Playtime

Constantine, Algeria.

"Guess our work here is done, right?" Zhao Fan asked.

"No." Blake and Jacquez said.

"Ughhh!" Zhao Fan stomped away. "Can't we catch a break!"

"These are just the little ones and you're complaining?" Ricardo said, "Stay alive boys. We split up here."

"Is that a good idea?" Blake asked. "I mean, considering the sheer number of daemon that are appearing all over."

"We can't be sure. either." Jacquez said, "But if we stay together, we might not kill all the daemon. You can handle a few whites on your own, right?"

"Yeah, I think."

"We aren't going solo on this." Ricardo stated, "too risky. We'll pair up."

"I wanna pair up with Ricardo!" Zhao Fan exclaimed.

"Zhao Fan, pair up with Blake, I'll pair up with Jacquez."

"Awww."

"Jacquez and I are a better pair." Ricardo said, "Seems fair."

"No, let Zhao Fan team up with you." Jacquez said, "I'll team up with Blake."

"That's unexpected." Blake said, "Thought you didn't like me."

"We're a better match," Jacquez said.

"Yayy!" Zhao Fan said, hugging Ricardo, "Let's go."

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong..."

"Nothing will go wrong." Jacquez said, "Trust me." 

"Where to then?" Blake asked.

"East."

"Then we'll head West." Ricardo said.

Jacquez and Blake rushed off, disappearing into dark. Ricardo and Zhao Fan set off as well.

"So, why me?" Blake asked.

"Does everything I do need a reason for you?" Jacquez asked.

"You don't like me, I get that. I also get that you're kinda suspicious of me. But in this situation, you seem like the kind of guy to pick the best to stay alive."

"Smartass." Jacquez smirked, halting as he readied his gun. "Quick question. When you killed Rebecca, how did you feel?"

"Isn't now a bad time to talk about this?"

"Better now than later, I guess."

Blake sighed. It was a subject he really wanted to avoid. Remembering such an incident was still hard for him.

A snapping twig made both inquisitors turn. Jacquez raised his gun and fired, hitting the white daemon in the shoulder. The daemon howled and fired a vestorer in retaliation. The two moved out of the way.

"From cannon fodder to the bigshots?" Blake asked

"Bigshots? Dude you ain't seen nothing yet." Jacquez said.

"So they are coming in batches, huh?"

"I guess so." 

The daemon charged at them with full speed, breaking the tree the Blake was hiding behind. Blake flipped backwards, avoiding the daemon's claw and blocking the daemon's tail with his hand. Blake slid backwards right beside Jacquez. Blake slowly turned to Jacquez.

"You jerk! You were using you me as bait."

"Of course I would!" Jacquez said, "You're licht energy control is like mice trying to play catch with a horse! Your hair glows every single time you're asleep. Just like Sarah in a way."

"What?!" 

The daemon shot out its neck, almost taking a bite at Blake had he not taken a step back. Blake swiftly took out his blade and swiped at the daemon only for it to retract its elongated head. The daemon howled again as another shot was landed on the same injured shoulder.

"So, wanna talk, kid?"

Blake sighed. "There's nothing to talk about Jacquez. Left or Right?"

"Right. Still don't wanna talk about it?"

Blake dashed to the right, charging at the daemon. Jumping up, he activated his hollow and clawed downwards. The daemon staggered back and turned to flee only to be stopped dead in tracks as a shot went through its knee. Blake came up from the front and plunged his black claw through its chest.

"What good would it do."

"It would do a lot, actually. For starters, it would help you move on and focus on other things."

Blake stood up straight. "There's no way I'm going to forgive myself."

Jacquez sighed. "You better though."

"So what, I can move on?"

"So that you won't do something stupid." Jacquez said He bent down, grabbing some dirt off the ground, "Life is a funny thing, never fair, and never trying to make things easier, always trying to find the worst possible things to throw at you. Sometimes the decisions we make are the worst. Other times they are the best. Either way. we still have to move past it and focus on the present."

"And what about..."

"Screw Sarah. For now. If you're looking for forgiveness from others, don't expect it. But its up to you to forgive yourself."

"You offer some good advice for someone like you."

"Also," Jacquez said, placing his palm on the ground. "Learn to control your licht energy."

"I do."

"Then control your excess. You have so much licht energy that its flailing around. Know how wide and deep it is."

Three white daemon popped out of the woods, all aimed at Blake. Beams of licht energy shot out of the ground, piercing through the chests of each daemon, killing them instantly.

"If you do that, you might not need your technique anymore."

The eye on the daemon's back darted around in its socket, the arms on its back stagnant as it slithered through the forest, its gapping mouth on its chest dripping with saliva. It stopped abruptly, turning around at the sound of a snapping twig.

That was its mistake.

Ricardo came from the side, punching it far into the forest. The daemon got caught up in a chain of webs which wrapped around it, only to meet its end at the sight of a blade ripping through its head. Over and over again. The daemon finally fell to the ground, free off the danger that it had been in previously.

The same couldn't be said for the other daemon. The white daemon tried to swiftly escape through the trees, looking over its shoulders. It stopped, taking a left turn only to be stopped dead in its tracks by a blow to the face. The daemon staggered backwards, firing vestorers around haphazardly.. The daemon continued its escape.

"Hey, hey!" Zhao Fan called from the trees. The daemon turned to her.

"Do you know a funny thing?" Zhao Fan said, "You're already dead."

The daemon tried to fire a vestorer only to stop midway, as it swelled up and burst.

"Nice work, Ricky!"

"Don't call me that." Ricardo said, "Now let's move, kid."

"Kid?"

"Yeah, kid."

Impact. A technique unique to Ricardo and Ricardo alone. Like most punches of inquisitors, they were filled with licht energy which added an extra buff of strength. This, extra strengthening could be delayed, but it was rare. However, Ricardo could control the delay . The longer the delay, the longer the uncontrollability, causing a surge.

In short, Ricardo could infuse his energy into objects, causing a second impact on the afflicted target.