Midnight, The Aeroblade

Everyone in the room was surprised at what was going on in front of us. Jacky rubbed his chin, "All right, I'm convinced. These guys are clearly capable, what do you think Cheshire?"

Azera rubbed the back of his head, "I kind of feel like the guy got lucky. He's able to take what comes at him, and give it back harder. Which means he's great as a shield, but we don't know how much he can actually take. If it's too much then he'll die."

Levi stretched her claws a little, "I think they are treating this like a game. See, they even have Kyle doing push-ups now."

I looked back at the arena, just barely catching what the short guy was saying. My ears flicking, but the crowd was too loud. "I'm still unsure as to what monster that creature is." No matter how I looked at it, it was stained white with magic paint. As if it was trying to look like a Jub-Jub, but gave up on the attempt after the feathers were in place. The thing was moved as if it were light, but from how heavy it's footprints where, it weighed a lot.

Cheshire tsked, "Guess they really aren't native to Dark Fell then. What can you tell me about it, at least from what you've seen so far?"

I really didn't like being the center of attention like this, but I knew Cheshire would just make it worse if I stayed silent. With a reluctant sigh I shook my head. "That's just it, I haven't seen it actually fight yet. I know it's heavy, and that it is strong. The last thing you'll want to do, is take a hit from it. Maybe try treating it like a smart Fiend? Especially since it can sense magic and threw a dagger hard enough to kill Ron. It has natural armor, but the feathers it wears are fake."

Jacky slowly nodded, "That's the thing though, why wear fake harpy feathers? If they are trying to show their strength, why keep the creature hidden?"

Cheshire shook his head, "Because it's hiding something. There is a huge problem with people knowing just how strong your pet is, especially since the two can't be too close. Anyone else notice the rings?"

I thought I saw a glint earlier, but shook my head. Levi kept silent, a little disappointed in herself for not noticing. I gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, with a thumbs-up. She perked up a little, as Jacky nodded. "Yeah, a ring for bonding. I don't know how strong it is, but it seems their ritual guy hasn't gotten around to making them bond properly. That, or he doesn't know it yet."

Levi looked me over, her eyes glimmering a little. I pulled my hand away from her, the light reflecting off her getting brighter as the announcer adjusted the gong. I squinted more, which made Levi look away. I looked down, a little worried to have 'glared' at a friend. Really, even in the Underground, everything was too bright.. Cheshire laughed, "Right, or maybe there aren't a lot of things in the Underneath to bond with? Better to have your ritual guy know things to fight with, versus just trying to bond with whatever you meet."

Jacky nodded, "I can see that actually. If that's the case, even if they had more, it means they are smart enough to understand what the people around them want. It's also likely that the thing understands what we say on some level. Even if it can't talk right."

Cheshire grinned, "Exactly, but the ring means they don't have any legitimate bonds with anyone. Assuming there are more, and that thing isn't the only one. Point is, that thing is smart enough to think. They might have weird customs, but if they aren't bonded there is a chance we might be able to get one ourselves."

I glared at Cheshire when he mentioned weird customs. The dagger of friendship wasn't strange, honestly the people outside Dark Fell were the strange ones. Cheshire smirked at me, as I decided to take my leave. I sat in the dimly lit cell, enjoying the fact that I didn't have to keep squinting all the time. I put my mask on, as I prepared for battle, my dark leather armor strapped properly.

Cheshire entered the room with a grin, "Sorry for teasing you back there. You know I didn't mean it." I looked away from him crossing my arms. I still watched him out of the corner of my eye, since he was the first friend I made here. Cheshire let out a small sigh, "Fine~ but if you keep looking away, I'll have to hug you."

I looked right at him, shaking my head. This made him smile, but ultimately kept him from actually touching me. Why were people so clingy here? It was one of many things I wanted to ask, but never got around to it, hoping it would be explained. Cheshire just sighed resting on the bench opposite of me. "You know I didn't mean to say your customs were weird, they are just strange to us. Like really, how is anyone outside your tribe supposed to know that tossing your favorite knife up and catching it, was a sign you were looking for friends?'

I lowered my ears a little, "Because who doesn't like talking about weapons?"

Cheshire grinned, "Well, the people that don't have to fight and hunt from the time they can walk for one. Speaking of, it's been half a year now. How long is your pilgrimage supposed to last?"

"It lasts until we either get enough food to last the tribe for a few months, or we get enough weapons, or raw materials for them, to outfit three hunting parties. Why do you ask?" I looked at Cheshire as he stretched a little.

"Just curious mostly, though you've been saving up coin for a while now. I'm sure when this harvest comes you'll be able to meet those needs." He gave me a bitter smile.

I shook my head, "I want to take more home, at least enough to cover my sister's pilgrimage. We don't have a set amount of time, since decades can pass rather quickly. Spending five years here is nothing to my tribe, even ten years wouldn't be too crazy. Though they would likely think I died." I sulked a little, looking at the ground.

Cheshire let out a soft sigh, "Don't get depressed on me, I need you to go into this fight and win it. If you stick with us for a couple years, I promise you'll have a wagon to take home at least. Stuffed full of weapons, maybe even enough to outfit everyone in your tribe. I just need you to keep doing what you do best."

I smiled under my mask, "You mean hunting monsters while everyone else runs away?"

Cheshire smiled back, "Yeah, you're the deadliest elf I ever met. Which is why I'm asking you to make certain you win this fight. Don't kill your opponent, but the guy you are fighting is a strange one. I have no idea what's going on with him. If you can't win without killing him, then lose. The gang we're dealing with, the Fire Starters, there is too much we don't know about them. They made Jacky an offer he couldn't refuse, and I want to see if they make good on that."

I narrowed my eyes, "They threatened to kill him, or his family?"

Cheshire held up his hands, "No, they didn't. Glad you're picking up on subtext though. They offered him a lot of food to keep his tribe healthy. Both of us are going to test his vice and his pet though. I want you to be able to tell us how you'd hunt the creature, more than winning any fight you're a part of. Tell me if it strikes you as a pack hunter, a lone wolf, or whatever. I don't care, but any information you give is important."

I nodded, "Understood, I'll do what I do best."

Cheshire grinned, "Thank you." The gate opened at that moment, "Good luck, Midnight."

I walked into the Arena, as the Announcer began to shout as always. "SINCE MOST OF YOU CAN'T EVEN COUNT, I WON'T TELL YOU HOW FAR ALONG WE ARE!" This made the crowd laugh. I saw Levi waving at me happily. I gave her another thumbs-up, glad I didn't hurt her feelings earlier. "IN THIS CORNER, WE HAVE THE DARK ELF, THE MISTRESS OF BLADES, THE AEROBLADE HERSELF! MIDNIGHT!" He was clearly trying to hype the crowd up again. Which was a given, after the last fight ended so pitifully.

I saw my opponent, shambling out of his side. I felt my skin crawling at his unnatural movements. The way he was slumped forward, his arms dangling in front of him. How they swung as if he didn't care about them. The exaggerated gait, where he stepped forward, falling a little, his ankle twisting, before moving forward again as if it didn't happen. The mask carved from white bone, with a smiling face one might see in a theater. A single red dot on the forehead, with small black handprints on the cheeks. Everything about this hooded figure told me it wasn't a person.

"AND IN THIS CORNER! OUR CHALLENGER! A MYSTERIOUS HOODED MAN, ONLY GOING BY THE NAME N! WHO WILL WIN! THIS BATTLE IS SURE TO BE ONE TO TALK ABOUT!" I pulled out my hunting blades, a sense of dread creeping over me. I knew nothing about this creature, was it someone infected by mushblooms? No, he didn't have stalks growing out of him. A harvester? No, they wouldn't wear a mask.

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The gong sounded, as I stood there watching its every move. It was just staring right at me. Finally it turned away, and I let go of the breath I didn't know I had been holding. My hands were shaking slightly, as unbearible weight of dread moved away. I looked for the trail it left, hoping to understand what was going on with it. Then I saw the ground itself was untouched. As if the thing was floating, or weightless. It moved towards the edge of the arena, where all the weapons and shields were moved. It began picking them up, and placing it inside itself. The audience in front of it began screaming.

I heard a melancholy sound starting to play, the lilting hum of a male voice contrasting with it. "Yes mother, I'll take them all for you." It was a hushed, but happy voice. Like a ghost whispering directly in my ear.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "It's him! It's that monster! The one that crept around our homes at night!"

The others were watching me, as the monster was shoveling more and more of the weapons into it's stomach. It turned, and I finally saw the swirling black mass that made the people in front of it scream in terror. It was absorbing the weapons inside itself, happily humming while it went about its task. I saw Kobe clenching his biceps, clearly very upset at this turn of events. He turned to one of the men behind him, ordering them to prepare torches.

I couldn't just sit here and watch, I threw air blades at the thing, checking to see if they would have any affect. It wasn't paying attention to me, so I had the benefit of trying what I wanted until I managed to harm it somehow. It simply absorbed the air blades, before throwing them up into the air as if the simply bounced off it's shifting hide of swirling darkness. It continued to crawl, using the blades it absorbed, to shovel more inside itself. The hood it wore resting on its back in tatters.

The thing moved forward like a fat slug, smoothing itself out as it continued to crawl over the weapons and bits of armor. I moved along it's side, striking sparks from the back of my blades. The sparks were absorbed before falling down. I grabbed a weapon from the pile, and tried stabbing the thing with a spear. I found no resistance, until I tried to take the rusted spear back, it actively tried to pull it in. I didn't feel like seeing what happened if I was inside it, and just let the spear go.

I was asked to not kill it, but judging by the Cheshire's face he was more worried about what might happen if it tried to actually attack me. The thing was moving quicker now, that same music still playing. That same humming as it worked. I saw a few torches, and decided to try grabbing one. A few seconds later, I had it lit before tossing it at the creature. A shield erupted from inside its hide, showing that it really didn't like fire. This was something I could work with.

I lit a few more torches, using the one from earlier, driving two further on its path. It stopped for a second, unsure what to do against the torches. I threw a couple aeroblades at its face and neck. While they did nothing, I noticed it moved the mask out of the way of my attacks. I held a torch in my hand, waving it at the monster, before finally sending more aeroblades at the mask. It moved as I expected, before finally a blade caught the mask, cutting the bottom half off.

The crowd cheered, as it stopped moving. On instinct I jumped back, as swords and spears erupted out of the spot facing me. It finally looked at me again, the humming becoming angry. It had half the arena's weapons and armor by this point, that same dread washing over me as I now had its attention. I held the torch out, waving it at the monster.

It suddenly went out, as I saw orange circles emerge around its front. "I'm going home now, mother says I have enough. You broke my mask, so I don't want to play anymore." It moved forward, fire erupting from the orange spots as it moved quickly towards the gate it came in through. It crashed into it with the force of an army, while dismissively taking swipes at me with weapons coming out of the darkness form its sides. I had no choice, but to jump up, as it crashed into the gate again. Causing the thing to buckle inwards, before bringing it's full weight down on the wall and crushing it to start running through.

I heard screams, while I barely managed to float above the creature, out of its range. It was quickly crawling through the hallway, and likely going outside the arena itself. I fell to the ground, panting, while Kobe was making his move to suppress the thing. Cheshire was instantly by my side, "Are you hurt?"

I checked to see if I was struck anywhere, but thankfully that wasn't an issue. I slowly nodded, "What are we going to do about that? Do we know where it is going?"

The last of it disappeared into the cell, my hands were shaking still. "First we need to get out of here and wait for everything to resume tomorrow. Don't worry about me, I'll handle Kobe if anything happens. Jacky is following Ace, and his pet. Levi is going to track down where the thing is going. You are going to go through this portal and get the tribes moving, in case it moves through their territories. I don't want anyone fighting that, until we know if war was just declared against Kobe or not." Cheshire quickly opened a portal, and I ran through it.

I blinked, to find that the Underground was suddenly dark. That the people of the tribes were running. Even my own tribe was here, they were preparing torches. Jacky was already there, "Wait, I thought you were supposed to follow Ace?"

I shook my head, as Jacky tilted his head, "Yeah? I did, and they were riding on top of the thing. The hood was there so they could sit on it. We need to get the women and children moving. The thing is growing bigger by the second. Its starting to eat people now."

I bit my lip, seeing as it was suddenly crawling along the outer walls of the Underground. Was there no end to how big it could get? I quickly moved towards the closest group of children, trying to direct them like I was taught in my tribe. Dark Fell had terrible monsters, but this was just insane. Thankfully the children were falling in line, quietly sniffling as I did when we had to leave because of a horde passing by. Running was better than dying.

What was the king doing at this time? He was supposed to know everything important. No sooner had I thought that, was when the ceiling started to crack above, giant pieces of roof falling on spots where that monster should be. That didn't work, it only started to grow bigger. Each bit of rubble making it swell up more and more. The lullaby started to play again, that strange song making my head hurt.

I felt something dripping, and put my hand to my nose, pulling away black blood. I blinked, "How did this happen?" Then I remembered something very important. I grabbed my knives, stabbing one into my palm and twisting it. The pain surging through my body, as the entire world seemed to shift and twist. The man with the mask stood in front of me, "I hope you enjoyed Wonderland, Mother's world is far more beautiful."

I puked as everything came crashing back to normal. I was still in the arena, panting, looking around the taste of bile still on my tongue. My palm was weeping white blood, as I saw the man absorb the last sword into his chest. There was nothing worse than fighting something that could make your mind play tricks on you like that. I should have noticed sooner, that even before the gong went off he was using magic. I twisted the knife again, making certain this was real.

The man laughed, his voice echoing as if through a deep tunnel. He raised a hand, "I yield." The gate opened, as I see him walking away. The migrane he left me with striking harder as the announcer yelled out my victory. The crowd jeered, as the world spun again. I fell onto my side, passing out, just barely seeing thugs going after the man, and bugs moving to stop them.

I woke up with a loud groan, laying on a bed, while a few slaves tended to me. Jacky was sitting on the chair next to me. I winced a little as my hand twitched. Jacky smiled softly, "You're a real piece of shit, and I hate your guts."

I closed my eyes, "You would never say that, and mean it. I doubt there is any point in him continuing to fuck with my mind. So thank you for confirming this is the real world."

I heard him laugh softly, "No problem, I was worried for you, when you started attacking thin air. Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, the throbbing pain still there. Anyone that could manipulate minds like that, was a bastard, especially monsters. "What happened outside of my personal hell?"

"Honestly? Not much, the guy just walked around shoving swords and stuff into his body. He wasn't exactly picky either, and while Kobe is a little pissed he's letting it go. Something about respecting a man with enough balls to pull something like that." Jacky thankfully kept his voice soft, which helped a bit.

"How long was I out?" I opened an eye to peek at him, noting he had a book in his hands.

"Maybe thirty minutes. Cheshire has probably finished his match by now. He was fighting an electromancer, and well she didn't exactly have any metal to play with." He smiled a little.

"Ah, so he toyed with her, so I could rest and recover without missing the next round?" I rubbed my temples, cursing N from the bottom of my heart.

"Pretty much, still we have a pretty good idea of who, or what N was. We had a local rumor in the more populated section of the Underground. That there was a cursed man wandering around. He'd die, only to come back somewhere else in the Underground. He was blind, deaf, and relied on his magic to sense others." He paused there to gauge my interest.

I let out a soft sigh, "What happened to him?"

Jacky moved a little closer, "Well, there are a lot of rumors about how he came about. The important thing was that if he caught you, he'd play with you until he got bored, like a child. They would always hear a creepy song with someone humming it."

"A lullaby, I don't need his history. What do we do about him?" I laid back closing my eye.

Jacky let out a small huff, "No fun, we used to tell kids that he would take away bad children, and eat them. Anyway, there isn't much that can be done about him. If he'd killed, he just shows up again later. Kind of like the Princess. He's also on the top five list of people you don't want to meet in a dark alley."

I nodded a little, "Yeah, that makes sense. How do we kill him though? How do we protect ourselves?"

"He's actually weak against fire, and will run away most of the time. Though I wouldn't worry, he doesn't like attacking the same people twice."

I relaxed a little, "I'm going to rest until my headache is gone. Cheshire wants me to watch the monster, so wake me up a round or two before that happens."

Jacky let out a small laugh, "Fine, just so you know you're also in the top ten people to not meet in a dark alley."

I slugged him on the shoulder, as he left the room laughing. He at least knew how to make me feel I wasn't trapped in some kind of dream anymore. It was a shame I couldn't see the other fights, but I needed to be alert to see everything that creature did during her fight.