---

... It rained.

It’s been raining the whole night.
The distant sound of the storm seemed to stalk its prey as it loomed in the background.
The woman with the egregious pink bob blinks; smiling, adjusting her posture.

It wasn't Clyde she was looking at; she seemed to look right through him, eyes fixed onto a better prize.

The woman raises her hand slowly, eyes locked to Nuru’s. Before he has time to make a move, she lunges forward; landing only inches from his head.

Everything happened so quickly-- The two women were instantly locked in combat! Clyde’s belated reaction gave him barely enough time to dodge. He watched as the women carved a path of destruction down the hall towards the lounge.
What a terrifying sight.

Looking down the hall the other way, he noticed the door of the 803st room was slightly ajar! There was a good chance his target would be in there.

Clyde slowly creeps up to the door, taking care to make as little noise as possible. His heart races as he considers the possibility of finally confronting his target. He reaches for the handle composing himself before tearing the door open…
To a dark room.

It’s a little disappointing, but a welcome respite from The Madness. Just the right spot to plan his next move.
As he strategizes in the dark, Clyde grows more confident in his last-minute plan. He’d never defeat Antoine in a regular one-on-one, but… maybe if he had the element of surprise…?

With Antoine gone, everything would finally be over- he’d have indirectly saved thousands of people from experiencing the same fate as himself. It would finally be over, Clyde thinks to himself; All of this can stop-

… Soft, near inaudible, footsteps approach. They’re soon followed by a deep, cheerless voice.

: … Another guild member here to do nothing but die?
: I’d expected you all to have learned by now. Your leader should be sending more capable fighters.
: How… pitiful. You people can hardly steal without causing a commotion.

Clyde tenses up at the sound of his voice. As he turns, all he finds is… an intensely baldheaded man; clad in orange fur, stroking his beard like a pet.

The man raises a thick, caterpillar-like eyebrow.

Even before the wave of intimidation fully washes over him, Clyde knows this is the man he’s looking for.

Paralyzed by fear, Clyde can’t find it in himself to verbalize his deep animosity. With all his might, he wills himself to move, or talk, or really… do anything at all.

He felt completely helpless in the shadow of the giant. It seemed like all of his actions were calculated. Clyde blamed himself. This reinforced his initial instinct that this was a bad idea, only now he would be proven right. He’d give Nuru an earful if he survived the encounter. The first strike was stolen from him. Clyde felt as if his body moved before his brain had processed anything.

...They traded blows with incredible speed. They tore through the room, crashing into furniture and walls. Clyde leaps onto his opponent, momentarily gaining an advantage before being thrown across the room.

Despite the intensity of their battle, the girls managed to sling AGGRESSIVE remarks in their engagement. They hurtled through the corridor until they reached the lounge. It was surprising that there were no patrons having a nighttime drink or rendezvous in the lounge. They found it to be a blessing as it set the scene perfectly for their messy reunion.

: You nasty, obsessive, raggedy BITCH!
: You only won last time because you CHEATED! I’ll have you know… I’m still BETTER! I’m stronger than before! Especially without you holding me back!
: And I pull off a bob way better than you do!
: ... RAGGEDY?
: … CHEATED?!
: HOLDING YOU BACK???

Nuru hears the sounds of the potted plants around her whispering in excitement through a frequency only she can hear. It's not often they oversee such a fight, especially one so explosive.

: You haven't changed AT ALL!!!
: I don’t NEED to, when—
: —You're already perfect? I'd wager otherwise.
: You...

She conjures a solid wall of water. Nuru bounces off, only to be bashed against Kamea’s fist. The potted plants gasp in shock; reaching out with their dangly roots to wrap around Nuru's ankles, keeping her standing. With her balance regained, she wipes the blood(!) off of her mouth, and looks the woman straight in the eyes.

: ... Kamea—
: What?
: I don’t care about any of the shitty psychobabble coming out of your mouth.
: I just wanna fight.
: I don't. You have to listen to me.
: Have to?

Nuru scowls.

: Do not.
: I will not play your games,

—she says, her roots inching away from her, and towards Kamea. They creak as they grow, and Nuru’s anger accelerates their expansion. Kamea sucks her teeth as she stomps on the nearest tendril that latches onto her shoe.

: —And I will certainly not condone neither you, nor Antoine's behavior. The solicitation of local security for HAVOC’s operations is unacceptable.

There's a brief pause.

: You are so stupid.
: You were with us the whole time! You agreed- All four of us were gonna do this together!
: And then you left! But NOW you're trying to take a moral high ground!?
: You think you’re so much better than us? Just ‘cause you don't KILL people?
: Be serious.
: ... Coming all the way here to talk to me. You're either naive, or brainwashed. Mm... Probably both.

Nuru grits her teeth.

... She then lunges at Kamea, only to be met with a solid splash of water to the face. What she was attacking wasn't a woman, but rather a near perfect replica.

In hindsight, she feels like she should have anticipated the attack. Being drenched only further fueled her rage.

Kamea looks down on Nuru, her water clone standing close behind. That smug look of hers always got under her skin, and Kamea's obnoxiously evil laugh didn’t help. Nuru clenches her fists, getting back into position; How could she!

Despite doubting Kamea’s earlier claims that she was “still better” and “stronger than before”, Nuru really did feel the improvement. It made the fight much more entertaining... which... greatly displeased her.

In turn, Nuru decides to harness the power of her wonderful, vocal, potted friends; taking advantage of their whispering excitement towards the fight. They were overjoyed with her decision to allow their help. (...Perhaps they were severly understimulated.)

: squee!
: Wha--?!

The plants emerge from their pots and ... crawl ... onto Nuru, armoring her before Kamea can strike. Kamea thinks she looks hideous; Nuru can tell by the cringed-up face she makes. In return, Kamea and her clone attempt to penetrate the growth, but their attacks are futile. The water nourishes the dried up plants (Are Salsan hospitality workers underpaid? Maybe they should unionize...), and makes her root armor stronger.

: You're ALWAYS CHEATING!!!
: HOW IS THIS CHEATING?!
: YOU ALWAYS KNEW I COULD DO THIS!!!

Kamea goes berserk, letting out a scream before throwing herself at Nuru; her clone following close behind. The heightened rage makes her hit even harder than before. It’s no problem, though, as Nuru keeps her cool. If she let Kamea’s verbal attacks get to her, the physical ones would break her down. As she shields herself, she notices a weak point in Kamea's attack pattern.

Nuru waits for the perfect time to pierce her guard. Her stems retract momentarily, leaving her vulnerable.

Fortunately, Kamea takes the bait. And so, Nuru’s vines form a massive, thorny gauntlet on her right fist. With the upper hand, she knocks Kamea across the room.

As she slumps over, her water clone dissolves, forming a puddle on the ground. The plants, imbued in the passion of their thirst… quickly suck it up. It pains her to see that the hotel really does forget to water them.
... How sad.

Despite the flowing animosity between the two of them, Nuru tamps over to Kamea, offering a hand. If Kamea turned herself in, they wouldn’t have to fight anymore. They could go back to what they were used to.

: It doesn't have to be this way!
: … Say it.
: What?
: You just miss me.
: You missed getting your ass beat by me.
: And you know you crave the feeling of being under my heel.
: You're out of your m—

. . . The sound of glass shattering stuns her into silence.

---

... He doesn't like to fight, really.

In fact, he would list unnecessary violence as one of his least favorite activities.

As much as he hated it, the arts were one of his greatest skill, and they would continue to be for as long as he owned his strength.
Nuru and Kamea had inadvertently prolonged their fight with banter. Antoine wouldn't waste his breath on a pleasantry, let alone a conversation. Their battle would be brief, and this sad little man was just a stepping stone in his grand scheme.

Clyde couldn't wrap his head around it.

Why would he hire a Private Security Company based in Coalint to help with whatever plan they had? Are they short-staffed? Was this just the will of the Gods? Is this truly his fate?

... Or maybe Antoine really is a maniac, like Nuru said. (He figures he should apologize for doubting her.)
There was a lot he wanted to ask this bald nutcase, but there was so little time; he couldn’t pause to ask a question with all his focus on landing as many blows as he could.

Much smaller and nimble than Antoine, the purple-haired man took him by surprise; knocking him back, leaving the bigger man staggered. In Antoine’s momentary weakness, Clyde saw the path to victory. Time seemed to stop once he emitted a powerful blast from his hands.

-Now towering above Antoine, he has the upper hand…
but he hesitates. Despite the good it would do for the world, he can’t bring himself to keep on. Clyde could only get a single word out.

: Why?

(Was he too weak?)

He asks, the moment he can open his mouth. The question makes Antoine pause and raise an eyebrow, before bursting into loud, hearty laughter. The suddenness scares Clyde; He jumps, then quickly recomposes himself.

: “Why” what?! Who in the world are you?!

He says, rubbing his shiny bald head.

: What do you mean why what?! I WORKED for you, we “CLEARED” all those people under YOUR command, remember?
: I hire many people. I’m afraid I cannot remember each and every middling goon.
: You were paid, were you not? Why do you retaliate?
: How can you live with yourself, attacking an innocent gentleman whose only goal is to protect important cultural artifacts?
: Come on. What are you REALLY up to, hurting all those people and disappearing into nowhere?!
: I never expected a commoner to understand my work.
: If you’re so worried about hurting people, why are you coming for me?
: I’ve never killed anyone in my life. That’s what I hired you for.

Clyde grits his teeth. He throws another punch at Antoine, who grabs Clyde’s fist in his own large, meaty hand. Antoine keeps talking, unbothered by Clyde’s struggle to release himself from the man's grasp.

: I should be the one asking you why!

The air was thick with tension. And yet,

Antoine, triumphant in his effort to stagger Clyde… smiles.

: You know what?
: You want to know why?

He tightens his grip on Clyde’s hand,

: You can figure it out yourself.

… and throws him out of the window.

Clyde goes tumbling into the swamp behind the casino. The shattering of glass can be heard throughout the floor. He goes tumbling,

and tumbling,

and tumbling,

and tumbling,

and tumbling,

and tumbling...

---