No Pain for Fiends

[Strazio Rockwell]

What kind of absolute bullshit had Gamzee gotten them into? A game of high stakes hide and seek was not something that Strazio had been looking forward to. Still, it seemed that this was the only way they were going to find any leads on Peter’s whereabouts. Splitting up was the logical course of action; Strazio doubted that Avana could be in two places at once, and only one of them had to survive to win the game. The clearing was westward, but the mage ran eastward. He figured that the brownie would expect them to head west, fifteen minutes would be up in no time at all.

Despite having spent a large amount of his life in the wilderness Strazio lacked subtlety. He became a battering ram and smashed through the dry underbrush and foliage. Curved thorns snagged at his clothing and any exposed flesh, but he charged through unabated. Around him the forest seemed to shift into a gnarled blur of jagged black and grey edges. As he rushed through the forest he became aware of how loud he was being. Every step seemed to shake the earth, and every snapped twig echoed across the whole damn Omniverse. What was worse was that Strazio could hear the faint shuffling of a small furry creature following him. Had Avana already caught up to him?

Switching gears Strazio looked for a place to hide. He came to a dry stream bed with several fallen trees bridging the gap. It wasn’t much, but the nook formed underneath the decayed trees was large enough for him to crawl into. The game reminded him of his youth. It reminded him of playing the carefree games of youth with the other kids in his village, before they had been slaughtered. This brought an almost morbid feeling of comfort as he crouched and nestled up tightly against the damp wood. He did his best to still his breathing and limit his fidgeting. Hiding wasn’t his style, but it was a necessary part of the game. Then he heard the sound of soft jellybean toes tapping across the logs above his head. Avana was close, right above his head. How long had it been since he took a breath? Too long, but he wasn’t about to suck air right, not if the hunter was within arm’s reach.

Then it came. A whimsical series of chimes followed by a buzz. A pause, and then another jingle followed by a buzz. Strazio’s pocket lit up with a pale blue light as his dataverse device rang. Somehow, somewhere in between his resurrection and this present moment the mage had forgot to set his phone to silent; now, here it was causing an absolute ruckus. In fit of panic and rage he scrambled to grab his phone. And who else but the world’s most lovable jackass would be calling him? The Rock, the goddamned wrestling maniac was trying to get him killed -- again. “For fuck’s sake,” Strazio said.

He declined the call with a swipe of his finger, but the damage had already been done. A large pink paw, about the size of a dinner plate, crashed through the roof of dead trees. Claws nicked Strazio’s shoulder, edging on thin drops of blood to stain his white cloak. With a surprised yelp Strazio jumped from his hiding spot and stumbled into the open stream bed. Perched on top of the fallen logs Avana watcher her prey with a bemused smile. “What the fuck are you looking at?” Strazio said, taking a moment to press his hand against his new wounds. Without a word Avan leaped from her perch and bounded towards Strazio. It took her only a moment to close the distance. In that moment she grew in size, and now resembled something akin to a mountain cat. With the practiced precision of a seasoned hunter she pounced onto the mage and slammed him against the ground. Her claws dug into his chest and she clamped her jaw around his neck. This was it, game over.

Avana’s maw clamped shut, but instead of blood and meat she found a mouthful of sparkling embers. Strazio’s body collapsed in upon itself and exploded into a flurry of white-hot fireflies. The sparks surged past Avana’s furry body and nipped at her flesh. The swarm materialized into a sprinting Strazio. Arcs of energy surged into his legs as he forced his muscles to work overtime. Gamzee’s new friend was definitely playing for keeps and had Strazio hesitated in his flight he would have been waking up in the Nexus. The hunter watched her prey with a simple smirk. Something about his panicked scurrying sent a shiver of delight through her body. This was going to be a fun hunt.