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Anna was panting from exertion by the time she reached the closest set of Maul doors from the food court. Everything was a shambles: there were tattered Christmastival decorations everywhere, and several of the stores had been broken into, looted, and otherwise attacked. It was chaos. Utter chaos. And the witchling was more than ready to be rid of it all.

She'd had such faith that somehow, she'd find a way out that when the doors resisted her tugging she was actually startled. She heaved on the handles with all her weight, then kicked them in a sudden fit of anger. "Open... you... stupid... door! Ow!" she yelped, hopping on one foot for a moment before sinking to her knees and staring at the unyielding exit. Her eyes burned with the threat of tears.

Shibey hopped up on her shoulder, rubbing against her cheek briefly. < We will be free of this. Don't be afraid. >

"How... how can you be sure," Anna said, miserably. She stared at the doors again, as if she could make them open up through sheer woe. "I never should've come here, Shibey..."

< We had no choice, > Shibey said, calmly. Anna flinched forward, then drooped, burying her head in her hands for a moment. < We will move forward. Did you not already harness the power I have given you? >

... She didn't want to think about that. About how the curses had appeared in the air, angry dark snarls so different from the warm comfort of the earth magic she'd grown up using. The magic that was no longer there when she reached for it. But now she had no choice but to use what she had to protect herself....

Shibey rubbed against her again, gently. Almost fondly.

Anna shrieked as the nearby doors burst open, throwing her arms over her head in a duck-and-cover position. She yelped with pain as the needles thudded into her, tearing at her clothing and opening up bright red scratches on her skin when they didn't just stick into her outright. "Oh Jack, oh Jack... get away from me!" She scrambled backwards on her hands and knees. "Leave me alone! Somebody! HELP!!" Oh, Jack, why had she ever left the shelter of her food court table?!

Shibey jumped in front of her; while the Incubator's expression was still OwO as always, a line of fur down his back was bristling at their opponent.

HP: 15/30
Damage: 0

The Christmas tree creaked with the sound of breaking branches as a CAT THING jumped at it. It reflexively swatted at the horrible creature and then quickly shuffled to huddle away.

Somehow, in a very vague and distant glimmer that passed as thought or perhaps memory? Who knew? It remembered cats. Nasty creatures, always climbing around on it, swatting at ornaments, eating tinsel, and tangling its lovely blinky lights. Yes, it remembered cats.

The tree groaned and shuffled even further; its blinky lights turning sickly blueish green shades. It utterly ignored Anna and False, focusing solely on warily watching Sharpie.

Creeping Christmas Tree
Attack roll: 2 d12
Damage: n/a
HP: 5/5

False continued to watched the tree, it watched the cat, and Sharpie paced back and forth along his shoulders slipping under the boils red hair and poking out the other side grinning wickedly. The tree didn't like him and he loved that.

"Not a problem miss." He nodded gently frowning at the needles stuck in her skin. A moment later she was focusing and a curse shot forth from the familiar's head. He could only blink wondering what kind of magic that had been.

"Cat." Was the only warning Sharpie got before he threw a hand straight out, the cat streaking down it leaping from his hand a burst of flame once more, the Tree had followed the cat easily avoiding the blow.

"Hmmm tree really hates cats it seems."

HP: 15
DMG: Nope
Note: Cat is sad it wants the tinsel....

Oh no, oh no, now the thing was attacking the boil who'd come to help her - NO! She wouldn't allow him to be hurt because of her own weakness! Anna slowly got to her feet, glaring at the tree, gathering up her anger even though she was shaking all over. "Get away... get away..." Her fists clenched at her sides. Shibey channeled the power, and the snarl grew angry and black in the air.

"Get away and leave us alone!!"

Her furious, frightened scream echoed, and the curse imploded, twisting the tree around it in a shattering crack of wood.

HP: 15/30
Damage: 4

"SHARPIE DOWN!" The shout came late as the cat was sprinting away again from the flailing branches, the cat slipped side to side lazy decorations and needles flying haphazard through the air, one bounced off the cat sending it into a roll stopping at the Pyromancers feet.

"S'cool just a flesh wound. Besides worry about yourself." It raised a paw gesturing to a few needles stuck in False' shoulder.

"Actually...." He pointed towards the tree, "We should worry about what our new friend can do to us on a bad day." Slowly he stood up plucking out the needles tossing them aside as Sharpie shook out his own coat. Without missing a beat the two walked over to the tree, the cat trailing ink with each step and a thin line painted by his tail.

"Forgive me miss, but we have a bit of work here to do." The cat began to jump about the tree as False sopke, small fires appearing in his hand. "We saw one tree get up again, we won't be having the same mistake now will we?"

The small cat shook its head hopping away as the twin balls of fire rolled out the reapers hands setting fire to the ink and wood in a small burial fire.

Sharpie meanwhile sat down before the ghoul and familiar opposite of them cocking his head, "I'd say we were happy to help. But it seems you two handle yourselves rather well!"

HP: 14

"I've seen all manner of magic, mostly fire, but that was something I've never seen before." The boil stuffed his hands into his black jacket nodding politely towards the ghoul and her familiar. "Hello Anna, my names False, that cat over here." He paused inclining his head towards the grey creature.

"Sharpie Fate." It said with a delighted chirp tail swaying side to side as it sat up to match Shibey in height properly while seated.

"We couldn't have really, I just got into town a few days ago and was doing some shopping before going back to my room at a near by inn. I applied to the school, or my parents did but I haven't gotten word back yet so I'm still living around town till then."

Slowly the fires started to die down behind him as the balk of the tree burned out. He cast a glance behind him before looking back to Anna, "We should probably get moving, we need to find somewhere better we can defend should more of those things wander away from the main group."

"No not really, most of my scrapes came from the big one in the middle of the Maul." He flicked a few more green needles from his jacket before crouching down to pick Sharpie up, placing the cat on his shoulder where an ink dripping tail wrapped around the back of his neck.

"As for getting out... if those door's are no good we might want to try going up and finding a skylight, or a window we can get out of." He turned to face the door's as well frowning at the clearly bared and locked escape.

"You know, for a pyromancer you sure didn't-"

The cat was silence by a sudden ball of fire held to the tip of it's nose. "Shush cat. My aims just off and I won't be hearing it today. I wanted to get some books, and settle at the inn...." He paused glancing back at Anna, "Sorry, he likes to um... debate sometimes. If Sharpie ever gets smart just give him a swift kick. He handles them fairly well."