Cobalt kept his back braced against the wood of the tree as he silently struggled to think of a plan. Visibility was poor with all the fog, he was nearly up to his knees in freezing snow, and he was trapped out in the open with one of his students. And as he had no reason to believe that this new Devil was new to the sniping business, he wasn't about to run out of cover and make a break for Alison's lab.

The hairs prickled on the back of his neck as an eerie silence settled over the park, permeated only by his rapid heartbeats and staggered breathing.

The sap on the target cut into the tree was still fresh, unfrozen by the winter chill. Whoever made it, made it recently. Meaning they had to have been following Cobalt.

Who knows for how long?

"Lilith?" Cobalt breathed.

The Devil didn't answer.

"Lilith, this is no time for stropping."

Again, no reply. Swearing beneath his breath, Cobalt carefully peeked around the side of the tree-

- and was met with the distant flash of a muzzle from beyond the trees, coupled with the deafening crack of a gunshot. He just about managed to pull his head out of danger, but not before the bullet grazed one of his horns. It screeched and vibrated violently from the force, sending waves of agony through his nerves and down his spine. Crying out, Cobalt had to dig his claws into the tree in order to stop himself from collapsing to the ground.

"You alright?!" Quinn whispered urgently.

Gritting his teeth, Cobalt nodded.

"Y- Yeah, just a scratch."

"Alright, what's the play here?" the Imp asked, her catlike eyes glancing about uneasily.

Lilith would know what to do. But aside from her cursory advice to duck earlier, she wasn't cooperating.

"I don't know," admitted the Incubus, swallowing hard.

Quinn nodded slowly and peered around, flinching at every little sound.

"We should head deeper in," she said after a moment.

"What? Why?"

"This wanker'll have to follow us if he wants to line up a decent shot, and more trees means more cover."

She seemed confident in what she was saying. At least he could rely on Quinn at times like this.

"You'd almost think this wasn't your first time being shot at."

"Eh, you'd be surprised. Now I'll provide some cover fire; get ready to run when I start shooting, alright?"

Cobalt nodded grimly, prompting Quinn to summon her Lead Revolver in a flash of red magic. Gripping it tightly, she cocked the hammer and held the weapon close to her chest. Counting to three, the Imp skidded out from behind the tree and began to fire her gun in the direction of the sniper, fanning the hammer with skilled finesse. As a sextet of gunshots rang out through the Brimstone Nature Park, the Incubus lowered his head and sprinted deeper into the trees, skirting left and right in order to avoid running directly into any trees. His student followed closely behind, hastily reloading her weapon and firing over her shoulder as she ran through the snow. She ducked behind a large rock just as they heard another loud gunshot. Chips of stone sprayed everywhere as the bullet hit her cover.

"He's quick, I'll give him that," Quinn panted, blowing the smoke from her revolver.

"How are you so calm?" Cobalt asked.

She gave him a sidelong grin.

"Whatever gave you that idea? Mate, I am bricking it over here. But if I start losing the rag now, that doesn't bode too well for you, now does it?"

"F- Fair point..."

She looked him up and down as the sniper took another potshot, as if to taunt them.

"You're looking a little peaky, Cobalt," Quinn told him with a concerned look in his eye.

He swallowed hard.

"Just frightened, is all. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"Really, this again? C'mon, have you forgotten what this means?"

Quinn raised her hand and pointed it at him, showing off the scar on the palm. Right as she did so, the sniper fired again, forcing her to pull her hand back before it was shot off altogether.

"Cheeky fucker...!"

Angrily, the Imp stuck her middle finger out from behind cover, much to Cobalt's alarm. Rather than getting shot at once more, however, he heard nothing from their unseen pursuer. Pulling back, Quinn guffawed and smiled.

"Thought as much! He's only got five rounds in the mag!"

As if to answer her discovery, the sniper fired again, shaving more chips of stone off the Imp's cover.

"Quick reloader, though," she added with a frown.

Cobalt swallowed hard. Despite the fog, this Devil clearly had impeccable eyesight. He could try outrunning them, but if they managed to follow him without him noticing for this long, then it would only be a matter of time before they found him again. Conversely, he could try and fight them, but that would mean running headlong into the line of fire. He'd need something to throw their aim off.

And regardless of both options, he wasn't willing to endanger Quinn any further. She had been through enough today.

"Quinn."

"Yeah?"

"What's the smallest bird you can turn into?" Cobalt asked.

"Bullfinch, why?"

Her eyes widened, as did her grin.

"Oh, I see! You want me to go and peck the fucker's eyes out?" she suggested excitedly.

No. Chances are she would get shot down before she had the chance.

"No, I need you to fly out of here," Cobalt told her quickly.

"What?! No, not happening! I'm not leaving you here to get shot to bits!" the Imp cried.

"I don't want that happening to you, either!"

"So we'll face him together!"

"Quinn, you're not list-!"

Cobalt took a deep breath.

"Go home and make sure Lottie's safe. She should be your first priority, not me," he told her, feeling a little guilty for weaponising her love life like this.

Quinn bared her teeth.

"That's not fair, you can't do that!"

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Another gunshot, another bullet. This one hit the tree Cobalt was hiding behind, causing the entire thing to vibrate disconcertingly.

"I'll be fine, just go!" he yelled at her.

Releasing a frustrated growl, Quinn dispelled her Lead Revolver and shoved a hand into her pocket.

"Ngh, fine! At least take this!"

Producing her switchblade and an old handkerchief, the Imp unceremoniously slashed her other palm open, giving Cobalt quite a shock. Swearing loudly, she quickly squeezed the handkerchief in her palm, staining the entire thing red. Wrapping the knife in the bloody cloth, she tossed it at the Incubus, who managed to catch it without dropping it or getting shot in the process.

"There! Now we're double blood-bonded! You better not die, or I'm gonna taxidermy your corpse and sell it to Elly, you hear me?!"

With that oddly haunting threat ringing in his ears, she swiftly cast a bestimorphosis spell, turning herself into a red-breasted bird in a few short moments. She took off into the canopy, leaving Cobalt alone in the Brimstone Nature Park. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the bloodied handkerchief and stained knife in his hands.

He felt uncomfortable knowing that she was willing to injure herself in order to help him, but he couldn't deny it...

They smelled delicious.

"Lilith? Last chance to object before I do something stupid," he murmured, wincing as another shot was taken.

The Devil remained silent. Stubborn and childish, even in the face of death.

"Alright, this is on you...!"

Jamming the handkerchief into his mouth, Cobalt wrung Quinn's blood out, sending it flooding across his tongue. Compared to Jelli, the Imp's blood had a peculiarly salty taste, but the effect was much the same. The moment a single drop of the crimson fluid graced his tongue, his heartbeat quickened twofold, urging him to squeeze as much of the blood from the cloth as possible. He could feel his vessels grow hotter and hotter with every drop, glowing bright through his flesh. As reddish steam coiled from the corners of his mouth, the Incubus gasped for breath and spat the drained handkerchief to the ground.

It wasn't enough; he was starving.

Licking the knife clean, Cobalt clenched his teeth and experimentally flicked his tail out from behind the tree. The sniper took the bait, shooting at him in an instant, but from a different direction. They were changing their position, probing for a weakness.

Unless they deigned to draw closer, they'd eventually find an angle where they could get a bead on his head. He had to take the initiative. But charging them was suicide, unless he could hamper their aim. Then again, if they could see through this fog...

Wait. What if he obscured himself somehow? If they can't make out exactly where he is, then the chance of them landing a hit was lower, if only by a little.

Cobalt rolled up his sleeves and looked down at his arms. His veins pulsed violently in time to his heartbeat.

Still, in order for this to work he'd need his blood to be hotter.

Biting his lip, Cobalt shut his eyes and silently thought about everything that had been heaped upon him over the last few months. Lilith, Mistress Viola's weighty expectations, class 3-F's final year... With every mounting frustration, he began to feel the blood in his veins increase in temperature, bit by bit.

Magnus Rost, the incident at the party, the constant stares he got because of his horns... He could feel prickling beneath his skin, but he suppressed them as best he could, channeling that carnimantic impulse back into his bloodstream. He could feel it scorching him from the inside out, completely negating the chilling winter wind.

Having all eyes on him, the reporters roaming town, the constant questions about uncomfortable topics... Cobalt could hear the sniper fire at him once more, but he kept his eyes shut. Steam began to flow from between his teeth as his vision went red. Everything was hurting now.

Memories that didn't make sense, the names Elya told him of those he had hurt, the constant, horrible dread that he felt whenever he tried to think back on that which he couldn't remember...!

And Brass. The feeling that he'd never see his father. That he would always be living up to the man's legend. That he would never be as great as the Hellhound.

That feeling tore the Incubus apart, and it was just what he needed to send him into overdrive.

All across his arms, Cobalt's skin burst open, leaving grisly wounds from which thick red steam began to spray, engulfing the Incubus in a cloud of crimson. Crying out from the pain, he stumbled out of cover, whereupon he was shot at once more.

They missed, sinking the bullet into the ground a few feet away from him.

"Got you," he hissed, spurring himself to climb back to his feet.

Digging his claws into the ground, Cobalt surged forward, the snow melting from the heat radiating off his skin. Though barely able to see himself, he managed to follow the sound of the sniper's missed shots, and narrowly avoided running into trees by weaving left and right, further throwing his purser's aim off.

It hurt like all Hell, but as the fire in his stomach burned hotter and brighter, it began to dull, spurring Cobalt to run faster before he ran out of blood altogether.

The gunshots grew louder. The bullets flew closer and close; a few even grazing the Incubus here and there. With his teeth gritted and his fists balled, he pushed through the snow-covered brush and leaped at his attack, teeth bared and ready to fight.

There, garbed in a dark, floor-length cloak, was the Devil. Two crimson eyes glinted dangerously from within the shadows of their hood, one of which was magnified by the scope of a long, wooden rifle. The barrel was aimed right at Cobalt's chest.

He just about saw the glint of their teeth as they pulled the trigger.

A bright flash of light. A deafening explosion. A sharp, burning pain right in his midsection. One moment, Cobalt was staring right into the lens of the sniper's scope. The next, he was flying backwards, face twisted in pain as he landed in the snow. It hissed all around him, melting the instant it made contact with his skin. The steam billowing from his wounds cooled into liquid once more as the Devil approached, drawing the bolt on their gun and ejecting a smoking cartridge.

Lifting their hand, they pulled down their head, revealing their face. Beta had an intimidating visage, riddled with scars. Delta's face was roughened and manic, betraying his unpredictable nature. But this one... Her eyes were sunken behind steel-rimmed spectacles, her lips were thin and her grey skin was pale and ghostly. She stared into Cobalt's eyes as she drew a curved knife from her belt, the wind blowing through her short hair as she hunkered down.

"G- Get away from me..." Cobalt spluttered, feeling his body rapidly lose the heat he had built up.

She didn't answer, instead cutting through the front of the Incubus' jacket, exposing his chest. There, the bullet that she had fired jutted out from his skin, buckled from having impacted his solar plexus.

His eyes widened.

"What...?"

He wasn't completely clueless; a shot from up close with a rifle should have punched a hole clean through him. The Devil looked equally bewildered, and ignored the Incubus' pained grunts as she dug the crumpled round from his flesh. Raising his fist, he tried to hit her, but the Devil simply grasped his wrist and painfully twisted it out of the way.

With the bullet pulled out, she held it up to the light for a moment before stashing within her cloak. Flipping the dagger around, she made to unceremoniously slash the Incubus' throat open.

Or at least she would have, had she not frozen in place upon hearing the cocking of a gun behind her.

"Good to see you, Gamma. Would have been nice to at least greet me," Lilith said, pressing the barrel of her iron pistol against the back of her old comrade's skull.

Withdrawing her knife, Gamma quickly bolted out of the way, putting a few feet between them before Cobalt could even blink. She raised her rifle to her shoulder, though Lilith didn't seem impressed by any measure.

"So the old man even gave away his Mosin-Nagant, huh? From the way he kept that three line polished, you'd think he'd take better care of the rest of his belongings," she taunted.

She opened her eye for effect, causing the Iron Artillery to flash dangerously. Behind her, Cobalt staggered to his feet, clutching the indentation left in his chest from the stopped bullet. He'd have time to question his own resilience later.

"Why isn't she speaking?" he asked, wiping the blood off his arms as his wounds gradually healed.

Lilith glared at him like he was something repulsive she found on the bottom of her shoe. It seemed like she still wasn't over their argument.

"Gamma had a brush with death that took her tongue a long time ago. Or rather, she brushed up against Death. Hasn't spoken since," she explained in a reluctant tone, keeping her pistol trained on the other Devil.

"I- I don't-"

"Of course you don't understand. You don't understand shit about anything, so just shut up and listen. You're looking at the best archer in Damnation's army. It'll be a shame to have to put her down."

Gamma narrowed her eyes and aimed down the scope. She remained silent, but the way she glared at Lilith seemed to infer something.

"I'm not going back, Gamma. Beta's dead. Delta's gone. It's just you, me and the jailbird, and he's got a life sentence. You really wanna go against me like this?" she threatened, taking a step forward.

The sniper quickly jerked her gun to the right, where Cobalt was standing. She intensified her stare, matching her old commander's threat.

"Go ahead. Shoot him. Kid's an Incubus; you know as well as I do that they don't go down ea-"

Gamma pulled the trigger.

Cobalt just about managed to duck out of the way, but not before the burning-hot round grazed his head, cutting an angry red tract through his skin. He screamed and fell to the ground, clutching the bleeding wound as Lilith winced and held a hand to her temple.

"... You always were too tricky for my liking...!"

Gamma quickly cycled the bolt and tried to shoot Lilith, but she had already closed the gap. Pushing the barrel aside, she pressed the muzzle of her pistol right against the scope lens and fired, shattering it explosively. The sniper was forced to drop her rifle and dart away, allowing Lilith to retrieve the weapon.

"Hmph. Gonna need more than antique trinkets, Gamma. Looks like you were severely under-briefed," she called, ejecting the last few rounds from the gun.

With the magazine empty, Lilith brutally smashed it against her knee, cracking the stock and bending the barrel out of shape.

"But hey, I'm too pissed off to let this end easy!"

She glanced back at Cobalt, her remaining eye filled with fury.

"I'll serve you an appetiser first!"

With that, she melted back into Cobalt's body, much to both their confusion. Shaking her head, Gamma silently incanted a Devil spell, summoning a huge iron crossbow into her hands. Cobalt panicked as she loaded an equally-large bolt and cried for Lilith, but the sadistic Devil did not answer his pleas.

Could she have ended things so easily with the other Devils?! Was she just drawing this out to mess with him?!

The Incubus swallowed hard and stared at the keen point of the bolt aimed right at him.

He would have to put that off for later.

Right now, he was about to die.