1 1 M A G E

1 M A G E

THE CITY OF BARBADOS remained barren and demolished. It had been two years since the attack of the Blood Demon, Queen Alice, yet the horrid memories still lingered within the destroyed walls of the city. The once magnificent palaces and buildings were now pulverized and painted with blood. Skeletons adorned the abandoned town like tiny pebbles to serve as a reminder of the demon's wrath--as if taunting whoever dared challenge the Demon Queen shall be doomed with the same fate.

Harley grimaced after teleporting behind a broken boulder. Wrong place. He was hoping for a forest, the Emerald Woodland to be specific where he could hide and heal but his destination proved him otherwise.

"Too slow." Harley heard before jumping behind a broken chariot beside him. Alucard's humongous sword split the boulder in half and he would've been as well if not for his agility. The only big problem was a few strands of his perfectly gelled hair were swept to the side from the wind and he didn't know which was worst.

"Hey, don't touch the hair!" He yelled, quickly combing it down.

Alucard laughed. "Trust me, with this sword I will touch more than the hair."

Harley threw cards at him, giving him more cuts to slow him down but they were too small and he was exhausted. He badly needed to regenerate his magic power. The smaller cuts were proof of it.

"Just in case you misunderstood, I was offering you truce by inviting you to our gild," he charmed as it was his last resort, "You know, new beginnings, new status and new friends like me." He dared to wink.

"I don't need friends," Alucard spat, disgusted, "I need vengeance to those who tried to fool me." He slashed Harley's cards away then at him, giving a massive cut to his front.

"Mercy." Harley cried like a little boy and threw his hands up in the air. He knew he would be defeated. He had yet to master his ring of fire but his task was calling and he needed to find a fighter before noon. Recruiting an old mark like Alucard was obviously a mistake.

"Mercy," Harley repeated, choking in his own blood but managed to give another tired smile.

Alucard's eyes looked dead and soulless when they looked at him. This was a man of the death card himself. To others the death card from the tarot indicates an ending and to be reborn but to Alucard, he had stayed at the end, letting his painful pasts haunt him to the point that it became solely him.

"Killing is always better than giving mercy," Alucard replied, lifting up his sword.

This must be it. Harley sighed. Perhaps his troublemaking days were finally over and it would make the world more peaceful but absolutely boring without him. Just like every time he was on a brink of death, he made a silent prayer that his hair would be fixed right to the tee for his funeral.

Whooz.

Alucard grunted painfully and tumbled to his side. Silver, shimmering bullets hit his arm like mini missiles. A ray of violet light came from the south and it was targeted at him.

Harley chuckled as another bullet hit Alucard right at his shoulder. His opponent gave an angry cry, eyes ablaze at the sky, confused to where it came from.

As always, good timing. There was one thing Harley feared as much as death and it was his sister, Lesley. Surprisingly, he was more grateful than scared of the yelling he would get later for doing this task alone, much more of his poor choice for the team. But, oh well.

He clasped his hands together; he had just enough magic to teleport back to where he left his hat. Just as Alucard slashed his sword, he vanished in thin air.

Just like magic. Harley wanted to say for the cheesy humor but was long out of earshot.