***NEED WORK

How the hell--- what's going on?

Mivian didn't dare move. Her mind was in a state of confusion and she couldn't think straight. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart beating loud in her ears. She heard him chuckle under his breath. She felt him lean in slowly, bringing his head down onto her shoulder. His lips lightly brushed across the side of her neck, making her cringe in disgust.

"Hmm... I wasn't truly giving you a choice, love," he whispered in her ear.

Mivian felt his fingers tracing her spine through her uniform trench coat. She couldn't hold the shudder from shooting through her body. The demon chuckled once more and his cold hands found its way over the collar and around her throat. His fingers curled around her throat softly, threatening her silently and icily. Mivian pulled away from the hand, accidentally leaning into his hard chest. She bristled, disgusted at how close she was to him and humiliated to find herself in such a tight situation.

She was a Slayer of the Four Gates Union for Divine's sakes! She could just kill this demon over and over again for all that he was making her feel. Her right hand slowly inched down to her right thigh, her fingers itching to feel the smooth metal of dagger.

Think, Mivian, think! Move, move!

Mivian mentally shouted at herself, trying to get herself to move. She fought to regain control over herself but something was stopping her. It was as if she was being sealed away within herself.
"...Vardavit..." she growled angrily.

The demon hummed amusedly.
"I see this one has quite a bold, vibrant inner qualities as well as charming, angelic looks," he said to his followers, his hand wandering down her left arm.

Watch for the perfect timing...

Mivian scoffed at his comment and smirked to herself, catching the demon off guard.
"Oh, I'll show you 'angelic,'" she sneered, slipping out of his grasp in a flash.
She spun around, flicking her dagger out of its holster straps and into her hand. She sunk low to the ground and snapped up into the air, swinging her right leg forward at the demon's head. The demon regained his guards and leaped back fluidly blending into the shadows.
"Get her..." he hissed, his voice echoing in the alley.

The other demons slid towards her, cornering her. Or, so they thought.
Two came charging from behind her, their speed blurring their form. Mivian focused on her remaining Energy, forcing it into her hands. Dark glow seeped through her fist, radiating in a low hum.
"Corpus Necto!" she chanted.
Spinning around, she dodged her first assailant and slammed her fist into his stomach. He yelled out in pain, completely immobilized by the Dark Ward. Leaving him writhing on the ground, she ran, facing the second demon. Again, she dove to the side, avoiding a swinging claw and swung her fist at his face. Her fist came in contact with his jaw, sending his whole body spinning around. He flew back and landing heavily in a pathetic pile onto the ground.

Two down... Damn, I'm really pushing my limits here!

Mivian pushed her nagging thoughts out of her mind and sprinted down towards the now open exit of the alleyway, her feet clapping the cobblestone ground loudly. She leaped over the unmoving bodies of the demons and started running---again. She flew out of the alley, her trench coat billowing out behind her. She ignored the screaming pain of her muscles and didn't drop her speed; she heard the others following her in hot pursuit. The sky was completely dark now, the six moons gleaming down on the city. They were the only source of light, and no one was out in the streets, leaving the whole scene silent, dark and eerie.
And no one would hear my pathetic cries, she realized.

But still, she had one person she still hoped would find her.

A gust of wind blew at her back, urging her to keep going. She didn't know how much Energy she had left inside of her.
"Ava... where are you?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ava opened her eyes with a start.

Something was bothering her, urging her to get up from where she was resting on her dwelling balcony. She had just passed through the South Portal, coming back from a High Rank: Level 8 and 10 mission combo- Hunt and Erase. Hunting the predator and erasing destructive memories and traces of its existence was not only time-consuming; it was tedious work. One miss and everything that inevitably followed was a domino effect.

Ava sat up, searching the night sky for any omens.
The view from the Paramount Towers was breath-taking: the six moons of Galiasis gleamed in the sky, casting an eerie light on Stranaglastre.

Something is not feeling just right...

A gust of wind blew through the air, hitting the tired Slayer in the face. She closed her eyes and the wind swirled around her, her long jet black hair whipping back in the current. She listened beyond the howling of the wind and reached out with her senses past the gentle blow of the breeze.

... rapid footsteps on the ground... jagged breathing... racing heartbeat...

A chase?
Ava focused deeper... smaller...
Then she felt it. The Energy Pulse; it was faint, tired and definitely one of an Angel Guard Corps Slayer. There was a series of small Flames--- the Energy source of Darklings.
She didn't like this at all.
She focused on the signature weaved into the Slayer's Pulse...

Ava snapped her eyes open, no longer concerned about restoring her strength. Her dark eyes scanned the city below her. She had picked up the signature... it was Mivian.

With an annoyed growl, she snatched up her katana and tied it behind her lower back with a sash. She grabbed her pair of sai, thrusting them too in her sash. She turned towards the door and froze.

How long did she have left?

Ava didn't give it much thought. She turned on her heel and leaped off the balcony. She picked her way down the shimmering towers by hopping onto one balcony to the next, lowering herself towards the ground one level at a time. No one seemed to notice her as she silently and slyly climbed down the tower. When she got close enough she leaped off the tower and onto the ground, her knees bending softly to absorb the impact.

Now, she was on her way---
Ava felt another presence behind her. She whipped one of her sai out and twisted her frame around and swung her arm to the side, her thin blade clashing with a jagged black blade.
"Well someone is a bit paranoid," mused a male voice as he stepped closer.

Ava immediately relaxed and dropped her stance.
"Zavius! What the hell are you doing here?"

Zavius tilted his neck to the side and looked at her curiously.
"Just my question to you, young lady. You know you shouldn't go play in the dark," he said teasingly, returning his dagger to his sheath.
Ava sighed at his response, looking up at the night sky. Her friend was almost never serious.
"Mivian managed to squeeze herself in a tight spot again," she murmured.
Zavius sighed and ran his hair through his messy black hair, his deep blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. His uniform black trench coat was open in the front, revealing his black sleeve-less turtle neck and gray cargo pants. He shifted his weight to one foot, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Ah... Mivi, Mivi, Mivi, never giving us a break, is she?" he mused.
Ava sighed in exasperation.
"Actually, I'll be more worried if she didn't cause any trouble." she said.
Zavius laughed.
"True there." he allowed.

Ava turned towards the gates leading to Stranaglastre. Zavius took couple of easy strides and caught up with her.
"What's with the rush? And the weapons, it's not a mission to keep Mivian out of trouble, you know," he said, frowning at her.
His frown turned into a slight scowl when he saw Ava's face turn grave. She didn't need to answer.
"How many and what level Flame?" he demanded.
"Two is body-bound; I want to say about four more. They're not that strong." Ava replied.
She glanced and saw that he was smirking.
"Well, let's go crash the party. I want to have some fun too," he said, his eyes glinting eagerly.

The two Slayers exchanged looks before flashing out of the Paramount Towers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mivian ran into a narrow passage way between two houses, concealing herself in the depth of the shadows. She forced herself to calm down and tried thinking of any possible maneuvers she could take. When nothing came she swore at herself.

What kind of day did this turn out to be!

She hadn't asked for all this trouble; this was such a pain. What were demons doing here in Stranaglastre anyway?
On top of all that, she felt her own Energy Pulse fading rapidly. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tight.

Where did THEY go?

She couldn't have just lost them miraculously if they were so persistent. Apparently, her luck wasn't that great.
Mivian gripped her dagger tightly until her knuckles turned white. She searched, feeling for their Flames. She retraced her steps she took to get to where she was. She felt nothing. Where in the city of Stranaglastre was she anyway?

Mivian slumped against the wall and slide to the ground, defeated.