It went quite smooth for the redhead as she made her way through the door, she quickly made some steps in the hallway. The plan was simple, to take care of as many tentacles as possible while running through the hallway, then turn right and at the corner after the latter one left to get to the staircase. She'd have to hurry down two floors and maybe other corridors to reach the ground floor and the desired exit to freedom and for now it was everything that counts. Screaming for help or to hide would be useless, she guessed no other student wants to see how she is getting raped in a hallway or in the worst case even get caught as well.

Obviously he just played with her, so why being patient if he could get her here and now? Entertainment would explain everything, maybe some kind of strange research as well but definitely not because he wanted her to leave. Ryu was just a player on the board of a game she wouldn't be able to win, you could say a win-by-time would force her to give up sooner or later due his abilities went further than hers.

Just as she was about to drop in her thoughts again her eyes widened by the view of other tentacles waiting for her in the hallway just before they began to surround her from both sides. It wouldn't matter if she kept trying to run or simply gave up, but the fun she already felt by cutting down the tentacles forced her to directly rush into the direction she would have to move if she wanted to escape. Before the first one even moved, she swung the blade in her sprint upwards and the tentacle got cut in two pieces. Another one seemed to simply approach her by reaction, so she had been able to avoid getting caught before she turned around in her run and cut it as well.

The first corner wasn't that far away so Ryu kept moving, this time she just avoided any possible contact with the tentacles still in front of her and managed to slip through them somehow, the last one was cut lengthwise as she lifted the light sword in front of her and it seemed like it was too late for it to stop so it directly hit the blade. The redhead knew she just eliminated three of them, far not enough if she mentioned the nine remaining behind her. Obviously the would follow her fast enough so she'd have to make it around the corner first, her head turned around as she saw the tentacles approaching her body again and got ready to react if possible while she got in another good stance to defend herself.

"You show good initiative. Yet this will get harder."

His warning came as the tentacles all advanced as one. Nine tentacles all coming from various directions. Yet the corner seemed safe. Or was it? If nine were there on the one side... how many would be hidden around the corner? How far did his reach extend? It would be hard for anyone to guess. Face the current threat, or the unknown quantity on the other side, where she couldn't see?

Either way, he made his move. The tentacles were soon upon her, with a greater speed then they'd shown before. They were staggered as well, one leading, with four more right behind the first, moving in from slightly behind and to the left and right... and the five others taking up positions farther behind, yet close enough, and moving with enough speed that it would take some fancy footwork to avoid them all.

"Should you stand or flee? I would love to see your choice." That was what he said... it sounded like he was having fun!

(sorry for the short post. The next one will be both faster and longer! ^_^ It's just more a beat in the action scene, and it just came out that way.)

(Yeah, guess there's not much to do in such a short moment like that)

I already made my choice.

There had been a chance he may come up with other tentacles from behind, but for now she decided to take care of the ones in front of her first. It made sense to fight against the closest tentacles and it seemed to work after all, nothing tried to grab or punch her from behind which may be a good or a bad sign, but how to beat them with their current movements? Their speed and positions would make it hard for the student, but maybe she was able to perform some things to take care of most of them? The adrenaline running through her bloodstream may be a positive factor.

Ryu got hold on to the sword with both hands and made a quick sidestep before a fast stroke of the sword cut the first one in front of all others, still the four behind her were too far apart to take care of all at the same time. Another step forward and she was able to support her stance further and reached out as far as possible while the blade took care of the two to her right. Still in the movement, she used the remaining momentum and forced her body to perform a rotation. There was no need to change the angle of the sword while she performed it, but after the first tentacle showed up in sight she used it to perform a straight line in front of her that led to another two cut tentacles.

Five left to go, it sounded rather easy but in her field of vision were still three left in front of her, a possible contact may be inevitable due most of her movements seemed to involve a high amount of luck as well. The redhead shifted her stance and jumped slightly off the ground to avoid the closest one and to be able to perform another stroke with the sword before she would have to regain balance on the floor. A quick change of the angle of her wrist and the sword was able to hit the remaining two next to her when she used her hips to turn her body slightly while she jumped and had been able to come up with enough force to cut them in front of her. Her feet just reached the ground when she noticed there were still three behind her, she wondered how long it would take for them to attack her, or even more horrifying, there may be more than before.

Well of course there was more. He wouldn't have given her the blade if he had only a terribly limited number of tentacles. And besides, if it would truly hurt him, would he have ever agreed to allow her to do it to him? These tentacles weren't something he was about to run out of anytime soon, and perhaps the game wasn't for any purpose other than to give her a little means to vent her frustrations. It seemed only fair, now didn't it?

Her attacks had decimated the number of tendrils around her. Antipode was in fact surprised by the sheer ferocity of those attacks... after all, he had expected her to run farther, not face an overwhelming number of attackers. But it was no matter, the game would continue, and if she intended to surprise him again, then so be it. The tendrils attacked quickly, even as she realized she had not finished them all off.

The three moved finally, gaining what seemed to be a greater speed... or was it the same, and she merely couldn't react very quickly after what had just happened? Regardless, two of them reached her. One wrapped around her ankle from below, another grabbed at her clothing, and wrapped around her waist suddenly. They tugged at her then, hoping to pull her off balance.

If she fell, it would almost certainly be all over. But could she manage to strike the tentacles before they pulled her down?

To leave some of them behind and doing such a risky movement like a jump hadn't been the best idea as she noticed how the tentacles reached her body and tried to pull her off balance from several positions. It had been a big mistake even if she would be able to handle it, she ended up as a victim in his grip even if she expected him to strike directly instead of using his tentacles to horse around with her.

She stumbled, the redhead grit her teeth in annoyance and released the grip on the sword so only one hand remained to allow further movement. Ryu swung the sword next to her and cut the one around her waist, the one around her ankle was an easy problem but only careful movement would keep her balanced. It may be another mistake, but the other tentacle would be too far away to reach her if she did her next movement correctly.

The redhead dropped herself to the ground while she used the momentum again to perform a roll on the floor. Being directly in the movement, she was able to move the blade more accurately, it didn't mean it was easier at all, but she cut it as well. Getting up on her feet again, rather kneeling on one foot while the other was about to keep her body straightened to get a good pose. She wasn't quite sure if it would be possible to avoid his attacks further due she felt how her own strength got weakened already.

The other tentacle did attack... but due to its movements it struck from an angle she may not have noticed. It wrapped around her wrist, on her hand that held the blade, and yanked it up, quickly, though careful not to cause her any real pain. She could almost certainly get out of this... after all, wouldn't it be silly to be defeated by a single tentacle after destroying so very many?

However, she was starting to tire... and he didn't want her TOO tired. It was far too early for something like that!

"If you wish, we could end the battle here. I'm sure you don't wish to exhaust yourself too much... and besides, there would be no shame in conceding. You've had quite a bit of fun, have you not?"

It was a warning, perhaps? Or was he informing her the game was over, and if she continued he'd simply end it? Regardless... if she was to continue fighting, he'd be happy to continue. For either way, after she made her choice the door would open from her room, and the other tentacles from inside would slowly move out.

The serious situation she had been in until that point he had been able to move one tentacle around her wrist and force it upwards without any possibility to move it. She'd have to change something if she wanted to get free for some more time, the sudden failure would be a problem for her she would have to deal with if she did nothing at all. The hand which held the sword released its grip and her other hand already reached up to catch it just a moment before she cut the tentacle around her wrist as well.

I think I can handle it and yes, I had fun, actually. But exhaustion, I mean... what the hell do 'you' mean? I'd have to give up and take whatever you do. That's something I won't allow you to do as long as possible!

Her words echoed down the hallway without any resistance left, it was strange to speak with nothing visible but for not it was allright. Just as she was about to run further down the corridor she heard how a door opened, as her eyes glanced around she noticed it had been her own door, another amount of his appendages moved slowly into the hallway. Oh my God, is this going to end someday? The girl said, slowly increasing her pace in the direction of the staircase rather than trying to fight them again and to lose time.

"Someday? It ends whenever you allow it to."

That was his only response then as the tentacles advanced. She fled his tentacles? Well the tentacles followed, quickly. She reached the stairwell, and there was a door. If she opened it, and she'd reach it before the tentacles reached her, she could get through it without trouble. The tentacles wouldn't follow her if she went, but that was only because the door was in the way. Really, what difficulty was a door to such an army of tendrils?

However, more importantly... her options from the stairs would be simple. Up or down. However... Antipode acted quickly, and tentacles would appear... but only from below. He wasn't going to let her escape, as another dozen of them slowly glided up from the lower floor, appearing one by one. What manner of escape was possible, really?

"To be perfectly honest, I'll make sure you enjoy it. Considering your enjoyment is the entire point... well, continue fighting as you will."

I guess it doesn't matter at all how long I run... She thought while her hands reached out for the knob of the door in front of her rather than the idea to fight them again, she'd lose time and necessary energy for her escape if it was even possible. Ryu quickly opened it and closed it behind her, now she'd just have to run down the stairs and try to reach the ground floor to escape successfully.

Tentacles from below, the worst thing that could happen at that point. She figured out she may try the upper floor first to find another way out instead of the most obvious trap she could think of. The stairs would be a bad place to fight, but she decided to hurry downstairs anyway. It would be a very close exit and without more efforts than before she wouldn't be able to flee to the next floor and defeat possible encounters. A desperate attempt to get out of the dorms, but did she have any choice?

Do you really think your appendages can do all the work?

She asked into the loneliness of the staircase before she jumped down five or six steps to save the tiniest bit of a second for herself even if it was slightly painful when she tried to absorb the shock of her action. Still, it didn't stop her from running downstairs, right in the direction of the waiting but rather moving tentacles.

Well, that was certainly unexpected. Antipode knew the girl would probably see the trap waiting for her, but he didn't expect her to simply run through the tentacles that had appeared from the lower steps, regardless. But of course, he wasn't one to be caught off guard, even if the option wasn't expected. He acted the same as he would anyway... but would that be enough to grab the girl?

He was weary of the game, which showed she was in danger of getting too tired. If she exhausted himself here, there'd be no fun to have this evening. A little exercise was great to get the blood running, but too much would ruin the fun.

So the tentacles moved, surrounding her. However... they still didn't move terribly quickly this time, though as she charged into them she'd have to cut through three or four at point-blank range. How would she ever get through the tangle? Maybe she would, though... if she kept her footing!

Possibly to charge right into them could have been a bad idea, next to exhaustion and a possible mistake on the stairs could lead to her sudden defeat. That wasn't her goal, even if she doubted she'd be able to escape it made fun and her will to accept a challenge kept her from giving up anyway. But it wasn't enough to keep her going for more than some minutes and her sudden movements after she stepped out of her room made her quite dizzy, maybe a poorly executed breathing technique.

However a sudden reflex, a wide, well struck blow should solve the problem in front of her and it possibly did. At such speedy movements while running she could possibly leave some behind, but she was quite confident she cut through a row of them, just before she reached the lower floor of her own. There she took a deep breath and when the sudden thought hit her how she'd intend to evade him anyway, she stopped. She couldn't rip through all of them, but she could at least defend herself, but not to the point where she would be completely exhausted.

Her head turned slightly, facing the tentacles almost right behind her, she shouldn't have stopped even if it meant a short break and to focus her thoughts, but they were almost too close for her to react. Almost stunned by the view, she kept standing around motionless, the sword in her right hand while they were coming for the student.

And so it had come to this. The young woman had finally made a mistake. Charging downstairs, even if it had given her a moment's respite, was not the wisest decision, as she would learn. Or maybe it was wiser than she thought? Of course, her opinion on the evening would have to wait until it had been completed...

The monster watched her charge, and watched her finally stop. She was definitely getting tired now, to stop in the middle of such a dangerous area. But Antipode wasn't letting up. He was determined now, and the young woman would not escape him. The tentacles behind her approached once more, as though the loss to their numbers was unnoticed. In fact it wasn't, as losing them didn't hurt him, but she didn't necessarily know that.

And yet she stood there, motionless, as the tentacles approached. Of course, she had entered the heart of his trap, and they weren't merely coming at her from the stairs anymore. After she turned around to face the tentacles that had been after her, more appeared, right behind her! Perhaps in her new stance she could defeat the tentacles from the stairs... but that was all she could defeat.

And so they attacked. The ones from the front charging at the red head at the same speed as the earlier ones. He was at least giving her a seemingly fair chance, there. But behind... several new tentacles struck, aiming for her legs. More specifically, they aimed for her ankles, and if they managed to get a good enough grip, they'd pull, knocking her off her feet. (He wouldn't let her fall, however. The other tentacles would catch her in time, surely. He'd timed it out for that eventuality, anyway.)

Ryu took another deep breath as she prepared for her last resort given her inappropriate break and stance. The red head was aiming for the stairs which led further to the ground floor and only focused on the tentacles which blocked her way, perhaps not a very smart move. She dashed forward, letting these sizeable breasts bounce within the shirt, with a twist she hoped to at least evade one of the tendrils as the blade was brought down and cut through another appendage, leaving it behind. However, as she faced the remaining she was uncertain about what to do next. Her vision began to blurr as an unpleasant feeling overcame her.

Her lunch break. She missed it and forgot to eat, which meant she was not provided with enough energy to keep fighting, this resulted in her blurred vision as she was dizzy for the time being and lazily made another attempt to cut through a tentacle. Surprisingly the woman missed and yelped in surprise as something knocked her off her feet without any warning. Ryu dropped her sword and was concerned about herself, at the pace she had charged into the tendrils she might get seriously injured and stretched out her arms to catch herself, but it appeared someone else had plans with her as she found her fall being stopped by a few appendages she cut through earlier.

At this point everything returned to normal and she cursed herself for not eating anything as she could, this forced her to lose the fight which turned out to be an escape to nowhere. Desperately her arms moved out, hands tried to grab the tentacles and push them away as she struggled to get away from the helping hand who stopped her fall. She knew where this was getting her to and she did not attempt to leave anything out which might give her a chance to hold out though it was indeed getting her tired.

It didn't particularly matter to him why she'd failed. Only that she had, and not a moment too soon. He wasn't going to let her exhaust herself too much. After all, the fun would be gone at that point, and why should he bother if there was no more fun to be had? Not that he'd tell her that, of course. Or let her go, even if she was feeling a little tired. No, he'd make do, like he was doing now.

"Alright. I've got you. I'd recommend you stop struggling, because it's always possible you could fall and hurt yourself. I don't want that, and neither do you." His voice was... happy. He was happy he succeeded in his goal of catching her. Even if the end result was never in question, it was pleasant to have her in his grasp. She'd feel the same, soon enough, so there wasn't any reason to worry or fret over the matter. The tentacles wound around her arms and legs, signifying his ultimate victory. Even if she continued struggling, it wouldn't really help her.

"So, the game has ended. It was enjoyable. I don't normally allow one such as you to have a sporting chance. Unfortunately, as skilled as you are -and make no mistake, you are quite skilled- in the end the difference in our power was too great. Take comfort in the fact that you are the first to actually hurt me. Creating brand new tentacles isn't entirely free, after all." He'd let her ponder that for awhile. No reason to go into specifics about his nature.

Oddly enough, he wasn't ripping her clothes off, or doing anything other than hold her at the moment. The only thing she'd feel is him carrying her, the tentacles lifting her and pulling her slowly back up the stairs. She was safe, and he'd make sure she wouldn't bump into anything. But unlike before, the only tentacles she would see would be the ones that held her.

Eventually Ryu stopped struggling, this certainly did not do her any good. And as long as he was just holding her within his grasp, she would be safe, at least from her surroundings as it meant she would not accidentally hit something and hurt herself in the process. But she would eventually reach the place the creature had chosen for her, and she knew what was going to happen at this very moment.

An odd thing however was that there weren't any cut tentacles around, not really any sign that the student fought her way towards a possible escape as all the student were locked up in their rooms. Her chest raised and lowered significantly in a slow pace, she was trying to calm down and let herself relax. "Yeah, thanks... though you have to admit it, you did never intend to give me a real chance here, eh?", she asked with a slight glimpse of anger in her voice. She had never left out any possible challenge, but this defeat would cost her more than just the first place.

But perhaps she could keep him distracted, even if just a few seconds to recover a bit more. All right, she let him have her way with her from now on, at least for the time being. If there would be any small gap to escape, even the narrowest, she'd take the chance. If it wasn't the case however, she would have a hard time to fight off the sensations. "I still doubt our upcoming game will be as enjoyable as our last. But after all I am at your mercy and you won the game, seems like you deserve a price for your victory."