Maitreya Reborn Mashiro sprinted through the streets of Kyoto as fast as her legs would carry her. The Earth Columns had given her a head start so that the rest of Natsuki's little army wouldn't notice the pursuit. It was a horrible situation. Behind her were her executioners, now beginning to follow her. Ahead was one branch of the massive Orphan swarm. The beasts were having it out with the HiME militia, rumbles from artillery and conventional weapons shaking the ground. HiME ahead and hostile Otome behind. All of them no doubt wanted to kill her. And Arika was bound to defend Dammerung. Mashiro had tried to reach her once again through her master's ring, but communication seemed to be deliberately blocked. Natsuki's doing...? She turned her head to quickly look behind her as she fled. Ah! All four of those bitches were beginning to dive down towards her and accelerate! In just a few seconds, they would close the distance and be within attack range! She focused her attention ahead once more. Rapid thoughts of some kind of strategy. What to do?! To the right! There was a row of wooden beams that held up the overhanging roof of an old shop. She practically leapt between them, and the Otome behind her rapidly decelerated to nearly a complete stop to avoiding hitting the structures. One of them, holder of the Kyanite, slashed through the nearest beam with her pata sword Elements. It broke apart with seemingly little effort, and she and the other Otome closed in. Mashiro ducked inside the empty shop and continued to flee, hoping there was a back entrance somewhere that she could escape out from. She rushed by a dust laden counter top, long since having been looted for goods and money, and leapt as gracefully as she could over a broken shelf while still fleeing. One of the other Otome, clad in a gold and black robe, hurled a surujin Element at her. It wrapped tightly around her leg and she fell to the floor, throwing her hands up at the last moment to catch herself. One of her pursuers made an effort to smash her skull in with a steel bo staff, but Mashiro rolled out of the way and yanked her leg free of the chain that had held it in place. She headed for the door, but the Otome came at her like wild, unstoppable bulls. One, flying at high speed after accelerating at the maximum rate, broke right through the wall. Mashiro leapt out of the way as a second tried to grab hold of her after rapidly approaching. She sprinted down an alley, as the street was home to Orphans. She was granted a small miracle, then, as the HiME militia who had been fighting with the monsters split into two groups. The first kept their fire trained on the beast, while those closest to the executioner Otome turned their rifles around to take potshots at them. After all, the Otome were still the enemy. All the Columns brought up their shields, bullets bouncing off. The distraction gave Mashiro time to properly escape. Heading down another alley, she continued to run, her lungs threatening to give out after the effort used to flee so far. When she made it onto an opposite street, free of beasts, she slowed her pace just a little in order to catch her breath. It felt almost like she was in the clear, but she knew that she had to keep moving. A person shouldn't remain still in a situation like that. Ducking down another alley in order to stay out of sight, she hoped to make it to the forests outside the city. It would be much harder to find her there. One misstep, however, put an end to that plan. When her foot came down, the ground beneath her opened up. Weakened from mortar fire in previous years, it had been an accident waiting to happen for anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon it. Mashiro was that unlucky soul. She fell into the maw, and lost consciousness. When she woke again, she realized that she was in some kind of man made tunnel. Mashiro stood and, realizing that she could have been spotted by any Otome flying over the newly made gap, sprinted down one end of the tunnel. She ran on and on, heading to what she thought was the south, until she heard a most curious noise. Music? She slowed her pace until she was creeping, and cautiously approached the source of the noise, now seeing faint traces of light as well. When the tune had gotten quite loud, she gently took a glance around one of the corners that formed within the dark tunnel. It was a room that looked vaguely like a one room apartment or storage area. A candle-lit lamp provided the warm light that had guided her there, and what was likely to be a very ancient phonograph was playing equally ancient melodies. A small cot was on the other wall, and on it sat a person that Mashiro was very glad to see. "Meister Lu, you have to help me!" She cried out. Had it been anyone else sitting there, sans Shizuru, they would have jumped up in alarm. Ann remained perfectly still, her emotional control so extreme that she could tune fear and surprise out completely. Perhaps she had heard Mashiro's footsteps, and had been expecting her. No matter the cause, Ann Lu simply turned her head to examine the teenaged queen of Windbloom. A naginata rested in one of her hands. "What are you doing down here, your highness? Shouldn't you be up there helping Natsuki take over the world?" The elder woman quipped. Mashiro opened her mouth to say something, but was struck silent by Ann's focused but ragged appearance. At some point she must have gotten too close to an artillery blast, as a layer of dirt and dust had fallen upon her. Eyes appeared determined but very tired. Her body leaned to and fro without Ann's permission, and the sight of an empty bottle or two of sake on the floor seemed to give the reason for such actions away. Mashiro wrinkled up her nose. "Meister Lu, you look like hell." The elder woman went back to sharpening the blade of her procured naginata. "My, my... you skipped etiquette classes as a young princess, didn't you?" Mashiro winced at her own mistake. "Eh, sorry. I didn't mean it quite like that." "That's fine. Now, tell me of your dilemma. I imagine something has gone wrong at Dammerung if you've ended up all the way out here," Ann assumed, looking back at the fellow royal for half a second. "I was worried about why you were sent away, and I started to think that Natsuki had utterly lost it. So I asked Haruka to go and follow Shizuru so that we could see what was going on. Now Haruka is dead and Natsuki's sent the Earth Columns after me for spying on her!" Mashiro explained in a great amount of haste, waving her arms for dramatic effect. "She's gone completely mad!" Ann became very still. Her eyes focused on the wall ahead of her, no emotion on her face, as that sad and ancient enka song continued to play on the phonograph. Though her gaze betrayed nothing, her voice surely did. It gave away hints of sorrow. "Haruka is dead? ...Did Shizuru kill her?" "I don't know. Probably." The queen said it plainly, not truly knowing of Ann's past with either woman. At that, Ann's eyes lowered and threatened to fill with tears. Her two beloved proteges, whom she had taught everything she knew about Otome combat, had fought to the death! Her heart weeped for her headstrong Haruka, who had always proved her worth with such flair and bravado. Now she lay dead somewhere in Kyoto, all that life in her extinguished by Shizuru's blood lust. Shizuru! What had happened to her to turn her into such a monster? Nothing about this was right at all. The answer, she somehow knew, rested with Natsuki. With a deep breath, she repressed her emotions and blinked back growing tears. She could not bring her former room attendant back, and if Mashiro was genuinely being hunted, then the young queen would need a strong and collected guardian. "Then I will help you evade capture. You must stay as far away from Dammerung as you can. I think I would even prefer it if you got out of the city all together. Too many cameras are about. Natsuki can monitor everything." "Even down here? What is this place?" Mashiro asked. The candle lighting the room flickered and the warm glow caused the shadows to dance on her skin. Ann shrugged. "Some place very old. A journal is dated to the 1940s. It was apparently built as a safe place to hide from the fires of an invading country, but the attacks never came. So it remains intact. It looks like it's been expanded since then. The tunnels stretch on for some distance. The HiME hide in mountain tunnels, do they not? Perhaps they use it." "If that's true... maybe it goes all the way up to their base? I wonder if we could seek refuge from them?" "You might be safe as diplomat," Ann agreed. "It would be worth trying. If it ends up being a dead end, then we can always turn back and escape from the city the conventional way. Once we're out, we won't need the HiME. I can help you find some small hamlet to hide away in." "Me? What about you?" She pointed to Ann, who stared back with an unreadable expression. The princess of Annam simply stood with her sharpened naginata. "It is my personal responsibility, now that Haruka has perished, to find out what the source of this chaos is. To do that, I must confront Natsuki directly. Once you're in a safe place, I will return and deal with the headmistress and my former pupil." "You're going to take on the Otome with just a pointy stick? You can't even use your robe anymore! How do you think you can fight anyone in such a state!" Mashiro objected. Ann simply began to walk down one of the tunnels, and Mashiro was forced to keep up, staying close behind the elder woman like a dog remained close to their owner. A few steps later, Ann turned to the other girl and smiled. "Queen Mashiro, I'll have you know that before all these young upstarts joined Garderobe, I was considered to be the most dangerous Otome of the era. That is because that even without my GEM, I was capable of defeating an enemy. The key to victory, you see, is not power, but ingenuity." "The superhero suits help." - - - Mai stepped into the Altar of the Ikusahime with a near lifeless Yukino in her arms. The redhead set her companion before the great statue of Diana. There, Yukino curled up and stared blankly at the opposing wall. Yukariko was in a similar position beneath the statue of St. Vlas, attendants having comforted her as best they could. All they wanted to do was sit and mourn. The life force had left both of them. Mai grimly looked up at the other statues that lined the room. Yatagarasu, Gennai, Kagutsuchi... Would they all slowly collect here like living trophies? Everything had happened so fast. Tomoe and Shizuru, along with a horde of Iolites, had come in and chased them all around Kyoto. Now they were all separated and on their own. Mai had come into the possession of Yukino in all that chaos, and held her tight. She did not deserve to fall into the Obsidian Lord's hands like what happened with Fumi. Yukino did not deserve to be a mindless slave. Mai turned away, unable to bear the familiar sight of a defeated HiME. She briskly walked through the base until she reached Minako. The leader of the modern day HiME gave her a curt but polite bow. "Tokiha-sama. I am glad to see that you are well." "Have any of the others come back?" She asked, getting right to the point. "You're the only one to make it here," Minako regretfully informed. "Scouts saw Shiho-sama flee further into the mountains with her Child, and spotted Midori-sama at some point during your battle. I am afraid that no one has seen them since. The rest are unaccounted for. I've ordered my militia teams to help track them down." Mai turned her eyes to the ground in contemplation. What should she do now? "Thank you for the assistance. I've brought Yukino back. She has been defeated. Please take care of her for me." Minako nodded. "I will." "Thank you." "It's strange," Minako said. "I am so used to powers transferring automatically when a HiME suffers a defeat. There has been no transfer of power. It's almost as if it's been lost." "It's being stored in the Otome Emulator," Mai said. She assumed that was happening, anyway. What other explanation was there? The Emulator. That reminded her of the most vital question that had yet to be answered. The one question that could turn Shizuru back or keep her an enemy for the rest of this Carnival of Man. "Minako, you must tell me. Have any cores from the old Emulators survived an extraction?" "The former HiME or Otome within?" Minako asked. When confirmed with a nod, she pondered the question. "I do not know offhand. All that information is so ancient. Very few Type I machines remained in use after we invented core-less Emulators, and in most stories, the core does not survive extraction. I will check the archives for any information about such a process." "I hope there's something that will work. If there is, we can get Shizuru back to our side and stop all this madness," Mai said. "Why would that matter?" Mai nearly told her every little detail, but if she didn't know already, then there was no need to add unnecessary stress to her already stressful life. "The core is Natsuki's sister, preserved from our last days. Shizuru also sees her as family, and will not bring herself to kill the girl." Minako was respectfully quiet for a brief moment. "I understand the importance of the task now, Tokiha-sama. While I will gladly search for information, I sincerely hope that your friend can find the courage to perform the most dreadful of tasks should there be no alternative." "Yeah... we're all hoping that." Mai sighed. "But I have a feeling that Shizuru will do everything in her power to stop us from destroying the Emulator, even if she has to sacrifice us and the world to keep anyone from getting in there." "Greed can be a frighteningly powerful thing. I would help you if I could, but all I can do is order the Heirs to keep the Orphans out of your way. If we were to take on a true Ikusahime, we would meet our end." The former Mistress of Kagutsuchi offered Mai an apologetic smile. "That's why I've got to go find and recover the others. Shiho was deeper into the mountains, you said?" "Last we saw." Mai's eyes became determined. Memories of Shiho as a sister-in-law had become more and more present in her mind, which made it Mai's responsibility to collect her. Whether the Nao follower wanted it or not. "Then I'm taking Kagutsuchi further up. Please keep a look out for the others." "As you wish." - - - "Onee-sama..." It was becoming difficult to keep up. "Onee-sama, please slow down for a moment," Tomoe pleaded. It was not like her to show Shizuru any sign of weakness, as she did not want her idol to think poorly of her, but it was simply becoming too much. Since when did Shizuru have this much strength and endurance without her robe? It was like trying to keep pace with a titan. Shizuru temporarily halted and turned back to look at the younger female. She was sweat laden and fatigued. The journey out of Kyoto and into higher ground had not been easy for the former student. Chasing the HiME through the city had taken too much effort for a mere human like Tomoe. Now that Shizuru had dispatched their Otome escorts, all the fighting had to be done on their own terms. Shizuru was able to walk through Orphan hordes without having to fight a single beast. Alyssa would not harm her. Tomoe was different. Having chased after Shizuru, she had been forced to slay monster after monster in order to keep up. The elder hadn't noticed. She had such tunnel vision when it came to the enemy! "You should go back to Dammerung," Shizuru suggested. The girl could not follow for much longer. Tomoe's body would give out before the spirit would. "You need rest." "I am fine, I just need to catch my breath for a moment," Tomoe insisted. Her lungs drew in massive amounts of air, but it was clear that a simple rest stop would not eliminate her fatigue. "W-where are you intending to go, anyway?" Shizuru turned her gaze back up to the mountains, and pointed at the highest one with her bardiche. "There." "You're going to climb all the way up there?!" This woman had lost her mind. "It will be difficult to approach covertly with my Child. Kiyohime is rather easy to spot, either on the ground or in the air. Go that way and the Ikusahime lurking up there will flee with her great bird. I cannot afford to lose her. She may be weak, but Yatagarasu is a formidable creature," Shizuru explained, lowering her weapon once more. "Therefore, I must climb and catch her while she recovers from her escape." Tomoe timidly looked up the side of that mountain. It was not a terribly high climb, but wind erosion and warfare had carved it into something steep and twisted. It would be difficult to maneuver. At some points, it was nearly vertical. How her onee-sama could do such a thing for no clear reason... it did not make sense. Could she even manage to follow Shizuru without inadvertently killing herself on the way up? Her muscles likely wouldn't hold out that long. "Why are you doing this?" Tomoe suddenly asked, drawing on some inner strength to do so. It was like someone else was talking. She barely registered that words were leaving her mouth. "Who is that woman in the core? Why could that make you Natsuki's slave?" Shizuru gave her a long hard glare in response, almost taking that last line as a genuine insult. It was really none of Tomoe's business why she did anything, much less this. Yet she couldn't bear to crush the girl's spirit completely. She answered, but was deliberately curt. "The Emulator core is my sister. I will not let her die." She then walked forward and came closer to Tomoe. The green haired woman nearly flinched, as the look Shizuru had appeared to be so dangerous that the thought of her violently snapping was not out of the question. She had gone too far, hadn't she? Tomoe held her breath as Shizuru stopped and extended her hand. Would the gesture bring warmth and comfort, or pain? The hand fell on her shoulder, though the feeling behind it was distant and cold. The same could be said of the voice. It was like she was being shooed away. A bothersome child. "Tomoe, this is not a request. This is an order. Do not follow me up that mountain. Stay in the city and recover. It is far too dangerous and the battles I am about to face are reserved for Ikusahime. Do you understand? You cannot interfere." Tomoe could never stand being told that she was not allowed to do something. 'No' was never an acceptable answer to her. This, however, was an order from her beloved onee-sama. Even if it was a horrendous request, how could Tomoe act against it? In the back of her mind, she knew that Shizuru was right, but she still felt like she had to be with her. To protect her. To keep her out of harm's way should something terrible happen. Shizuru should not have been condemned to fight alone. "Fine. If you want me to, I will," Tomoe relented. Surrendering to the wishes of her onee-sama, Tomoe stabbed her glaive in the ground and sat beside it. "You'd better hurry back." "I will try my best, Miss Marguerite." - - - Mt. Hiei was much taller than Fujino Shizuru's memory recalled. She had gone up that mountain several times as a child to see the shrines, none of which remained, and it now felt like a foreign piece of the landscape. The southern face of the mountain had essentially been blasted away by Children or Otome. It was as if something took a jagged bite out of it, not unlike what Kagutsuchi had done to Mt. Seppiko when he was first summoned by Mai. She lifted herself up onto a lifeless edge and collected her breath. Even with the added strength that Ikusahime had, the journey up was quite difficult to manage. The familiar roads were either lost with the scar or had been grown over in the hundred upon hundred of years that had passed. She had to climb the rest of the way. Walking around to the smoother side was not an option. She could see Yatagarasu's massive dark form perched above her. This was the way up. Her kimono had long since been discarded, leaving her in the basic Ikusahime fighting suit that had once been worn by the former Mistress of Kiyohime. This other girl had been taller, and it had been quite loose through the sleeves and legs until she found a way to tighten it up. The form fitting combat gear was much more effective – made for wear and tear and fighting. The rough mountainside did nothing to ruin it. Had it been a little more beautiful, she would have fully appreciated it. Wind bit at her face and tossed her hair back and forth. As she recovered from her last climbing session, she tied most of it back and out of her face, leaving just a few strands to hang loose. That done, she grabbed the next handhold that the mountain offered and hoisted herself up further, able to walk just slightly thanks to the angle. It was worse above. When she reached that near vertical barrier, she forced herself to keep her eyes turned up. She pretended it was a climbing wall, and that if she fell, she wouldn't plummet to her death. One position at a time. She grabbed another hold and pulled herself up, her legs finding their own places on the mountain. It was tedious and forced her to use so much of her energy. Would she have enough left to fight when she reached the top? She would have to pull more stamina from within. Alyssa and Natsuki both depended on her to succeed. The world rested on her shoulders as well, because that Star would still come crashing down eventually. She had to hurry in her hunt. After resting at another decent sized ledge, she continued up and up. At one point, she though she saw movement above. Then her worst fears were confirmed. She had been spotted. Pink hair was first, followed by a surprised face. "G-gah!" Shiho had been resting on a ledge above, planning her next moves, when she heard Shizuru below. That damned woman had followed her here, hadn't she?! Shiho leapt up and summoned her Element. She had to get rid of Shizuru while she still had a chance! Shizuru trapped on the edge was perfect. She blew into her flute and a ghostly note rang out over the roaring winds. Yatagarasu rumbled above and moved from his perch. His massive black wings opened fully and he launched himself into the air. With several powerful flaps of those wings to get himself up to speed, he banked to the side and came for Shizuru, who desperately began to climb up further, occasionally missing a hold in her haste. She clung to what was available and searched for any form of aid before that dark raven came too close. She couldn't use Kiyohime like this. The hydra was not an airborne fighter. Yatagarasu would have torn her to shred and flown circles around any attacks. Her foot slipped and she quickly found another place to rest it. It was then that she saw a glow form above. She looked up to see Yatagarasu charging his breath. Shizuru held her own as he fired a powerful golden beam from his mouth. Shizuru let go of the mountain and fell down to one of the ledges she had rested on earlier, praying that it wouldn't collapse under her falling weight. The beam cut across the place where she had once been, leaving a small scar in the mountainside that smoked from the heat. Rocks and debris from the blast cascaded around her, and Shizuru flung both her hands up to protect her head from harm. Aside from a single rock landing on her shoulder, she escaped without worry. Seeing that he had missed, Yatagarasu came back around to try a different approach. He dove at her and then flared up, coming to a halt and bringing his talons up. Using his claws, he tried to pull her from the ledge, but she ducked out of the way. He flapped his wings to get clear, nearly tossing her off the ledge from the gusts that resulted. He banked away and began to turn around. A slight dive took him below, and he came up from there to try and spear her with his beak. She would have none of it, but would take full advantage of his attack. As he neared, she took a leap of faith. Or, as anyone else would have called it, a leap of stupid bravery. Her body came crashing down against one of his wings and she curved herself around to grab hold of his back as he flailed. When he leveled himself, she used her legs to climb further up before he could shake her off. Summoning her Element, she placed it under his neck and grabbed hold of either end. She could not choke him with it, as his skin was too rough, but it would serve as a handle for her wild new ride. Yatagarasu twisted and rolled, sometimes inverting, in hopes of getting that Ikusahime off of him. She hung on through it all, though her muscles begged for relief. The bird banked to the right and dove down in between Hiei and the surrounding mountain tops. She could see the ruins of Kusatsu on the other side, looking far worse off than Kyoto did. As he dove further into that little gap between the mountains, his speed accelerated. He was going no faster than an Otome in a robe would, but this was no Otome flight. As he twisted in the air once more, she struggled to hang on. How do I kill it?! Her mind panicked as she struggled to find a solution. Could not use the Element, as moving to stab him would result in her flying off. Her eyes turned to the landscape, but that soon became unrecognizable as he rolled his belly up to face the sky, leaving her to hang on for dear life. He soon lowered himself down further towards the ground, and she realized what he was attempting to do. Shit, shit, shit! As he lowered himself further, trying to scrape her off his back using the trees and ground, she watched for the proper time to drop. A little further, a little further... couldn't let herself get too close, or she'd be a bug splatter on the wall, so to speak. When she though the altitude was just right, she unhooked her Element and fell from the sky like a rock. Her landing was less than graceful. Having twisted just before she let go, she saved her spine but damned her stomach and chest. Having fallen from an excess of twenty or thirty feet, it took her a moment to gather more wind to fill her empty lungs. The Ikusahime combat suit helped absorb some damages. When she stood again, she saw the bird turning back around to strafe her with his breath. Couldn't have that! As he released the charged shot, she rolled to the side. The beam sliced through a tree and left another smoking scar – this time in the ground. She looked up to follow him across the sky, but her eyes locked on to a white ghostly figure. Shiho, covered in a white robe. "Die!" An apparition? Had to be. No one could get down that mountain so fast. She realized that it was just a distraction tactic, as Yatagarasu loomed closer still. He unfurled his wings and let several black projectiles fly out towards her. She blocked one with her bardiche and avoided the rest, though one nearly ripped through her suit. Yatagarasu pulled up again and came around for yet another pass, not content to simply let Shizuru go. Apparently going to use his talons this time, Shizuru held her ground. When he came closer, she hurled her bardiche like a javelin. The blade shot through his neck and rested there, blood pouring from the wound. The bird then came out of the sky, threatening to crush her after victory seemed to be assured. She leapt out of the way as he landed on his back, skidding to a halt. She ran up the slope beside the bird and called her Element back. It disappeared and reappared in her hands. As the bird threatened to get itself upright and somehow fly once more, she planted her foot on his neck and held her weapon up. Bringing it down once more, she stabbed him right through the heart. This time it was not blood, but green mist, that escaped from the wound. She had won! He was dead! She grinned wickedly, forgetting that she was committing terrible sins, and fell victim to her natural blood lust. With every Child she killed, things became more like a game. She fell into routine, and her adrenaline craved yet another kill. Her eyes turned up to the mountain side, where she heard a mournful cry as Shiho lost her most precious person. The only person who had even taken care of dear Shiho Huit – her grandfather, who had taken her in after her parents' death. Another innocent life lost, and Shizuru could not have cared less. Falling deeper into darkness with every kill. The first one is the hardest, she reminded herself. After the first kill, it gets easier. - - - A third light on the Emulator doors appeared. Eight Keys remained. - - - Ann and Mashiro continued on down the tunnels, which apparently had no end. With every step they took, things appeared to be younger and fresher – a clear sign of ongoing construction through the years. They had yet to encounter anyone, be it Otome or HiME. It was a dead passage. Perhaps it had been forgotten about over the years? Whatever the case, it was quiet, and while Ann enjoyed serenity, she did not feel particularly comfortable in this environment. It was dark. It was a place where you could easily be ambushed. And Mashiro talked too much. "Were you planning to attend the next royal feast at Windbloom with your family? King Nguyen hasn't responded to my letter of invitation yet, so..." "No, I wasn't planning on it." "Why not?" "A mentally unstable headmistress said I couldn't go back to Earl." "Oh, right." Mashiro fell blissfully silent for approximately thirty seconds. "Is your sister still getting married to one of the Cardair princes?" "She's getting married to Prince Xavier of Lutesia Remus," Ann corrected. Her elder sister Jun, heir to the Annam throne, was set to be married next year. Of all things Mashiro had to remind her of. Now she felt completely and utterly homesick. Her diplomatic personality held back an irritated snarl. She focused on the task at hand. They had to keep moving. "He's a very nice guy, she's lucky. I thought he was seeing someone, but I guess not. You know, I've been thinking about marriage. Or really, whether to allow it or not. I mean, it would be nice, you know, but then he'd get delusions of kingly grandeur and it's my country..." It was at that point that Ann began to tune her out entirely. On occasion, she looked back to pretend like she was truly paying attention. The third time she did that, she noticed the bright blue ring that rested on Mashiro's finger, and Ann's eyes widened in alarm. She grabbed hold of Mashiro's wrist, nearly pulling the arm out of the socket, which resulted in an offended yell. "You've left your master ring on." It was a horrified statement, not a question. Mashiro slowly nodded, not understanding the problem. "Don't you see? Natsuki can trace anyone's location if they're using a GEM! You have to take that off right now!" "But what about Arika...?" "Is Natsuki trying to kill her?" "Well, no, but--" "Then she'll be fine." With that, Ann pulled the ring from Mashiro's finger and tossed it down the way they came. Somewhere outside Garderobe, Arika fell from the sky with a shocked yelp, and was rescued only by a quick moving Rosalie. Feeling the need to pick up the pace and clear the area, Ann took Mashiro by the hand and sprinted down the tunnel, the queen almost stumbling as she tried to keep up. There were several protests to slow down, but Ann knew better than to listen to her. Things were already too risky. As they continued to run, Ann heard yelling from behind. She turned, but saw no one. They were too far back. While she felt threatened, she also had time to prepare herself for a fight. As they ran into the next chamber, Ann shoved Mashiro on ahead. "Run. I'll hold them off." "No! Nothing good ever happens when people say to do that!" Mashiro fiercely whispered. Her argument was soon rendered useless as Ann gave her another rough shove. The queen gave up and ran off down the tunnel. Ann positioned herself against the side of the doorway, where she waited for the approaching Columns. It would be impossible to defeat one of them in proper combat in her current state. She had to make the best of her situation and catch them off guard. She listened to the footsteps as they grew close, the voices having gone silent. They would check the corners of the room the moment they entered, so she had to act quickly before they could spot her. A lightening fast strike. But every vital was covered by the robe, which would likely deflect her strike. All vitals, except for one. When she saw the first half of a bo staff enter through the doorway, she tightened her muscles and prepared to attack. When she saw red hair, she lashed out with the naginata she had stolen from an abandoned dojo, now sharpened to proper battle readiness. The blade punctured Xenia's skull, the far end of the blade poking out the other side of her foe's head. Her body twitched and sank to the ground as blood dripped from the fatal wound. Not even the nanomachines could fix that. With Ashura, that was two Columns down. Three were left. And likely right behind. There was a mournful shout in the second after the impalement. Thinking quickly, Ann reached down and grasped Xenia's GEM. Temporarily exchanging the Azurite for the Emerald, she prayed that Natsuki had only blocked the GEM from the Emulator, and not her nanomachines. Success! A deep green robe formed over her body and she knew that she only had a few moments before technicians blocked her from the Emulator all together. Ann sent a flying punch up towards the top of the tunnel, the robe giving her a boost with flight and strength. Her accelerating fist broke through the weak tunnel and street above, causing the tunnel to cave. She shot down after Mashiro and landed roughly as all her nanomachines were blocked completely from Alyssa. The Emerald powered down as part of the tunnel continued to collapse, forming a barrier between herself and the other Otome. It wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to prepare for another attack. She grabbed the naginata and continued as the Otome began to toss heavy cement blocks away like they were nothing, breaking down the barrier piece by piece. Ann darted her eyes around the next part of the tunnel. Barely anything to be used. There was a ladder that led back up to the street, but then... oh, dammit, that kid! "Mashiro, will you get going!?" The queen, who had ventured back to see what the noise was, held up her hands in surrender. "I thought you were in trouble!" "I got one of them, but the other three are..." "Here," Mashiro finished, pointing in their direction as the trio of surviving Columns walked through what was left of the collapse. All turned their sights on Ann, who fell into a combat stance. The first Column, using one of her pata swords, charged at Ann. She was able to parry it using the naginata blade, and she tried to bring her weapon back up to catch the blue and silver adorned Column in the neck. The counterattack failed to land, as the Kyanite moved out of the way with expert skill. She then lunged at Ann with a second blade, forcing Ann to bend her body to the side to evade the attack. She then shoved the Kyanite back using the shaft of the weapon. Ann's valiant effort to defeat the Columns in proper combat was logically put to an end when the Immovable Bloodstone raced down the tunnel at high speed. A gauntlet slammed into her chest, and the punch knocked Ann to the ground with such force that it nearly caused her to pass out. When the Bloodstone ran at her to send another punch into her gut, Ann hit her in the torso with the naginata. As she expected, the blade barely sunk into the armored robe – not nearly enough to seriously puncture skin. The Bloodstone grabbed the weapon and tossed it to the side, then prepared for the finishing punch. She then found herself having to catch a sleek, black sword as it sliced out towards her neck. She was rightfully stunned, as it came from nowhere and was wielded by a waif of a teenager. The blade was wrench free and swung again, forcing the Columns to jump back and out of the way. The teen then slammed the blade directly into the ground, which the Columns recognized as a terrible attack. They had no where to run in the tunnel but to go up and out of the hole that Ann had caused moments before. All three attempted to dash towards it as giant obsidian spikes shot up from the ground. While the Kyanite and the Tigereye escaped without injury, Bloodstone found herself impaled by one of the last spikes to emerge. She groaned in pain, blood leaking from her lips. When she finally fell limp, the spike retracted and disappeared back into the ground. Ann tilted her head up to look behind her as she lay on the ground, and saw the inverted image of a far more sullen Mashiro holding a black and cyan colored blade. Ann's voice was somewhat accusatory. "...Were you able to do that the whole time?" - - - she's not using Miroku. She's using Maitreya.
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