The Vanishing Brush

One had drunken style. Ever flowing momentum like river rapids and fire magic to go along with it.

The other had barriers, invisible to the naked eye that could block all damage aimed at it, with royal guard training.

Arata and Leona were in the next room, facing Täter’s favourite beast.

She was right there, watching him. There had been plenty of battles in his life that he felt fear, of losing, of failing. That was not an option anymore, and with her so close, he couldn’t lose!

Franz was the first to move, predicting a barrier guarding his opponent, and swaying at just the correct time and connecting with a capoeira kick, catching the Scourge off balance. Another barrier stopped him falling too far back and then the follow up to guard. Franz didn’t see any movement on the ground but he knew there would be dust being displaced by a straight foward block. He still had drops from the booze, and so he launched a few just before he closed the distance. One flew high and continued moving, another flew low, and that one hit something before the ground. He could leap over the barrier, practically completing a front flip as his momentum carried extra force in the punch that connected with Täter. He landed hard after the hit, unable to halt his fall with a barrier. Franz didn’t give him time though, grabbing him by the shirt and heaving him over his shoulder and down into the floor.

No movement followed it until the dust dispersed. Täter’s blood dripped in the crater he’d been smacked into, pouring from his arm and down his fingers. Still, he did not lose his smile.

Even knowing how strong his opponent was, the Princess wanted to let hope in, to believe in Franz. The Scourge was hard to damage, and he’d managed to apply so much pressure… she wanted to believe in him. But, how long would this last?

Franz had managed to slightly loosen the bonds that held her before Täter stopped him, and she was now managing to tug at the rope. “If I can get myself out, just one second, its all he’ll need. You don’t have to beat him, Franz, just a second to escape!”

Franz jumped into the fray once more as Täter slowly stood again. This time…

This time he smirked.

*-*-*

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Reinhardt, the hero of Heimstadt…

The beast got to him. She ignored the screaming of muscles and the fracture of bone, none of it mattered to her now. “Reinhardt!” She let out a bloodcurdling scream as she limped forward.

What could she do? It had him, he was trapped…

Instead of a pained expression, or even one of lifelessness… he looked smitten… someone had turned the light off in her brain, no one was currently home.

“Hehehe…” He laughed like an idiot.

“R-Reinhardt?” She muttered.

This beast, this murderous monster… stopped short. It’s teeth gnashing? No, it looked as if it was nuzzling the hero. “What the fuck is happening?”

“Look! Leona! He’s so sweet!” His hands dug deep into its fur, and his dumb expression got worse. “You’re a good mousey, aren’t you?!”

Her mind had played a horror story of blood hitting the floor and flesh being ripped open to the orchestra of screams. Instead, she got a happy go lucky idiot and soft squeaks as if the beast was sleeping in his hands. “...Should I be happy or…as bad as it sounds I’m a bit disappointed weirdly…” She noted.

“What?” He looked a little offended by her. “You can’t tell me he’s not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! Come on, look at dem whiskers!”

“My guy…” She replied, looking as bewildered as she could. “...It’s a mouse…”

He wasn’t listening, he was living his best life drawing treats and toys for the mousey monster, laughing gleefully as it played around.

That bliss was rudely interrupted however, by the Princess’s scream. Leona had lost all faith in Arata and ran to the next room. Arata soon followed after quickly drawing a few more toys for his new friend. “I’ll come back for you! Niedlich!”

It squeaked as he left.

*-*-*

She ran in, and the blood in her veins cooled.

The Princess was putting her all into escaping that chair… and Franz was black and blue, with Täter stood over him.

“Help him! Please!” The Princess begged. Leona’s bloodlust deepened even more and no sooner had Arata caught up had she clashed with the Scourge’s shield.

The Princess had also released herself from the ropes and charged at her capture with a hairpin in hand. It was child’s play for him, he simply swiped her hands to the side and kicked Leona in the stomach in the same motion.

Arata just managed to catch her in the air, getting knocked into the wall in the process. For Plotgerät, he just pushed her away with her hair pin still in his hands, now broken in two. “Well well, looks like all the guests are here.” Täter jested while taking a deep breath. “Let’s see… the Princess soon to be wed. The almost hero. The lioness… and Heimstadt’s finest… what a line-up!”

Leona coughed up blood, she was still feeling the effects of Niedlich’s attack earlier on. Franz had already been beaten down… it was just Arata…

“I’m good…” Leona said quietly. She could tell he was panicking, there was no way he could beat the Scourge alone. But in such a state, the odds were that she wouldn’t have much more to give. Even Täter could see as much.

“You’re wrong.” It was Franz, he’d regained consciousness but also lost his drunken state, feeling only the searing pain and yet his defiance like an ember refused to die. “You think you’re the strongest, all you have is that shield… we’ll get past it eventually, and when we do you’ll lose, Täter.” His jaw was moving so little it was hard to hear him, blood dripped from his mouth and still he was trying to stand again.

“Hoh? You really do need to learn how to back up your bullshit, Franz.” Without warning he’d kicked Franz in the chest. “Two of you can’t move, another one is a Princess… I’m shaking, honest.” He mocked. “What can you possibly do?”

“It ain’t just him.” Arata retorted. Both he and Leona were back on their feet, with Arata holding a stone short sword. Täter just sighed loudly. “Good lord, will you two just give it up already?”

“Quit your bitching, Täter. You aren’t winning this.” Leona growled.

To the Scourge, this was just pointless, a means to annoy him more. But, he knew once it was over, he had everything in the palm of his hand. There was still a way to speed this up, there was still a way to beat them without effort, he just needed to ready it. His arrogant grin grew more sinister as he watched them approach, like squirming ants under his boot. Crushing them would be easy… but why bother?

“You are right, Franz. I can only use one barrier at a time, and other than the odd kick or punch, I don’t have much fire power. But that being said, there was an odd occurrence the other day, happened when some of my guys were on their way back here from Egalstadt.”

“If you’re gonna yap for hours on end can you make it quick?” Arata butted in. “We’re reaching the end of the chapter…”

A nice murderous glare later and he continued. “Something fell from the sky, something we’d never seen before. It was like a gift from the gods.” As he was explaining he felt so confident and so unthreatened that he sat down on a nearby table. “Naturally, we had to see what it was and… well, that was the end of Egalstadt.”

Those native to this world had heard of the incident he was referring to. It wasn’t as simple as the town being ransacked, or burnt to the ground… it disappeared completely. No houses, no stores, no townsfolk, not even a stone on the ground could be found where the town once was. It was a terrifying realisation that Täter had something to do with it, what’s worse, he had that eerie power still with him. Of course, for Arata, much like the town, his knowledge of this incident was blank.

Täter rifled through a few of the drawers of the desk, unable to find this artefact of the gods, looking rather awkward. Until, he found it, hoisting it in the air like a prized possession, a holy grail. “This, my dear heroes, this will be your downfall! I give you… the Vanishing Brush!”

All but Arata were horrified… Arata was completely bamboozled…

“It’s…” he noted.

“It’s whiteout?”