in energy, a recharge of his soul that allowed him to use the singular ability unique to him as a death scythe. Enhanced regeneration. His body began to tingle as warmth spread back through his limbs, though he did a good job of staying still so as to not give his trump card away.

Sylas cleared her throat, his voice somewhat raw. "Ignatius... I do not accept." With the final word, the knight was inflicted to a brutal riveting as spears jutted from Sylas's side into the ink, violently tearing it apart.

Rose awoke with a pained groan, giving Kyllic a weak smile and a nod before drifting to sleep, overexerted from the effort she'd put in and the energy she'd just given up.

Dowan continued to take great heaving breaths, digging the tip of her sword into the floor of the gymnasium and leaning on it, letting her thoughts sort themselves out. She'd won. Ignatius had promised her Sylas. So where was he?

"Oh now that's not fair at all. Ah well. Goodbye then. Until next time, Sylas. Oh, I can already tell, this will be the start of a BEUTIFULL relationship. Now, off to inform your meister that you will be walking back of your own volition. Tata. Oh, and, give your sister a warning, avoid german hospitals for the next week or so. After all, that's where I intend to hit next."

MEANWHILE

"Ooooh DOWAN. I've run into a little snag. Seems your weapon is walking back of his own volition. Greatly tired, beaten, a little bruised, but alive. Didn't want you to think I was some kind of OATHBREAKER, oh nonono. Anyways, now that I've informed you, goodbye for real this time."

While Inker was blathering on, a civilian would walk up with the requested coke, which Spider would hand to Dowan. "Here. Drink up, you need the energy. Anyways, I would offer to go looking for your friend, but I would probably just wind up getting jumped by one of those ink monsters."

Sylas stood slowly, groaning in pain. He looked towards where the echo had been but a moment ago, but saw nothing. He shook his head a few times and muttered something about loyalty under his breath before making it to the edge of the roof, haphazardly leaping down and followed the connection he had with his meister as he trekked back to the community center.

Dowan took the coke, tilting her head back and downing it quickly with gusto. "Husband... Sylas isn't a friend of mine, or simply my weapon. He's my husband..." She crushed the now empty can in her hand, letting out a sigh as she worked to calm herself.

Spider shrugged. "Meh. Anyways, when it starts getting lighter out, I'll have a trek down to the local police station. Then I'll see about getting an ambulance or something." He sighed, then rubbed his temples. "This night has been terrible."

Sylas took slow steps into the community center, giving a lazy smile when he saw Dowan. Then, slowly, he fell to his knees, and then faceplanted on the laminated wooden floor, exhausted.

Dowan rushed to his side, sliding to her knees and gently spinning him into his back. He gave her a weary smile and a thumbs up. "I-I'm alright..." It was a lie. He was far from alright. His body didn't repair itself quickly enough. He was surprised he'd made it back to the community center. Regardless, he smiled, closing his eyes to rest.

OOC: Should we timeskip to his next attack?

(OOC: Sure.)

Ten Days Later!

It was a dark night in Berlin, and it was raining. The past few days had been a dark set for the city. Numerous reports of ink monsters attacking lone travelers, odd disappearances, numerous instances of electrical substations being destroyed in the middle of the night. But, far, far worse were the murders. All over the city, people had been going mad, and murdering their fellows. Some had even ate their victims souls, and became Kishin. And each and every one of the people who went mad, were all found wearing a silver ring.

Indeed, it was a dark night in Berlin. And it was about to get darker.

For, at a certain german hospital, one might have noticed a set of dark shapes climbing up the walls, if they looked JUST right. For, Inker had decided to make the hospital his next target. After all, lots of people died in hospitals, and if he was careful about it, no one would notice what he was doing until it was to late. He , of course, would not be participating directly. He was far, far away from the hospital, and it would take too long to walk there. Of course, the downside was, it would take a very very long amount of time for him to send in new batches. Which was why, in a few abandoned buildings near the hospital, he had stored away six batches of constructs, ready to move in at a moments notice.

The two constructs would peek in a window, which led to a hallway, and, satisfied that no one was in the hallway, one would open the window, and send a tendril in, destroying the light. After which, it would climb in, while its fellow would climb to the next floor.

This was unfortunate for the constructs, for the sound of breaking glass was A.) very distinguishable to those paying attention, and B.) Not a sound commonly heard in a hospital. A pair of figures stood on the roof, and one of them reached into their pocket, pulling a cellphone out and sending a mass text indicating that the target had been found. The other figure vanished in a brief flash of light, and the figure now held a long katana, vanishing into the darkness, not unlike a...ninja.

In several minutes the teams had converged on the hospital. It had become clear after the last attack that even two pairs were insufficient. So while Rose had healed, Sylas had made a call to Lord Death, and asked for backup, a team skilled in combat against threats like this. The street lights illuminated the group to the world. The leader was a young woman, clad in a long black trench coat. She wore a knee length skirt and a sweater with a plaid vest over top. In her hands laid a scythe with an eye near the top and gold detailing. Maka Albarn and her weapon turned Death Scythe Soul Eater. Beside her stood a young man in a black suit, three lines cutting across one side of his otherwise perfect hair. Two twin pistols rested in an odd, upside down grip in his hands. Death the Kid and Patti and Liz Thompson. The figure who had been on the roof leaned against the lightpost, his hair spiky and a light blue, dressed in black shorts, a tank top, and gloves, and a star tattoo on his right shoulder. In his hands was a longer than average katana with an interesting design on the blade. Black*Star and Tsubaki.

Sylas, Dowan, Rose, and Kyllic finished the ensemble, and Sylas, still in his human form, stepped to the front of the group. "He'll be expecting us. Don't hold anything back, and try to keep casualties to a minimum..." The air was filled with a grim vibe, and as the five pairs of meisters and weapons proceeded into the hospital, the darkness of the night seemed to grow thicker.

OOC: Firstly, I would like to congratulate you, Beetle. I haven't had to use Story Characters (Outside of Lord Death) in 5 months. I would've liked to use just Aiko and Sozen, but given how strong Inker is now, they probably would've been insufficient, and I'll be honest, I don't want anyone to die. Secondly, I'll use a lighter green for Maka, a mid green for Black*Star, and a darker green for Kid.