Erebus had spent two nights out of last week doing this same old job, he was very aware little effect of his killing on the rats would stoop their reproductive rate. At most all he could do was clear the warehouse out, for the workers and for more building to continue. However, the second they started leaking back around the area then here he'd be to take care of the job yet again.

Today it would be noticeably more difficult according to his paper, as the document mysteriously read "S-rank," as opposed to the "A-rank," that Erebus had received twice before. What's more, a famous person was going to be partaking with him this time.

Konstantin Sokolov, Erebus knew the name, half of the country had heard of his feats, but that didn't erase the thought of him just being a man to Erebus. What man, feared other men? Not a Rogue, and certainly not this one. Rather, Erebus was excited to meet a celebrity, he wondered what kind of person his partner would be... Perhaps he's a cheery guy, or maybe he wasn't, irregardless they were about to pick off some rats.

Erebus stood there at the site waiting for his quest-mate, clad in a dark cloak with a dagger hidden under his sleeve. Patient and collected, at the devices of his usual spirit. He pondered a great deal of things on his mind until Kon arrived.

246/2500

The mans words were took with great wisdom, and Erebus gave a shrug and nod, turning on his foot to stand side by side with the mage. "Right, well I suppose we should go on in then shouldn't we." He untucked his dagger pointing ahead. "The Pleasure's mine Konstantin, I'm Erebus. Let's make some money tonight, and kill these things dead, huh?" He said jokingly, as if the Ice Mage needed any clarification. just as he himself didn't, they were both warriors, just cut from different cloth. To be on cue as he should be, the Rogue would zip off at instant max speed. Traveling ahead of the Nephilim into the walkway, and disappearing under shade and shadow. Into the building he expected to see Rats, however, the entire ceiling was covered in dozens of large, seven foot-length bat monsters.

So it was going to be a fight like that then, wouldn't it? Erebus wasn't equipped able to take on hoards likes this, but no doubt he'd set in on them the moment his ally stepped through the doors. A hissing nose could be heard from the roof as numerous beasts, foamed at the mouth began to wake and drop, causing even further to rouse and linger.  Pretty soon Erebus was dodging these fell monsters as they zipped down from a growing circle to come attack his position. He found himself snatching one out of the air by the neck, holding it away from his face as it struggled or air.

"What are these.. Bats?" He finally said, crushing the victims esophagus through, afterwhich he pitched the creature's body outward fifteen feet from his person.

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
1200/1400 MP

527/2500

Erebus dusted his clothes off, checking himself. He noticed a green slime at the forearm of his cloak, and the corrosive acids would probably make work of that sooner, rather than later. His eyes scanned through the room, he paid little mind to Kon's ice spells because he had a bigger fish to fry, what with the bats attacking him now. Erebus readied as another bat slunk down and flew at him, Erebus pointed towards the target and made haste upon it, swinging a fierce leg into it's gut, and ducking as the creature would hurtle acid forth barely missing him as he ducked and rolled. Another dash and he had slit the backside of the monster, deforming it's body as the wings 'clipped'. The creature screamed in agony, drawing more bats toward his target.

Erebus little protection against two of these things, so he did what he could and began sprinting, if he could time his attack right, he could take both down int he next few seconds, that or... He'd look awfully silly running from bats. As you could probably imagine, it wouldn't be the most professional thing to do. Not on this mission, after all... There was a reason Kon was here; the danger had to be scaled pretty high. Erebus would roll from harm as a ball of acid came for his position.

"You should nuke some of these things, they're ugly." He finally admitted a comment, feeling the sting on his arm grow hotter. Erebus knew this could turn against his favor fast, he was thinking as quickly as any Rogue could about how he might take out multiple in one fell swoop...

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
1000/1400 MP

810/2500

Erebus zipped around moving in unison with the bats to duck and throw his legs around to clobber them where they stood. He knew his speed and strength were immense so his lackluster abilities to hold onto his knife were voided in that he'd rather punch the fiends out of the air then oppose and strike at them with such a short hand on the blade. In taking out one of the infernal cretins, two came to take it's place yet again.

Much to his surprise and gratification Konstantin seemed able to freeze the creatures, which begged the question... Was Erebus playing bait? An interesting concept. Well, he'd play along, dodging acid pools thrown at him with superhuman acrobatics.

"Something has to give," he found himself saying out loud. In the greater scheme of it, a few ice shards from Kon was probably meager compared to the skills the mage possessed, which greatly frustrated Erebus to a tee. Because this job could be finished in a split second... Then again if Kon was a defensive mage that might be the best he could do. Erebus would continue doing what he knew best until Konstantin decided it was time to get serious.

1017/2500

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
800/1400 MP

Erebus couldn't contain the adrenaline, the more bats slipped from the roof to come for him, the more his sheer maddened state seemed to evolve. It was in his busy attacking of the large infernal pieces of hell that Erebus hadn't exactly heard Konstantin clearly. Having just been shot in the back by yet another burning acid strike.

He turned only in time to hear a golden basement cellar closing. If Erebus knew anything about adventuring he knew splitting up was always the fastest, cleanest approach to fucking up everything positive that could be pulled from a more devastating job. He silently, cursed, before shooting off, at speeds you couldn't trace if you blinked. Though as Erebus approach the door, multiple bats huffed acid towards the ceiling, causing a piece of weakened ceiling to come roaring downward on the door. Thus officially separating Kon from Erebus prematurely.

He slid to a stop and bounded backwards landing on a bat. Sweat building, he gripped the devil in a head rest choke hold. Pointing Phantom Dancer toward the opened roof, Erebus soared at amazing speed. Effectivetly ripping his monstrous target into a gaping two-piece carcass. When his body came within inches of the hole at the cieling, he caught the ledge by one hand, and then thrust off of it. Bouncing from one Bat to the next on his way down. Each landing back by inhuman S-rank strength to bust the spinal cords of the fiends. But not before his body was shot by acid at least once.

Erebus fell to a knee-- his chances were dwindling. The burning of the acid now hurting his health, he prayed his Endurance would hold up... "I believe you may be overestimating my ability to fight off hoards alone... Konstantin." He upsettingly remarked before finding his footing again. He began to raise his dagger defensively.

He needed to find a way to officially end the last few Bats, sizing him a spiral, he recalled the sewers beneath these buildings and figured he might find a way to regroup into Kon should he take passage next door through the cellars... Fine, then this would be a rescue mission. He needed to regroup with his ally.

1390/2500

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
600/1400 MP

The intensity hadn't dwindled upstairs as Erebus was chased by a swarm of bats into the outside air for which he occasionally rolled to the side and spun, striking them out of the air with his dagger. The creatures lacked sight so it wasn't as if they could learn not to get close, and so Erebus was in a race to get to the next building and make entrance to the lower levels of the next scene. He quite hated these Neutral Quests for the simple fact he was constantly lied too by quest-givers, and then they had the audacity to put bounties on his head; he knew this quest would be no different.

Slowly and ever-so-surely, Erebus was losing his genuine nature. The cold rogue from the storybooks easing into his persona... The Rogue sped off around corners, hoping to catch the beast around them as they turned, which proved effective as the hour wore on. Finally as he approached the entrance to the doorway of the side building, the second bat came flinging acid behind him. Erebus thrusted off the ground, bounding on a flag pole jutting off the side of the building's outer perimeter, he used one hand, his free hand, to push himself backwards. Where his body somersaulted, and Erebus could cleave his knife against the bare back of his last target.

Hitting the ground roughly he coughed, knowing he had sustained massive damage from a total of way more than just a simple dozen bats. Multiple had arrived from every crook and cranny that place had to offer, he must have slaughtered around seventy-five total before ending the first stage of his own mission. Now he understood... S-rank mission... Legendary warrior Konstantin... This was no easy job, and warranted the hardest work of his young adult life up to this point. Not because they were necessarily difficult creatures, but because Flyers were his weakness, and the quantity of fodder was massive.

Allowing his body a chance to breathe, and checking his form, he noticed his cloak was torn to smithereens, and gooey which would require tailoring later. To top it off, large gaping burn bubbles in open spaces of his body shown through and made him look as though he plunged himself through an acid bath. If Erebus had to guess based on damage, he'd say he'd taken 2/3 S-rank; in regard to his total health. Meaning he was damn near falling out right there, without even getting to his quest partner. Alas though, he wasn't the type to surrender and wait for a face to show. These things were dangerous, and Kon hadn't exactly lived up to a city-buster version of himself inside, so he might be in trouble now.

Pressing his knee into the rocks below, Erebus hopped up, bouncing forward and back akin to a boxer. He cracked his neck, throwing out a few 1-2 combos, jabbing at the air. Thrusting the final strike upward into an uppercut. "Alright Erebus, baby. Let's get this done, help home-boy out, and go get paid, c'mon." Breathing hard the Rogue stumbled to jog into the building, where he would soon make his way downstairs, hopefully to help save his colleague.

1945/2500

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
400/1400 MP

Erebus walked along the building, noticing the rats in here from last time zip into holes in the buildings in infrastructure. Thankfully, he cared little for those putrid whores, now was the bats. The insidious cousins who proved far more obnoxious by comparison... Erebus approached the cellar door, lifting the metal upward, he took to a flight of metal stairs into a darkened abyss, which would lead into a sewer system. he began tracking pathways trying to listen for noise, he could hear screeching echos down here but was unsure where exactly they were coming from.

Erebus was sure Kon was putting a number down on these fucks. Likely, freezing them against the walls they clung too. Erebus figured a nesting ground was not far off, and listened carefully for anything that he could, when he began to see bodies submerged into the wall by an ivory texture. Their mouths were incased and their bodies thin, starving. "Oh my God.." He commented, nearly vomiting. That said something too, since Erebus was not even as bothered as most people when it came to any of this, dipping through sludge, smelly acid, blood soaked; ripped clothing... But this?!

His eyes peeled to stare hard at one of the bodies, when all of a sudden it blinked.

Oh man... This was a stock-pile room of meals. Wherever the bats were, they had abandoned the room to hunt Kon. Erebus quickly began to cut them down with his knife. One body at a time, however a woman with little sense seemed to open her mouth instantly and screamed alerting whatever was down here right to them... Then, he heard a massive bellow behind him, as a shadow some fifteen feet loomed on the dimly lit sewer wall. Erebus had found the boss, he was backed into the nest, and Kon was no where within sight. This could get ugly.

"Konstantin if you're down here... Hurry yourself!" Erebus rolled, a wall of acid torrent melted every walled human into a faceless carcass, the people he was previously attempting to free?

Dead & Gone.

2300/2500

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Phantom Rush - Sustaining
200/1400 MP

With no signs of Kon coming to aide him, Erebus lost his cool. He initialized to dodge the fiend and sick at it every time it failed to land a blow. Now, his creature was destructive and was able to sear the walls where it's claws landed, so it came to Erebus attention he could defeat it by outsmarting the fell monster. Erebus would lunge first into a dodge as his predominant agility amounted him the luxury. After coming out of the frey-line, Erebus would move into the swollen mutant Bat monsters arm, and kick off the creature to walk up it's shoulder span. The monster, in anger, fear, territorial carnage; whatever, was infuriated by the show of cockiness. It's own claws would scrape it's forward then slap at it's own shoulder.

As Erebus had assumed, this monster was modified by magic or science. The claws left a green puss that quickly melted it's own skin down to the bone. Whereas Erebus would simply time and parry the monsters own mighty claws down upon it's body, eliminating the fiend with it's own powers. After the last shot was successful, he propped his body onto the wall, in which he found himself stumbling towards. The smell of vomit, death, and butchered bodies was overwhelming. Erebus simply went back to helping people he could find, then safely getting to the quest giver later for a reward. It's worth noting that Erebus decided to steal any spare treasures he could find down there raising his payout, though since the goods are technically stolen, his bounty increased.

2560/2500

Exit.
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Phantom Rush - Inactivated due to the mana reserves breached. CD:4
50/1400 MP