Crona was standing in the center of the courtyard, rubbing his arm. He shuddered as he heard the doors behind him open, and slowly turned his head around. "Are you here to kill me," he asked sadly. "I don't know... I never fought adventurers before and I'm not sure I know how to deal with them." He turned around, looking at his feet and still seeming incredibally nervous. "I don't know if I can though..."

Crona's eyes looked back and forth as if he was hearing a voice, and nodded through paranoia. "Are you sure it's okay? They're different than the others." He shuddered and backed away from the group, looking straight at them. "I wouldn't do it, if I were you. My blood is black, y'know."

Balbadorf looked at the small child in disbelief, he couldn't believe a kid could do all of this. He prayed zendra was right in taht someone else was pulling the strings, "Thats interesting, my blood is fire, what's your name?" Balbadorf kept both arms at his side, trying to put the kid at ease by not to seem hostile in any way.

"I never heard of fire blood... I'm not sure i know how to deal with somebody like that..." Crona looked up at Balbadorf with a look of curiosity. "You're not going to try to kill me?"

Caius was growing tense. He remained with his sword sheathed as Balbadorf was attempting diplomacy with Crona and nodded as Zendra followed after them. He held out his arm so that she didn't do anything threatening.

Crona was worried as he saw the woman enter. "She's a girl... I don't know how to deal with girls either..." "What do you mean, punk?" Crona clutched his head as a voice was heard by the three, his back seemingly exploding in a fountain a black blood. Crona, however, appeared fine despite the psychlogical trauma he was suffering.

"You eat them, swallow their souls, like the others! You need to make me a demon!" The fountain formed into a huge black muscular creature, protruding from Crona's back, it's waist connecting to the Crona. "KILL THEM!"

Crona looked at them with tears in his eyes. "Sorry!" he said with a terrified voice. He reaches up, and the black monster morphed into a large black sword that Crona picked up and held with his hand. "I wonder what it would have been like if you were my friend..."

Balbadorf stood still anticipating a strike, "We can still find out. You don't have to do this, I won't hurt you." He said hoping he wouldn't have to hurt the kid.

For the duration of the conversation she had been content in following Caius' signal to abstain from doing anything, however with the sword drawn she found it difficult not to do anything. She glanced at Caius. He and Balbadorf had arrived first she had to go on their judgment of the situation. Zendra watched for any sign to move, even if it was just one of them drawing their blade.

"I can't!" the child shouted, pointing the sword at Balbadorf. He seemed to slide forward and make a wild slash at him, who barely dodged out of the way, still attempting pacifism. "If I don't get more souls then I can't become a demon, and then she'll punish me again, and I don't know if I can handle being punished again!"

Caius was extremely nervous at this point, but Balbadorf appeared to have a plan. The others in the group showed up as well to the spectical of the small teenager trying to hack apart the war veteran. Elie followed behind them all, leaving Roche behind. Out of all of them, he was the one that seemed the most worried about how the group would react.

Dio tilts his head as he regards the boy. "Who is she, exactly?" He doesn't take aim with his pistol, though his grip on it tightens.

Balbadorf raised his arm in order to block another swing if necessary, "Who'll punish you Crona, I can help you, I can protect you."

Balbadorf raised his arm in order to block another swing if necessary, "Who'll punish you Crona, I can help you, I can protect you."

Gustav stares at the group, and then the encounter. The child fighting Balbadorf looked... sickly almost. But their work with the sword was sloppy. Obviously the damage they had dealt up until now had been due to no one else being armed, or having combat experience. Gustav's sword scrapes against it's scabbard as it is sheathed, leaving the Knight holding his shield still. Balbadorf had the fight in hand, rushing in would only serve to confuse. But his shield was ready all the same.

Zendra clentched her spear but made no move simply because Caius had not wanted her to. And there was no immediate threat to her or anyone else that would make her consider ignoring this fact. Still she was ready to move at a moments notice.

Crona shouted at Balbadorf as he kept swinging. "Why aren't you trying to hit me! It's not fair!" Crona backed up a bit and looked at everyone. "You're trying to talk to me and I don't know how to deal with people who try to talk to me!"

Bright red lips appeared on the sword and began to shout at Crona again. "What are you doing? Do you want your mother to lock you in your room again! I'M NOT GOING BACK!" Crona looked down at the sword, and responded: "But he's not like the others, I don't know what I'm supposed to do about someone who wants to talk to me."

"Crona we can help you, can you tell us where your mother is?" Balbadorf remained still, his voice calm and sincere.

Dio shrugged helplessly. "You got this one, Balbadorf."

Gustav raises an unseen eyebrow. The girl's weapon had grown a mouth. This would suggest it to be anything other than natural. "Das Schwert spricht. Ist sie eine Hexe, oder ist es ein Damon Schwert?"

"You will not be locked in your room." If simply talking to the kid was what made him hold back then Zendra saw no harm in joining in. "That man, Balbadorf, will not allow that. You should have no fear of this despite what your weapon says."

Crona stared at Balbadorf, looking terrified. "But if I told you, wouldn't she get angry?" "Of course she would you idiot!" The sword shouted. "Do you know what it's like being fused to a punk like you? Every day you're whining about something else that scares you. You're the most annoying kid on the damn planet! If only Lady Medusa used me for somebody DECENT!"

Elie grabbed Gustav's shoulder. "" As Elie spoke, Crona pointed behind them. On the roof one figure could be seen resting casually on a broomstick.

"Soul protect, OFF!" a booming command could be heard. The woman on the broomstick flew down to where they could see her, wearing what appeared to be a black sleeveless jumpsuit with a hood. Her blonde hair was tied in a knot hanging underneath her face. "You're being a bad child, Crona, listening to these people. Eat their souls, or mommy will be angry."

"Oh, so this lady is the Big Bad, then. Interesting..." Dio looks at his pistol. "Should we uh... Should we have an intense discussion? I think we should do that."

Gustav turns his gaze to the woman on the broomstick. "Nun scheint diese Frau, eine Hexe zu sein." Gustav's hand drops to his pommel, waiting for some kind of signal from someone that they should, in fact, be attacking this woman.

"Crona, you remind me a lot of myself, there is good inside of you." Balbadorf started walking towards Crona slowly arms open offering the confused child comfort.

So then this woman was the one making the child do these things. She was driving him with fear, and that sword was not helping matters. Zendra looked at the boy, then looked at the woman feeling quite a bit disgusted by the matter. "Caius, I do not care about mother's anger. She seems to be at the center of the problem. What do you advise for this situation?"

"What do you THINK the plan is?" Caius drew his sword and immediately ran straight towards the witch. Lady Medusa however seemed unimpressed. She laughed at the witchunter and shouted command words: "Vector plate!" An arrow on the ground appeared beneath Caius, pointing at a wall. Caius, not being familiar with the magic, was immediately launched in that direction, away from her.

Crona didn't know how to respond to Balbadorf. However, the demon sword did. "No! This is MY idiot, you can't have him!" As Balbadorf wrapped his arms around Crona, the sword impaled him through his stomach. Balbadorf fell limp to the ground, Crona with him. The sword disappeared as Crona hugged the man and began to cry.

Gustav draws his sword once more. One of their own had fallen. A child was a killer, and a woman on a broomstick was shouting magic words. But; it was still time to do what he could. Steel in hand, Gustav himself charges the witch, attempting to move around the magical plate on the ground that had ended Caius' charge short.

"Well, I'd just hate to shoot and make a mess of things. Terrible for the janitors, you know." Dio took aim and unloaded the entire clip of the pistol at the witch, then began reloading the revolver with an irritated grumble.

Zendra rushed at their new target, following behind Caius. This woman was likely the one who made the first victim they encountered explode, so she was expecting her to be dangerous with the magic she possessed. Also with the broom, she had an advantage. Zendra cursed the fact that she had once again neglected to bring a bow with her however the spear wasn't her only weapon. Once within a more reasonable range, she threw her spear at her target, then reached down to her waist, drawing a short sword.

Elie runs immediately out towards Balbadorf and Crona. "I didn't mean to!" Crona said through their tears, "Ragnarok is just a big bully, and I... I..." Elie nodded at Crona, pulling the body away from him. The older man's eyes began to glow as he whispered over Balbadorf. He looked back at Crona. "Don't worry, Crona. Nothing ever seems to go my way, either."

"Vector arrow!" An arrow from Medusa seemed to slither from behind her and slice through Zendra's spear as she threw it. However, being much harder to hit, a bullet from Dio knicked her in her shoulder. She dropped below herself onto another vector plate, pointing at Gustav. She was immediately launched at the knight, her feet pointed at his face for a high speed kick to knock him down.

Gustav stares blankly at the sudden feet in his field of view, and with a horrible noise the Knight is slammed onto his back. Through care of armor (what little it recieves), the helmet somehow keeps hold onto the knight's head, though the man underneath is knocked for a loop, both from the impact and the bell-like noise his helmet gives off after being struck.

Dio continued to reload, though he jumped off to the side to get out of the way of the witch as she runs over Gustav. "Ooh, that didn't sound good."

Edgar finally joins the battle, charging at the now grounded Medusa. Medusa gives a grim smile at his attempt, and points to him with an outstretched hand. "Vector Plate!" Edgar quickly found himself launched in another direction. Straight at Zendra. The two were knocked back to the ground.

Edmund carefully observed the way that Medusa was casting magic, trying to get a feel for how she manipulated the battlefield. It was almost... mathematic. "If you all could get her to cast one more spell, I might be able to turn the tables here," he said. He stood back from the group and continued staring intently.

Gustav quickly recovers from his fall, looking around while stil on the ground to spot the witch. Who was literally right next to him. Without even attempting to stand, Gustav lashes out with his blade, attempting to drop the witch down at her knees. The action is a bit awkward, however, old plate being restrictive when not standing and in proper positions.

"Oh, finally." Dio finished reloading and took aim at the witch again, firing three shots.

Zendra saw Edgar flying towards her and made an attempted to get out of the way only to find that her reaction this time was a little too slow. Edgar collided with Zendra's shoulder knocking her over as he shot on by. she scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could, cursing her luck.

Elie stood up and patted Crona on his back. "He'll be okay." With that, Crona looked back down at Balbadorf, who began to cough up blood, the hole in his chest gone. "Sometimes, all we need in life is a little miracle. God offers them to us. I just help him out a bit sometimes. And, so do people like Balbadorf."

Medusa flew up into the air, an arrow from her back pointed at the ground. However, despite her physical body avoiding Gustav's blow, the arrow itself did not, leaving her to fall to the ground once more, though gracefully, as if she had planned it. She balled her hand into a fist as an arrow swirled around it and began to spin. "Vector Drill!" She threw it downwards towards Gustav's chest...

...but only her fist connected with the bare metal, as if she was entirely cut off from her mana. Edmund smiled at her with a sinister grin, and pointed. "Vector Plate!" he shouted, and an arrow appeared below her, launching her back into a wall. "Now's your chance everyone. Full assault!"

Gustav is in no shape to do anything involving a 'full assault', given that the knight still has to get up. Which he begins to do, albiet slowly and with several grunts.

Dio unloads the other three shots at Medusa. "Take that!"

Now on her feet again Zendra resumed her charge as the woman shot past her, her feet carrying her quickly over the ground, the gap between herself and the woman closing as shots rang out. When she reached her she attacked, thrusting the blade at the woman's chest.

Balbadorf coughed himeself into consciousness his saliva clearing of blood after a moment. "You alright Crona." he looked up at the kid hovering over him.

Crona nodded, peacefully. "Useless!" Ragnarok the demon sword's familiar voice could be heard, but this time it sounded... tinier. "You big baby!" A cartoonish black doll, roughly the size of a beach ball, popped up from Crona's back and began hitting Crona in the head, but obviously having no effect. "Look what you did, you jerk! Now I'm tiny!" Crona was too distracted by Balbadorf's revival to care.

As Medusa got back onto her feet, she placed her hand on a wall as several bullets hit her in the chest. A black snake tattoo slithering off of her arm. "A parting gift..." she said, the snake slithered off as Medusa was impaled by Zendra's spear. The witch bursted out laughing as her body split apart into various arrows in every direction, which fell to the ground in a rain of blood.

Caius regained conciousness, and he and Edgar returned to their feet, obviously somewhat embarassed. However, Caius looked at the red rain and held out his arms, points his face to the sky as if to catch it. "This... looks like victory."

Balbadorf raised a hand to pat the small ragnarok on the head, "Quit picking on him you little runt." He smiled up at Crona assuring the child he would be alright.

Gustav sighs as he finishes getting up only to be doused in blood. "Nie etwas einfach mit euch. Und sicher, lassen Sie uns nicht bieten, anderen zu helfen." Sheathing his sword once more, Gustav sighs. "Nein, ich kann nicht klagen. Fur so viel, wie Sie die Menschen nicht verstehen, es ist nicht passend."

"I should invest in a different pistol." Dio grumbles as reloads the pistol, ignoring the blood raining down. "Maybe one of those modern ones with a clip instead of a revolver... Wait, shit. WAshing these is going to suck." He frowns at his formerly-white robes.

Zendra resheathed her sword, her expression neutral even as the blood rained down on her, splattering her white hair with red. She turned to the others, looking them over one by one to assess the damage they might have taken during this ordeal.