Before Casper knew it, several people brandishing knives rushed him. Their attacks were coordinated and practiced to his surprise. He deflected the knives that stabbed and slashed at him before retreating.

“This is the part where you tell me who’s paying you,” Stanley was incredibly relaxed, even taking a sip of alcohol as we watched the fight.

Casper responded by aiming a scarlet blade toward him and sending it forward. When it looked as if it would hit Stanley, a thin ripple reverberated around him, sending the projectile ricocheting.

Stanley laughed tauntingly, as the gifted began to pressure Casper even more.

‘Shit,’ Casper couldn’t help but curse as he noticed the gifted attacking him were becoming more coordinated.

They had already left several slashes on his body but failed to cut through the layer of condensed blood protecting him. That wasn’t to say their attacks were pointless as his armor was slowly being peeled away.

“Now!” One of the gifted shouted causing the gifted to retreat.

Before Casper could respond, the man’s cheeks puffed up strangely spitting a colorless mist toward him. Seeing it as an auspicious sign, Casper crystallized the blood armor before a violent fire rose up around him.

His clothes were singed and he could even feel the heat through the hardened armor. The earlier attacks had weakened it in several different places, meaning parts of his skin were burned.

Suppressing the urge to scream, Casper raised his hands and unleashed a spray of blood shards. The gifted dove for cover the moment his hands went up, avoiding most of the damage before moving toward him once more. Instead of all attacking together, they made sure to spread out, ensuring he couldn’t fire blood shards in just one direction.

Like hunting dogs encircling their prey, their knives sliced at his body, tearing through his armor.

“You guys are seriously annoying–” Casper spoke, unintentionally leaving himself exposed.

One of the men stepped forward and thrust the enchanted knife into the pit of his stomach. It pierced through the layer of blood protecting and sunk deeply into his torso. The man wielding the knife felt as if his blade plunged too far into Casper's torso to be normal.

“Dumbass,” Casper whispered as two-bladed whips emerged from his back and repeatedly stabbed the trapped man, shredding his skin with ease.

“Ah!” With a painful and short cry, he died just like that.

His body slumped forward, collapsing onto the ground, but something held onto his arm tightly.

Stanley nearly choked on his drink as he witnessed an incorporeal black arm pulling one of the enchanted knives into Casper’s body.

Along with the elated feeling that came with absorbing a soul, Casper saw a flash of memories.

“So, that’s it,” ignoring the astonished gazes, he spoke calmly.

The fresh corpse in front of him was wearing a gold ring, but it was hardly ordinary. From what he saw, the ring was apart of a set that allowed each user to understand each other's intentions. It explained why their attacks were so in tune.

Casper reached for it and another man rushed toward him but was stopped by the bladed tendrils extending from Casper’s shoulder blades. Casper pried the ring off the still-warm body and the penumbra grumbled, bursting out of his navel and reaching toward it.

“No, hey– Stop!” Casper avoided the dark hand that burst out from his navel and tried to take the ring. He wrestled with the shadowy limb for a few moments before it finally gave up and retreated.

“Was that so difficult–?” He tried to ask but felt the sharp sting of a knife sliding between his ribs.

Casper clenched his teeth and grasped the arm of his attacker in response. Under his control, blood completely drenched the man’s arm before it solidified, ensuring Casper’s grip couldn’t be broken.

“No, no, no–” The failed attacker tried to break away but was met with the sharp tendrils that pierced into his body under Casper’s guidance before tearing him apart.

The arm of the penumbra emerged once more and quickly pried the ring from Casper’s hand, much to his annoyance. It didn’t stop there as it even stripped the dying man of both his knife and ring before quickly retreating like a rodent.

“You know, I’m a bit surprised!” Stanley spoke loudly, throwing his drink aside. “You couldn't possibly be above a class-three with the way you’re struggling, but your gift is something else. Is that strange arm apart of your gift, or does it come from an artifact?”

The fiery attack from earlier still burned the furniture, causing smoke to rise up which triggered the sprinklers. It didn’t take long for everything to be soaked, however, the invisible barrier covering Stanley kept him dry.

“How about this, I'll give you one more chance to tell me the name of the person who sent you here and I won’t hurt you. Oh, and I want whatever artifact that is that you have on. Consider it repayment for all the shit you just messed up.” Stanley rose from his seat and flashed his ring-covered hands.

Casper kept quiet, simply looking toward the three remaining men before turning his gaze back to Stanley. The bloody tendrils protruding from his back seemed to twist around like serpents, making him seem more like a nightmarish creature rather than a human.

“Is that a no? I’m a bit sensitive to being turned down.” Stanley gripped his chest and frowned.

“Why do you choose to work with New Era?” Casper suddenly asked. “Aren’t they kidnapping people? Do you really feel no remorse for everything you’re doing?”

Stanley’s expression turned into a deep frown as he looked at the man who had completely ruined his night and tried to kill him and then to top it off he began speaking about morals. It was all like some sort of big joke, one that Stanely hardly found amusing.

“There goes my patience, asshole,” Stanley said as he became incensed. He bent his finger which hosted a sapphire gem and a cold wind blew forward.

The club instantly became encased in ice, and since Casper had long since been soaked with water he was included. Even Stanley’s men were caught up in the sudden freeze and made horrific expressions as their bodies went frigid.

Trapped underneath a coating of ice, Casper urged his blood to become warmer causing steam to emanate from his body.

“Still kicking, huh?” Stanley bent another one of his hands and a storm of translucent swords flew toward Casper.

With the sound of ice shattering, Casper freed himself before diving away. He was a step too late, his leg was impaled by a clear sword. Collapsing behind the bar counter, Casper couldn’t help but release a stifled groan while cradling his injured leg.

“You’re like a fucking roach, you know that!” Stanley bent yet another finger.

A shockwave erupted from behind the counter and sent Casper’s body tumbling through the air before he crashed through a table and landed on the cold floor.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Casper rolled over and inhaled deeply. His ears rang loudly and all sorts of pain stimulated his nerves. He squeezed his eyes shut and manipulated the blood surrounding him, forcing his wounds closed. Once the bleeding was staunched, he willed himself to stand. If his bones had yet to break, then it meant he could still fight.

“Do you feel like talking now–?” Stanley stopped just short of laughing when he met Casper’s sunken eyes that peered at him. It was an unsettling gaze that took the former off guard for a brief moment.

Casper waved his arms and splashed Stanley’s barrier with blood. Since the barrier seemed to be impenetrable, the blood that Casper flung traced over an invisible dome before unceremoniously falling to the ground, forming a circle around Stanley as it did.

“I guess not,” Stanley muttered, he gave Casper the middle finger before bending it.

Casper burst into a flock of crows and avoided the attack, flying in all directions.

“Is that your last trick?” Stanley commented before unleashing the might of the artifacts decorating his hands.

As the sound of explosions filled the air, a lone crow still managed to evade Stanley. He assumed the others died as there was still one which he guessed was the real Casper. How could he have known that Casper was hiding in his blind spot, drawing the spectral bow?

Finding it hard to concentrate on both tasks, Casper’s control waned and the crow was hit by Stanley’s attack, bursting into feathers the moment it had.

A sharp cry of pain resounded from behind Stanley, startling him. He twisted his head toward the source and saw the bloody form of Casper holding a translucent bow.

Without hesitation, Casper released an arrow that flew forward and struck the barrier, shattering it the moment it made contact but it dissipated immediately.

"The thing you're standing on is my last trick,” Casper spoke mockingly, pointing to Stanley’s feet.

Stanley glanced downward, discovering that he stood within a blood circle. In the center of the circle, the two streams of blood connected and formed an odd symbol.

“Wha–” A powerful fire rose up from within the circle and engulfed Stanley the moment he tried to speak.

An agonizing shriek filled the air and Stanley rolled on the ground. He fought with the flames while his flesh was burned away. He made a few desperate and sloppy attempts to activate his artifacts but it was too late. By the time the flame died down, he was barely hanging onto life by a thread.

Casper dragged himself over and finished Stanley with a quick stab to the throat, seeing no reason to drag things out any longer. Once he was close enough, the arm of the penumbra emerged once more and snatched away the rings, breaking Stanley’s charred fingers as it did.

Ignoring the thieving arm, Casper tried to immerse himself in Stanley’s memories, but the sound of sirens made him pause his actions and leave.

…

Was winning supposed to hurt so much? I had to ask because every breath, every step, every second, hurt. A lot.

I severely underestimated the power of artifacts, but there was nothing that could be done in that situation. That barrier of his was extremely annoying, but what could I do?

The Spectral Bow was clearly the only thing I had that was capable of breaking Stanley’s barrier, but I needed a few seconds to draw it. I’m glad I didn’t try to fire hundreds of blood shards at him to try and exhaust the power of his barrier. It was such a good artifact that I began to regret not stopping the penumbra from stealing it.

“Well, if I get something good out of it there’s no harm,” I spoke aloud.

My slightly bitter mood perfectly complemented the astringent copper taste filling my mouth. It didn’t help that I was currently resting atop the roof of some building while waiting to crow-shift once more.

‘I really need a car.’

What I gleaned from my look into the life of Stanley Wilkes was that he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. He seemed to be a fan of motorcycles in particular.

“I wonder…” I closed my eyes and sank deeper into his memories.

The scenes of Stanley’s life played out like a movie, but I had to admit, I was curious. I was thrown into the habit of smoking after reading the memories of one of the men I killed. I don’t know what sort of weird trait I got from Henry Cunningham or if I had received one at all. Now that Stanley was dead, I wanted to know if I could take a trait from him.

Since it was apart of my innate gift, I should be able to at least partially control it. I had nothing else to do so I may as well test it.

I stirred up Stanley’s memories of him riding around a private racecourse. The feeling of air whipping past me, the rumble of the motorcycle engine underneath me, the sound of it.

Slowly, I could feel the sensations that were too real to be my imagination. The line between memories and reality felt blurred as I rode the motorcycle with a grin.

“Wooo!” I screamed aloud, I slowed down to turn a corner before twisting the throttle with experienced motions.

Warm air brushed past my face as I zoomed around the course. I felt a rush of excitement from the memory I dwelled in. Before, I had been nothing but a spectator, but now I was–

I felt a burning sensation on my arms that interrupted my train of thought. I looked at my sleeves and found my body covered in flame. The feeling of my flesh being melted away was overwhelming. I couldn’t even let out a scream before I was forcibly removed from the memory.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of rolling around and my fingers were half bent… Just like Stanley before I killed him.

My body seemed to reject the entire experience as I suddenly vomited. After expelling everything, I nearly fell over right as I tried to stand. Unlike the time at the laundromat, I didn’t pass out.

I had taken something from Stanley’s memories, but my enthusiasm had waned drastically. I stared up at the sky in an attempt to distract myself from the short yet unnerving experience. Looking at the moon, I was able to see some good news in all of this.

“...I guess there’s only a day or two left now.”

It wouldn’t be much longer before I could attempt to speak to Penelope. Keeping that in mind, I headed home.