Jun Nee woke up with a start. She called for her brother but it took her a moment to remember where she was, in the City Lord Mansion. Swinging her legs over the bed, she wore her night dress.

“What was that?” she said.

It came again, a large BOOM that shook across the City Lord Mansion. Gulping nervously, she opened the door of her room a crack. There was nothing beyond. Slowly, she stepped out into the hallway, looking around.

A body, covered with a few tongues of fire, flew over at her. Screaming, she collapsed to her knees as the body passed overhead and landed beside her.

She looked wide eyes at the body. It was a guard in the City Lord uniform. Blood puddled out from beneath the body. She heard footsteps and her head whipped to the source. A shadowy figure came towards her, the moonlight illuminated him, though his black clothes tried desperately to hide his figure in shadow. Even though Jun Nee could not see the man’s face, on the account of the black cloth hiding the lower parts of his face but she could see his eyes, cruel and filled with killing intent.

The man had a large knife in hand and glared at Jun Nee. The little girl stepped back, trying to get away from the man. Her feet tripped and she fell backward on her butt, seeing the dead body that tripped her.

Jun Nee shuffled back as the man followed, stepping over his now dead victim. Rolling to her hands and knees, she activated Fleet Foot and sped away from the man. Tendrils, made of green glowing energy emerged from the ground, trying to grab at her. She struggled on, kicking the tendrils away as she tried to escape. She had to slide to a halt when a giant wall made from vines grew in her path.

She turned around and looked back at the advancing man, his large knife glinting. Activating Fleet Foot again, she tried to avoid him by running past the man but vines grabbed at her legs and tripped her. Looking back, she saw vines growing from the wall, tangling legs and keeping her from moving. She looked at the man, who was now upon her.

“P-Please,” she said, raising her hand. “You are part of the Black Mark, right? I-I am a commoner. Not even a soldier! You don’t want to kill me.”

“Whether you are a soldier, made or even the noble’s shit picker, you are part of the problem!” the man said, each word making him angrier. “You are scum and all you commoner traitors should die!”

He raised his knife, his eyes wide with fury. He slashed downward for her. She raised her palms as if to brace herself.

“Counter Burst!” she shouted as a barrier appeared between the knife and her. The barrier exploded on contact and the force, not only ripped the knife from the man’s grip but it also slammed the man away from her.

She clawed at the vines, pulling them off her legs. As soon as she was free, she activated Fleet Foot to escape. She dashed past the man to the hall beyond but then a vine wrapped around her. The vines tightened around her body as she screamed and gritted her teeth.

“You will not escape!” the man said, struggling to his feet. “I will crush you!”

She groaned as the whip-like vine wrapped around her tighter and tighter. Before her, vines grew, slowly making another wall that she could not escape. Struggling, she desperately tried to go forward before the wall closed up and trapped her in the hallway with the killer. She wished her arms were not bound to her sides, as she could have tried using Burst Counter.

The vines were growing thicker and thicker, and all her opportunities to escape vanished. Then something bright and orange creature leapt through the hole through the vines before it closed up and created a solid wall of foliage.

The creature’s fist blazed with fire. Jun Nee ducked beneath the creature before it slammed its flaming fist into the vine, breaking it apart and freeing Jun Nee.

“Shibi!” Jun Nee said in relief.

The Scorch Ap sat on Jun Nee’s shoulder bared its fangs at the Black Mark member.

“Shibi, can you burn this wall away?” Jun Nee said.

Shibi swivelled on her shoulder to face the wall of vines. She threw out a stream of fire at the wall. It burnt and a hole was beginning to spread on the wall.

“It’s working!” Jun Nee excitedly said.

To her horror, the fires were being smothered by new vines that grew over the burning ones, reconstituting the wall and trapping them once again.

“You though it would be that easy?” The man said, “I will not let you escape!” he retrieved his knife. “Now, I’ll kill you!”