Black Bone Tower Part 29

Previous: Black Bone Tower Part 28

There was far too much heat in that narrow staircase, and there was no end to the fire. No matter how many wounds she put on his body, they just kept healing over and over again from his caurterizing technique that he could do in almost an instant. It was very clear that it caused him immense pain, still, but he seemed to have more endurance and energy than she originally gave him credit for. She beared a very bad second degree burn on her left shoulder blade, and she was beginning to feel the beginning symptoms of dehydration, perhaps even a heat stroke. Her vision was beginning to wain, seeing trails of motion as she continued to approach him in that hell of a stairway. She was beginning to thank her lucky stars she left Alice at the bottom of the stairs when they had discovered Ronald in the middle of them. She made Alice promise that she would not move an inch from that spot.

Usagi continued to approach him, and he was not grinning his usual smirk, he was indeed in serious pain from such heavy inflictions she dealt. Still, it was anyone's fight at this point as she prepared herself for another assault.

Ronald: You... [He paused for a moment, and considered his stature, his Hellhound hybrid form that towered so tall above the lovely samurai girl. He asked himself how she could possibly last this long against him, and where she obtained such a deadly technique.] You are an amazing specimen, indeed. You far exceed my swordsman in technique and strength, not to mention charisma. [He grinned.] Why don't you join me? I could show you things that a lowly Catman could never--

Usagi: Shut... your FUCKING mouth, your dog breath is choking me from here! Pitiful, arrogant, impotent, miserable little wretch!

The fire in his eyes began to stoke itself, and his muscles and claws clenched together as he began to see red.

Usagi: You are nothing compared to any of my crew! I would rather join the marines than even have to look at you! I would rather hang my sword up forever, and hang with it by my neck than have to hear another word come out of your wretched maw! Or perhaps I should just go ahead and cut off your head and hang it on my wall as well. Yes [She grinned and straightened her stance into the most focused position she could possibly muster in such conditions. That red hot staircase was starting to char her sandles, singe her kimono, and sear the ends of her hair, but none of that mattered in that moment.]

Ronald: I'm going to enjoy this so very much... [His hand began to darken into a black haze.] Black Fire... [The haze grew into a ball that engulfed his hand.]

Usagi: Itoryuu...Iai! [Sheathed her sword at her side and readied herself.]

Ronald: COMET! [Made a blackfire that filled up that entire space between the walls to the very max, and even melted them to the point that they bent outward. He roared in pain as all of his cauterized wounds opened back up from the pressure of holding such a powerful and heavy ball of black fire.]

Usagi: Teisei! [Disappeared and appeared directly in front of him.] Rakugaki! [Began to slice at a rate that could only be measured in milliseconds. Her sword cut into him every which way on his torso, his legs, his arms, and his shoulders. Suddenly his entire body was starting to burst with molten blood, and he could do nothing but stand and hold the powerful ball he had produced, as the weight of it could easily crush him if he let it go.]

Soon, however, he had no choice. The bloodloss he suffered was so outrageous that he lost all strength in his limbs. Soon, he coughed up a spatter of blood, and began to descend back into his fully human form, still holding the gigantic ball of black fire, but that began to fall forward toward her.

Usagi: Ah hell! Gotta move gotta move gotta move gotta move! [She ran as fast as her tired, aching legs could carry her in that moment and the ball of energy hit the stairs and there came a gigantic combustion!]

Everything around Usagi darkened, and black fire blasted its way down that narrow hall of stairs. She could not move fast enough, and she felt her back arch as the pressure push her straight forward with enough force to make her fly from that hall.

Alice felt the rumbling as she sat at the end of those stairs, and looked up to see everything was growing darker.

Alice: Sweet mercy! [She moved back away from the hall of stairs quickly as the blaring black fire busted through the threshold.]

Usagi GAAAAAHHHH!!!! [Hit the ground hard, and rolled onto her shoulder as she fell flat on her face, her body engulfed in black fire.]

Alice: USAGI! [Ran to her and ripped a huge piece of her own skirt, covering Usagi in it, and started patting her down.] Usagi! Speak to me please! Wake up, Usagi! Please!

Tears began to well up as she saw her companion, much of her outer kimono burned off and horrible burns on her shoulder and a good part of her back. Her hair was much shorter now, only black cinders remained of part of it. She was unconscious, and Alice checked her vitals, which were almost non-existant. Her eyes closed, and her hands covered her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks in streams. She openly began to sob, her head on Usagi's stomach. She had no idea how to do any CPR or any medical procedures that could save her life. She was helpless, she tried to hard to wake Usagi from her unconscious state.

Voice: Alice! Back up, now!

Alice: [Gasped and looked to her side. Her heart fluttered as she saw perhaps the most comforting sight ever to behold.] Ellis!

Ellis very quickly slid on her knees to Usagi's side as Jiro came to pick Alice up and hold her tight as she cried into his zoot suit brown jacket. He patted her back with his paw and rubbed it gently as she let out some of the hardest sobs she ever did before.

Ellis: Her pulse is weak, very weak. Shit, she's in trouble.

She quickly ripped what was left of Usagi's shirt open and laid both of her hands on her chest, starting compressions at one hundred compressions per minute. She pumped as hard as she could and then put her lips to Usagi's, blowing air into Usagi's lungs. Then she started compressions once again. Ellis quickly checked her pulse in her neck, and there was nothing.

Ellis: Shit! [She acted quickly and reached into her belt, grabbing a cardiac needle with expert fingers flicking it into stabbing position, and jabbed it straight into Usagi's breastplate at the top of her chest, releasing all of the epinephrine into her heart.]

Usagi's eyes jolted open and she gasped a whole lungs full of air as she shot up to a sitting position. After a moment of absolute strained breathing, she leaned over to the side and vomitted up a large amount of what looked like black tar, and smelled even worse. She spit a few times, and Ellis patted her back.

Ellis reached into her pack and pulled out a bag with a mask on it. She gave the bag to Ellis and put her hand on it.

Ellis: Squeeze on this, and breathe, get all of that smoke out of your lungs.

Alice: [Released a fresh stream of tears onto her face as she saw Usagi was okay.] Usagi, I'm so happy you're alright.

Jiro: Where is Ronald? [Jiro asked, knowing those burn marks, and the little patches of black fire that smoldered outside of the staircase doorway.]

Usagi: [Pointed up toward the stairs.] Up there [She whispered in a raspy, cracked up voice.] He's lying in a pool of his own blood.

Jiro couldn't help but push up his green sunglasses and grin off to the side at her handy work. She took down a Pirate Captain such as Ronald Dipps, and while she had the burn marks to show for it, he could only imagine the massive amounts of scars she left on his body as well.

Jiro: Alright, rest for a moment, but we need to find the others as soon as we possibly can.

Usagi nodded, and looked as Alice walked over to her, she carefully got to her knees and laid her head down onto Usagi's lap, curling up in a protective fetal position around her. As Usagi cleansed her lungs of the smoke, she ran her fingers through Alice's hair, assuring her that she would be alright.