69 To Be

Adler hummed to himself cheerfully.

*hmm~ mm~ mhmm~* "Well Haven? Are you horrified? Honored? In despair? Whatever you're feeling right now, I'll be sure to paste it clearly on the walls as well."

"You're a sick man Adler."

"Not sick, merely, enlightened. I know things you could never hope to grasp in your entire lifetime."

"How about you add 'lunatic' to your list of names."

"Maybe, but I'll have to hold off on that for a bit, it seems like I've finally found a way to display you. While shredding the lower half of your face, I'll dangle your heart in your mouth. Your hands will become the tips of wings on the walls, filled in with blood. Arms severed, the lower half of your body scattered around you. Not to forget how I'll carve out your chest and wrap the children's corpses with your organs in front of you… A beautiful masterpiece."

Haven glared at Adler but her slyphir wouldn't gather like she wanted it to. She felt the communicator on her wrist vibrate. Someone was trying to call her. Haven tensed her arms and tried to shift it to press on the receiver button.

Adler looked down at Haven from the corner of his eye, his face turning to her with a sad look.

*tsk tsk* "We can't be interrupted, now can we? I haven't felt this motivated since I carved the word 'anthropophagus' out of four families in Windim. Did you know, the elf people are a truly fascinating race? Under certain circumstances, their blood is white, purple, or blue? Although red is a common color, I've had the pleasure of seeing every shade to elf blood."

Haven felt the vibrating on her wrist stop. She hoped that the teachers outside would realize that since she didn't pick up there was something wrong.

"Now, I'll start at the hands first. It's always thrilling to hear a person's last cries. There is no sound like it in the entire world." Adler bent down and flicked a blade onto his hand from his back. About a foot long, the jagged ends on one side looked like sharp teeth, the slit on the middle of the blade about half an inch wide.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Adler's face was like a child's. Full of pure joy and excitement.

Haven watched as Adler's blade easily cut her skin open, the thin edge of the jagged teeth slicing her skin like butter.

In that second a dark mass appeared at the other end of the hallway, it sprinted towards Adler and Haven, each step leaving the halls echoing of metal hitting the floor.

Adler stopped and looked up in time to see that the black mass was almost in front of him. Pulling his blade away, Adler reached for Haven but in that moment she managed to escape, Adler's fingers clawing at her arm.

The mass stopped behind Haven.

"What needs to be cleaned?"

Haven was a bit stunned to see the old helper robot there, but it'd given her a chance to escape.

"Detain Adler Reeves."

The robot buzzed for a second.

"I am unable to engage in activities beyond cleaning. Shall I ask Dorm Head Hal to assist in t-" Adler's blade pierced the side of the robot's head. "C-c-cleannnn-nnn-ninng dutiiiies…" The robot's speech stopped and it's body seemed to shrink a little. The shoulder's limp at it's sides, it's head hung low.

"How disgusting! Filthy! Repulsive! You dare call an android here?!" Adler was covering his face with one hand, his other supporting his body against the wall. Adler leaned on the wall and groaned, hitting his head a couple of times against the wall.

Haven watched Adler writhe warily. It could be a distraction to make her lower her guard.

"Androids! Soulless chunks of metal with no purpose, I, absolutely hate them." Adler emphasized the word 'hate' as he smashed his fist against the wall, a small crater cracked along the wall.

"So, you're scared of robots?" Haven's tone was mocking Adler for such a childish fear.

"No, not fear. I simply loath them. They make look human but there is no joy in destroying them, nothing to fuel my thrill."

"Hmph." Haven felt the pain from Adler's hits earlier, a large bump swelling on her side.

"R-rrreeee-PORTING, for duuuuties!" The helper robot sprang back to life, Adler's blade slipping from it's head. The small nano-technology repairing the robot's injury slowly.

Adler felt goosebumps on his arms, his attention too drawn to the robot to notice that another person had entered the building. Suddenly a long blade swung out for his neck. Adler barely managed to pull back and avoid the blade. Kicking off from the ground, Adler distanced himself from whoever was attacking him.

"Tsk."

The new figure lowered his sword and pulled his muffler down, pressing the communicator on his ear.

"This is Quiver, we've cornered Hollow… copy that." The man called Quiver pulled his muffler back to cover the lower half of his face.

"Who are you?" Adler jumped away again to dodge Quiver's attack.

"No one you need to know. Adams, your end?"

"Cleared and cleaned!"

From behind Adler a small girl was gently putting Haven on the floor, a small syringe sticking out from the back of her neck. The robot was kneeling against the wall, it's back ripped open and fizzing electricity.

Over Quiver's communicator, another voice blared through.

"THIS IS EVE! WE'VE CLEARED A ROUTE OUT!"

"Are you trying to burst my eardrums?!"

Adler looked at the person in front of him and at the girl behind him. If they managed to get close without being noticed then they were quite skilled but, if the guy was the one to attack, it must mean that the girl isn't as strong. There were others as well. If he got surrounded by a skilled group, he wasn't sure he could escape.

Adler dashed at Quiver and just as he was about to launch an attack Quiver's blade cut Adler in half. Quiver's head twitched and he saw Adler's body split into two and dissipate.

"Slyphir."

Behind Adler's slyphir body, the real Adler was rushing towards the girl. He'd picked up his blade away from the robot and threw it at the girl.

Adams smiled and flicked the knife away, her hand grabbing Adler by his neck.

"Ah, agh,ghh." Her grip tightened.

Adler tried to pry her hands off but they were immovable. He launched a high kick at the girl but she easily blocked it with her fist.

Adler couldn't understand how the girl in front of him could match him, he was at the purple rank! A genius at the age of twenty-six!

"You can't stop me!" Adler threw a fist covered in purple slyphir towards the girl. He expected her grip to loosed a little but her smiling face stayed the same.

"You think your cheap slyphir can match to the real thing?" From the girl's hand slyphir the deep color of a dark purple seeped out, wrapping around Adler's neck.

"F-F*ck…" Adler felt his eyes closing, his hands weakly clawing at the girl. Adams tightened her grip and pressed on finger sharply against Adler's neck. A few seconds passed and Adler's body went limp.

"Target secured."

"Well done. Adams, let's go back… Adams…?" Quiver turned around to see Adams bending over, dark vines spreading to her face. Her breathing hard and heavy.

"Adams!" Quiver rushed to support her side. He held her shaking hand and issued a syringe into her arm. A few seconds later Adams's face calmed, her furrowed brows easing apart.

"I'm fine… The slyphir just ran slightly rampant…"

"Adams, you're still not fully synthesized with the core. Don't push yourself."

"We need to go. You get Adler, I'll make a distraction."

Quiver squeezed her hand one more time before picked up Adler like a sack of potatoes. Before he disappeared around the corner, Quiver turned around.

"Adams, I'll see you."

Adams lifted two fingers to her head and signaled them to Quiver.

"I'll see you."

Quiver left the hall, jumping over the railing ledge, Adler's limp body flopped over his shoulder. Adams looked at Haven and back to her hand. Thin black lines creeped out from her sleeve attempting to devour her hand.

"…"

Adams moved to the other side of the building. From her spot she saw that the teachers outside were about to launch a full-scale assault on the dorms. Around twenty teachers had gathered around the dorm. The black lines began to form on her face again.

"Sorry Quiver, I'm such a liar."