[The Daniels Estate, 2nd Floor, Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, 1:25 PM, May 7th, Tuesday 2025]
There were loud noises coming from all over the mansion, skittering and chattering as Erika's Holiness activated.
Cathy Ariston: "What the hell…"
Cathy turned to the side as she saw various pieces of furniture, debris, art and other various things practically jump out of the windows on the 2nd Floor, making their way to the roof by crawling up the house.
Cathy Ariston: "This is bad, we have to get you out of here… But this stupid Flow isn't working, ugh!"
Cathy slammed her fist against the already cracked wall, cracking it further with gravity.
Amelia Orwell: "Um… Mistress Cathy? I think you should try to use Shamat."
Cathy looked up at Amelia, confused and intrigued.
Cathy Ariston: "You mean what Erika did to go all ghost? Okay, but how?"
Amelia Orwell: "Well! I'll be honest, I have no idea."
Cathy groaned and hovered backwards away from the door.
Cathy Ariston: "You know what? I think you're safe enough here, that Carrion bastard seems too busy fighting Erika anyway, so I'll just—"
Amelia Orwell: "No! Please don't leave me here…"
Amelia cried out, hitting the Flow barrier that blocked the doorway with her hands.
Amelia Orwell: "Listen... Um... Tinker Bell doesn't seem to work on the barrier, but maybe it will work on you? Will you let me try to… To wish you were using Shamat?"
Cathy pondered for a moment, snapping her fingers and flying closer.
Cathy Ariston: "I've got an idea! Why don't you just make yourself use Shamat? I bet that'll work… How about you wish for my Flow instead? Maybe… maybe you can borrow it, or whatever. Just give it back afterwards, alright?! It seems bloody useful."
Amelia Orwell: "I can try… Um, Tinker Bell, I wish I knew how to use The Fourth Step!"
Tinker Bell flew up out of her hands and rang once, twice before coming back to hover over her shoulder.
Amelia's entire body began glowing, surrounded by a yellow aura and her skin became ethereal with striations like shattered glass.
Amelia Orwell: "The Fourth Step! Shamat… It worked! Um, this should allow me to leave, r-right?"
Cathy Ariston: "Right… Why didn't you do this earlier?"
Amelia dropped her gaze to the floor, looking embarrassed.
Amelia Orwell: "I thought Tinker Bell wasn't strong enough, after trying to teleport myself out of here… Well…"
Cathy Ariston: "Well? Well what?! Get on with it! We don't have time for shy stuff right now, we have to get you to a safe place at least. I can handle myself."
Amelia Orwell: "Okay… I look like a ghost, that's for sure! Hehe! Alright, let's see if this works…"
Amelia reached out with her hand towards the doorway, it seemed to bypass the flow barrier.
Amelia Orwell: "Oh my goodness! We did it! Now… Um… Where exactly are we going?"
[The Daniels Estate, Roof , Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, 1:27 PM, May 7th, Tuesday 2025]
The Tile heads coming out of the very roof itself locked eyes with Carrion Murata, flying towards him.
Carrion quickly sheathed his katana and grabbed his gun from the holster, chucking it up in the air before catching it and shooting thrice.
Carrion Murata: "You'd need more than a few freaks to beat me, Daniels."
His glowed pure white as the bullets curved mid-air, going through multiple heads and killing them before they could get closer.
He then unsheathed his katana, holstering his gun.
Carrion Murata: "N95: Rule 1, Take off the damage from this blade."
He grinned as he then plunged the katana through his own stomach. Erika's red aura was still around the katana, it began spreading out across his body the moment he stabbed himself.
Erika waved her right hand, shooting out a large wooden spike from it.
Erika Daniels: "Rule 1? You think you make the rules?!"
Carrion's own aura erupted around him, a blinding white glow that caused many of the other "Heads" in the area to cower.
Carrion Murata: "Yeah. I make the rules."
Erika rushed towards Carrion, her eyes flashing in anger.
Erika Daniels: "Don't just stand there! Kill him!"
She yelled at the heads around her.
Various kinds of heads began crawling up the mansion and swarming the roof.
Erika Daniels: "Wood: Tendril Trap!"
Erika crossed her palms and jumped up into the air, her legs being strengthened by Flow and stretching outwards, causing them to imbed within the roof like roots.
Various wooden tendrils shot up from around the mansion, large enough to reach the roof, they writhed and swung violently, trying to hit Carrion Murata.
Carrion easily dodged the tendrils, hopping over them, ducking, running around and slashing every head that came his way.
Carrion Murata: "Girl, you fight dirty. These minions aren't meant to deal any real damage to me, they're just meant to be distractions!"
He said as he kicked one of the heads towards Erika.
Erika Daniels: "California 37: Solus!"
She stretched out her right hand, a white glow forming around the head. It screeched in agony as it seemingly got absorbed into her hand.
Erika Daniels: "I'm sick of all of your bullshit, Iris!"
Her arms extended outwards and went through the roof, pulling herself down and turning her legs and arms back to normal, yet still wooden.
Carrion Murata: "N95: Rule 2, Take off the life from these heads."
Carrion waved his katana and suddenly all the heads on the roof dropped dead.
Erika Daniels: "Do you know how many souls it took me to make those?!"
Carrion stopped running, sheathing his katana, his interest piqued.
Carrion Murata: "You can control souls? That's not—"
Erika took a step backwards.
Erika Daniels: "California 37: Solus Maelstrom!"
Erika lifted her hands, her eyes glowing red.
The dead heads around her began glowing white, soon enough they began turning into small white particles which flew to Erika, absorbing into her body.
The particles flew around the roof exactly like a maelstrom, they seared Carrion's skin upon contact.
Carrion Murata: "This shit's hard. Keep going! Maybe you'll give me a seizure!"
Erika grunted in frustration as the remaining particles were absorbed.
Erika Daniels: "Oh, I'll give you a seizure all right…"
She then crouched low and rushed forwards towards him.
Erika Daniels: "California 37: Solar Plexus!"
Carrion allowed himself to get hit by Erika's attack, due to his curious nature.
Both of her fists connected with his upper torso, an Apex Strike enhanced with California 37's soul manipulation, caused and shattered fragments of his soul and main Holiness.
Removing the rules previously set in place.
Erika's red aura began disappearing from his body as Carrion flew backwards off the roof and onto the front lawn.
Erika Daniels: "Yeah! Take that seizure and shove it up your ass!!"
Carrion slowly got up, looking up through his dreads at Erika.
Blood was steadily dripping from his nose and the corner of his lips.
Carrion Murata: "Damn, this shit's hard… That actually hurt! Hah, I admit you've impressed me!"
He stood up, Ruach being applied onto his body and healing his internal injuries.
Carrion Murata: "I'm not just a member of Iris, I'm a friend of Jinn. And anyone who goes against Jinn's plans will have to pay. You do realize that The Boss doesn't care for you, don't ya? You're all just… pawns."
Erika jumped off of the roof, many wooden tendrils coming from her body and holding her upright as she descended to the ground.
Upon landing the tendrils retracted back into her body and she walked towards Carrion.
Erika Daniels: "You've also impressed me with your sheer unmitigated gall and balls! Do… Do you have any idea who I am? I am Erika Daniels, The Key Of Peace! That means I uphold the peace and guard the key to the first gate of The Syndicate, nobody goes any further than me, everyone below me is set up so they don't get here. And you got here. And that's an issue. I don't like issues, I fix them."
Carrion Murata: "For a girl with no arm, you sure talk a lot… So how about you scream?"
In the blink of an eye, Carrion drew his blade, enhanced with Apex and Titan, and cut right through Erika's right shoulder, slicing off her right arm.
He then flipped the katana around and slammed the hilt into her stomach with enough force to knock her through the front door of the mansion.
Carrion Murata: "I've been sent here to find two things. Well, me and my coworkers. Krist fought that girl… And in the process, he found one of the two important things you're hiding underneath this mansion. The other is a relic, The Primordia, which is why I'm here, because I don't trust anyone else to get it. Neither does Jinn, so he sent me. We've been spying on you for a few weeks now. That was even before the Oakland Incident, with the death of your first special rank, The White Rose… And we have other sources like your family history to know you've been hiding relics for a long long time. I mean, you outright told me! Which means that the other Daniels mansions must have relics underneath them too, right?"
Erika dashed out of the house, her eyes bloodshot, her ribcage cracked despite her body being wooden, looking in fury at Carrion Murata, who was pacing back and forth on the front lawn.
Erika Daniels: "What the HELL do you know about my family?!?!"
She waved her arms erratically as her red aura erupted. She had activated in quick succession: Apex, Titan, Ruach and unbeknownst to her, due to her great Flow capacity and natural inclination towards it, she had subconsciously used Agnus Magnificat, The Seventh Step, which caused her aura to erupt as she began subconsciously gaining more of it and manipulating it.
Before Carrion could even blink, she lunged, her fist connected with his face, turning his head to the side as her Flow flew into his body, fracturing his soul further, weakening his Holiness and cracking his skull.
She followed up with a kick to his side which sent him across the lawn and into the iron gate leading up to the mansion.
Erika Daniels: "You think you're better than me? Just because you're keeping your hand hidden?! WELL YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!!"
She yelled and lifted her right arm. The ground began shaking.