Danson and Keigo were dragged through another dimension and tossed out where the trees grew thinner. They hurried to their feet and stood back to back, watching the air for the next attack. Danson felt the magic, guiding Keigo with his finger. As a rift opened and a horn peeked out, the transformer whipped around shuriken of light. They shredded the horn before Todd could inhale, making the man drop from the portal altogether. He tossed his cloak from his back, revealing a similar outfit to Otis beneath it. Unlike Otis, though, instruments were fastened to his person. Drums dangled from his waist, a lyre was bolted to his left arm's gauntlet, and a band of bells sat on his right wrist. They could see the handle of a dagger peeking out from behind his back, but considering his magic, it seemed like an afterthought. Keigo pulled together blades of light as Vanessa emerged at Todd's side. Before he could mount an attack, Danson put a hand on his shoulder.

“Before we start this, can I ask you some questions?” He pointed at the woman. Keigo looked at the hand on his shoulder, then into Danson’s eyes.

"Did you just stop me to flirt with her?” His brow furrowed. Danson’s eyebrow raised.

“When have I ever flirted with someone trying to kill me?”

“Recently you mean? That bounty hunter from two weeks ago.”

“That doesn’t count. I did that so we could escape.”

That might be true, but Keigo could think of other instances. “Whatever.” He shrugged.

“How old are you?” Danson’s attention went back to Vanessa. Keigo gaped at him.

Vanessa crossed her arms. “I don’t recall saying you could ask me questions.”

“Fair enough, but I figure at least one of us will be dead by the end of this. What’s the harm?”

“Twenty-eight.”

“That makes you about what, Generation Thirteen?”

Todd's hand flew up. Vanessa stopped him before it could hit the drum. “What do you know, Avadyn?”

“You’re an Elf-Killer, aren’t you? I mean, calling me an Avadyn pretty much gives it away. Humans aren’t particularly great at making the distinction.”

“I've never killed an elf."

“But I bet there’s a number somewhere on your body.”

Keigo crossed his arms. “This is sounding more like flirting.”

“There is one, on my back. Would you like to see it?”

“He’s not old enough yet, come back later this year.” Keigo smirked.

Danson nudged him. “Nah. I just needed confirmation. There’s a lot of moving pieces to your magic. I couldn’t figure out what kind it was until you moved us.” He exhaled, and his eyes narrowed. “I want you to know that what’s about to happen isn’t personal.”

Vanessa chuckled softly. “Until you said that, I didn’t think it was.”

“I hope this pause was worth it, boy." Todd's hands came up.

“I think it was.” Keigo grinned as he lifted his swords.

The conversation ended with that. The boys made their move, making swift charges, and Todd beat his drums. As they got just close enough to take a swing, the man loosed the sound.

“Beat Cannon.” It matched the words' might, blasting their bodies, launching them back.

They flew through the clearing until ice hands caught them, lifting their heads to find him dancing. The motion focused on the wrist; their bodies ached too much to move. His bells began to glow, and they knew there was no time to dodge.

“Ringing Bomb.” He called as he pointed. The air around them distorted, and they put up their guards. The chimes were like shrieks as they exploded, battering the boys, shattering the ice. Cracks branched over Keigo’s body. As they dropped to the ground, Vanessa plummeted from a rift above. With a pillar, Danson tossed his friend into the brush.

“Rift Cage." It fired from the woman's palm, trapping the elf within liquid purple walls. She landed to join him and her arms changed, matching the walls with translucent gel. A stained glass sword came together in her hands. She paused for a moment though, looking at the elf. “You saved your friend instead of yourself?”

“I mean, I don’t plan to stay behind.” With another pillar he tossed himself. The wall, however, pushed him back in. “Yeah. It’s never that easy, is it?”

“The only way to leave is to force me out.”

“Aen sif Espet.” He pulled his sword together. “Then let’s see how convincing I can be.” Skating down a trail of ice, he came to meet her.

Vanessa welcomed him with a thrust, missing as he slipped to the side. With a twirl, he cut for her neck. She dodged, spinning the opposite way. Her blade bit into his stomach before he could pull back. The wound was shallow, but he felt it harden, wincing as the feeling spread. She cut down before he could glimpse the reason why. As their swords met, he drove hers out and cut across her body. A line of ice traced the wound; his free hand rose to pull magic away.

“Aen sif Demast." A knife came together. He pushed it toward her throat. As she stepped to the side, he cracked a smirk. Her feet came from under her as she slipped on ice. The ice sword came for her head, but she dropped through a rift. He was still smirking as the walls fell, but that quickly stopped as he spotted Todd's movement. The man was plucking his lyre. As his hand swung back, Danson felt the magic swell.

“Cacophony Crash.” Smashing! Exploding! Slashing! Danson’s vision faded as it tortured his body. It took several blinks to come back, and that was barely fast enough.

“Rift Shock.” Vanessa peeled out a rift, thrusting a glowing sword at him. He dove, but the lightning arced, chasing glass upon his stomach. He roared and the woman conjured the rift cage again. “Elves have bodies formed by magic that lets them heal at an accelerated rate. It does not match the speed of a Dragon or even a Myrin, but it outpaces human healing by a large measure. Exhausting them is one way of slowing it down, but you are designed to briefly halt the process.” She spoke as if repeating a lesson.

“Putrescence," Danson replied through gritted teeth. Her eyes said she didn't know it had a name, and that she didn't care.

She continued her attack with a slash down his chest, and a stab for his eyes. It cut the cheek as he pulled back, going wide as he parried the next. A spin brought it all the way around. He caught it on an arm covered with ice, stabbing the knife for her chest. She leaped back and he flung it into her leg. As her knee dropped he drew the magic, holding a finger down. She dropped into a rift, and Danson spun.

“Aen sif Paraf.” The flick became a wall as Todd called out his Cacophony Crash. It crumbled into chunks, and Danson skated around it on a serpentine path. Todd's fingers followed him as he came in fast. The man played the lyre. Danson flew up a ramp.

“String Stinger.” Plucks became needles but only two hit the elf. He fell with his sword cutting down, and Todd jumped into a rift. Vanessa took his place with her sword pointed up.

“Rift Shock.” It struck and Danson skipped across the ground. Rift Cage came up and ice covered his palm.

“Aen sif Sisos.” He called, pushing himself up. Ice raced out, wrapping around her legs. Rising, he soared toward her.

“Rift Worn.” She got out before she disappeared, his blade coming for her head. Without waiting for the wall to drop, he pulled from the ground, spinning around.

“Aen sif Demast.”

“Ringing Bomb.”

Knives hit; bombs burst.

“Rift…" It came like a warning as he bit back a wail. "Lightning." There was zero way he could like the sound of that. Lightning struck from a rift above. He fell. Not physically, but mentally, falling to a place where the mind could not meet the body. He was a stone at the bottom of the ocean, but still the waters stirred. His body was not safe. Time moved fast in those false tides until he returned to himself—covered in stained-glass scars. Whether she called shock or lightning, he knew there were too many places for them to strike.

“You should have ran when your partner was defeated.” Todd stood behind him, hands above his drums. “There’s no way you thought you could take us alone.”

Danson huffed. “Actually, I did… I didn’t expect you to have a strong combo though.”

“And yet you fought on. You identified Vanessa as an Elf-Killer and still tried to stain her hands!”

Right… she could have killed him there but left him standing. Maybe four or five shocks could finish him right now. This woman truly hadn't killed an elf and wanted to keep that truth. She might not take him down, but the look in Todd's eyes said he'd do it in her place. The only thing stopping him was a silent offer. Runaway, and you can live. Don't become a dead elf in front of her. If he fought on, Todd would end it here. He laughed loudly. It shook his chest. Todd drummed a final warning.

"You've never fought a lightsmith, huh? Their porcelain-like bodies crack easily, but they're not incapacitated until they can't pull light." Danson explained. Todd glowered, tapping his drums. He needed the elf to say he’d run away. Even if he took the kill, too much of this would be on Vanessa’s hands.

“Get to the point and say you’ll go!”

“The point is that Keigo was never taken out. He just sucks when it comes to direct fights.”

“You stupid child!” He drummed again, fully loading the spell.

“Beat Cannon.” It crashed into Vanessa, knocking her through the air. Todd looked at his treacherous hands.

"Rift Lightning." It struck from above!

Danson snickered, shaking his head. “I hate you sometimes.”

“What did I do?” Came Keigo’s voice from a tree.

“You were waiting for this moment, weren’t you? Hiding out until they mentioned you were gone.”

"You know I didn't. You can sense magic. Besides, that's something Diana would do." His skin was gray-blue and his hair bright green. Pale blue eyes watched Todd closely, while spiral shells glowed upon long pointed ears. A Siryt form, from the western coast of the Elven kingdoms. Considering their opponent, Danson wouldn't have chosen the form himself, but he wasn't a shapeshifter, so what did he know.

“Could you…?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Keigo pointed at him. “Rozama.” The damage peeled off Danson like stickers from his skin. He clenched his fist, and Keigo shook his hand. "That didn't feel great."

“Yeah. She’s an Elf-Killer. Just be glad you don’t have a Liele form. Rozama would probably backfire somehow.” Danson almost felt as good as new. “I’ll give you Aen sif Demast.”

Keigo twisted together lettering around his wrist but paused as Danson said it. "Could I get a stronger spell?"

“No. That one will be enough.”

Keigo twisted together two more lines and dropped from the tree. “That’s why I don’t use this form that often, for the record.”

“I told you around the time you got it, Siryts have to be taught to keep their stolen spells.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with what I just said.”

“Having a big Avadyn spell is worthless if you can’t remember the small ones.”

“That’s not even what I’m talking about! Can I get a sword instead of a knife?”

“You use daggers, you’ll be fine.”

Todd suddenly groaned, telling them he returned to himself.

“You could have killed me.” You should have killed me. Danson shook his head.

“You gave me a chance to escape, so I’m giving one to you. Just forget about Pialla. Live your lives. This job can’t be paying enough.”

The man's eyes moved to where Vanessa flew. They grew distant for a moment. Danson figured he was thinking of his other friends. A logical part of him likely wanted to run away, but something emotional held him back. It wasn't money that made this job so gripping, but what the money could buy. Whatever it was, this man would die for it, and given a second chance, would return to die again. He'd die over and over until he found success, and as his hands moved to his drums, Danson got his answer. He let out a sigh.

Keigo nodded. “When this is over, don’t regret it with your last breath. Die with the same conviction.”

“I’ll say the same to you.”

The battle reignited when the sky tore above. Vanessa fell, dropping the Rift Cage, missing Keigo as he flipped away. He ran his hand along the wall, charging the musician, pulling power into a ball. Leaping over an incoming attack he spiked it to the ground, building a cage for him and Todd.

“Aen sif Demast." He raced forward with two in his hands. Todd drummed out a Beat Cannon, tearing Keigo's apparition apart. The man's eyes went wide as they bounced around. He found the boy coming from the right and tossed Ringing Bomb with a whirl. Keigo threw the knife as he skidded to a stop. The bombs came up short, but he hit his mark, stabbing into one of the drums. It froze over, and the man drummed the other, pounding a beat as Keigo charged again.

“Beat Cannon!” They said together. The blasts collided, air exploding, tossing them both back. Keigo landed gracefully, going back in as the man pushed himself up.

“Aen sif Demast." He made two more as he launched his last at the other drum. As he came slashing, Todd shook his arm with no regard to grace.

“Ringing Bombardment!” A wave of bombs poured forward, blasting a crater into the ground. The boy blew into the air. Todd followed his mangled body as it fell.

Raising his lyre just in case, he noticed the movement of Keigo’s lips. His eyes shot up as a rift opened above his head. The lightning struck, and his soul sunk. It came back fast to an unpleasant sight. Keigo cut the bells from his wrist, burying the other knife in his side. As his mouth moved to make another, Todd clapped suddenly, smacking the words away. He clapped again, smacking Keigo back, then gave him a standing ovation. His hand dropped to his dagger when the boy was left stunned, only for him to pull out a flute.

“Piper’s Pound.” High note, low note; one struck Keigo's face and the other struck his body. The man played a tune, putting Keigo in the ring, bludgeoning him with unseen hands. He found his muse as he performed, only pausing to breathe.

“Beat Cannon!" Keigo smashed the man's chest, sending a high note through the pipe that hit him like a mallet. He was durable though—still standing strong. Todd could not easily take him down, but he’d win this fight the next time there was a breath. “Rozama.” Some of his wounds peeled away as he prepared for verse two…

Behind them in the other cage, Danson and Vanessa danced. Their swords made music as they clashed, each misstep leaving its mark upon their bodies. Danson’s errors worked better for her, opening him for a shock that led into the next slash. Before, it seemed she needed the rift to charge, but now it filled the sword with every other motion. He thought she owed it to the spell before the last. Before Rift Lightning, there was Rift Worn, now a mask over her eyes. Sangria glass brightened as she stepped—light moving from it to her sword. Slash, defend, stab, parry, slash. Their dance continued. She continued the shock, wearing him down more and more. She could kill him if she ever got the chance, but Danson seized on her missteps too. Slash, defend, stab, slash, parry. Missteps in aggression and a need for the fight to end. He turned it against her and conjured his knives, cutting where his sword could not; dropping them when his sword could. He dropped them when she zapped him too—all of him focusing on keeping his sword in hand. Slash, defend, parry-slash, slash-parry. Knives littered the ground, and the moment was nigh. Knives? He laughed in his head. It was all a joke; it was about time he shared the punchline.

“Rift Shock!” The sword finally fell from his hand. Covered as his arms were, he knew he couldn’t reforge it with ease. Vanessa knew too. This moment was final.

“I believe you when you say you’ve never killed an elf.” It was final, but he’d give her this first. “I’ve seen an Elf-Killer fight before. It was a Generation Seven. He killed the strongest elves I knew, and got away with only a destroyed leg.”

“You didn’t deserve that, or this.” She offered him solace. He shook his head.

"I know you haven't killed us, because that guy didn't make a mistake. You, however, have made a fatal one." Truth be damned, she went for the kill. She had no interest in this riddle. “Rota eoda Navas.” He spoke to the knives and flowers bloomed, trapping her in a cage of barbed ice. “You see, Demast doesn’t mean knife. It translates closer to seed."

"You can't trap me."

"No. But I can trap your friend."

Behind them, Keigo saw why Danson gave him this spell. His chance for victory waited for Todd’s breath, but the fight was already over. Bramble grew from the knives, binding the man with frozen restraints.

Danson smirked. “The Rift Cage is like an inverted rift, and the rifts come from you. My guess is that your friend is too close. The other two might be able to rift freely, but he’d just end up in here with us.” Vanessa gulped. That was as good a confirmation as any.

The walls of both cages dropped. Danson let out a breath cold enough to see. He drew from the ice left strewn around, cracking a grin as victory touched his fingers.

“He’s freezing now. Even without the cage, do you think he could move his hands and use the Rift Ticket?”

Vanessa leaped through a rift to Todd's side, hammering the ice with her sword. Shards chipped but seemed to freeze it further. Tears streamed from her eyes, but Todd grinned, letting out a chuckle. There it was, the same conviction that made him stay in this fight. He was at peace, but her heart came apart.

“The time I spent with the three of you made all the misery before it worth it. I would go through it all again for another chance.”

“You can’t say that and expect me to leave you behind.”

“I need you to take that message to the others. Only one of us needs to die to give this job up.”

Vanessa turned to the elf, wondering if this was always his plan. "What’s about to happen isn’t personal.”? How could she believe those words now? She met his eyes for a long desperate moment, finding no sign that he'd change his mind. She turned to Todd, kissing him deeply. Danson formed his spell.

“Aen sif Ydaran." A dragon formed, freezing the ground as it flew. Vanessa vanished before it hit, stepping out a distance away to watch its maw open. She sharply looked away as it shut, stepping through her rift again. Danson watched her go with a frown. "Do you think I went too easy?"

Keigo looked at the dragon. The biting was all for show. Danson wasn't the type to crush his opponents; he froze them instead; that maw became a coffin. Considering his body still hurt despite Rozama, he frankly thought that could hit a bit harder. He shook his head.

“Nah. I think you showed a lot of restraint.”

“Was the fight good practice for you?”

“Endurance, yeah, but I wasn’t worried about that. Let’s get back to the girls. Maybe the next fight will push us harder.”

…