Cut & Run

"C'mon!" Cecil taunted, rolling away and drawing his third dagger. "I'll teach you who's the master around here!"

"Dammit!" Fred said, pulling the second dagger out of his shoulder with a spurt of blood. "I was gonna go easy on you, but now you've pissed me off! Skye, you ready for this?"

"You're gonna bust out the Flying Tenseiken on him?" Skye said, rolling his eyes. "Oh, for goodness' sake, Fred use your head for once..."

"Quit babbling and show me what you've got!" Cecil grinned. "I'll mop the floor with ya!"

That's when Sharon strode in between them. She punched Fred in the face so hard he almost spun about, then turned and backhanded Cecil, sending him flying.

"Why'd you only slap him?" Fred complained. "The little bugger freakin' stabbed me!"

Sharon turned around and punched Fred again, harder this time.

"To Hell with this!" Cecil said, getting up and wiping his bloodied lip. "Crazy Geohounds, violent Sisters and that stupid hawk... I'm not wasting any more time with you people!"

He turned and ran without looking back.

"What a strange kid," Fred sighed, pocketing all the daggers Cecil dropped. "Hey Sister, I am bleeding here you know. How about a healing spell? Or are you just gonna punch me again?"

"Hmph. Well, I suppose I can't let you bleed out in the street. Falentos lemnificarum inaventi con Granas solfati," Sharon said quickly and a faint blue glow settled over Fred's shoulder. Fred felt the wound close up and the pain flow away. Meanwhile, the crowd of people that had gathered began to return to their homes and businesses. Some of them muttered "Seems Granas extends his mercy to just about anyone these days" and "Too bad, we could've seen a real fight".

"Don't get me wrong, Geohound," Sharon said fiercely. "I still do not like you or your kind. Fighting in the streets... killing indiscriminately... it is an abomination!"

"And yet you still ask for my help," Fred sneered. "How about you drop the charade Sister, and tell me what you really need a beast like me for? Some kind of dirty work you don't want on your own hands? Or something you don't want people to find out about? Perhaps I would be wise to ask for more money... or walk away while I still have my life..."

"Don't be presumptuous! The Church would never stoop to such vile acts, and your being hired was purely a matter of chance. As for your pay... there has, in fact, been talk of an increase."

"Really? Well now, you've got my full attention!"

"Try not to drool too much, Fred," Skye said, perching on his shoulder.

"You'll have to see for yourself," Sharon said. "Follow me.

She turned and strode away, leaving Fred no choice but to follow. Along the way, he couldn't help but notice a familiar figure watching them from one of the rooftops...

"Holy..." Fred whistled. "Now I see why."

"Mmm," Sharon nodded. "It is pretty bad. Clearly something we need a high- level fighter for. I guess Cecil might have been helpful too... but perhaps it is too much after all for a child like him..."

"Don't call me that!" Cecil yelled, emerging from the shadows. "And just what the... holy shit! Is that what I think it is?!"

"But Sharon, why not have gotten the Slashers to help?" Fred asked. "I know they're quite a loathsome bunch, and yet..."

"No," Sharon said. "At least for now, this needs to stay limited to as few sets of lips as possible. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if word of this got out?"

"Jeepers!" Cecil said, slack-jawed. "Never in my life would I have expected to see this! Not..."

1. "...a space/time distortion in which our world and the Dark Dimension of Valmar collide in eerie ways within the walls of the Church!"
2. "...the writ of the Papal Gathering for the Prius, signaling the onrush of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to select a new Paladin Knight to battle ceremonial Valmar!"
3. "...a room full of dead bodies and a letter from the ancient assassin's group Ravensblood, who've kidnapped the Priestess Tarsa?! NO!! Not Tarsa! You bastards! Why did it have to be HER?!"
4. "...Scott Chen and Josh Burbank sharing a Japanese mixed bath with the final battle-form of Omega Valmar???" "HAHAHAHA" said the Omega Valmar "Join me in Hell!"

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