Upstairs, Benji dragged Sam into his bedroom by her hair, her arms and legs bound in glowing cuffs of solid light.
He threw her onto the bed, and she bounced once before landing with her hands trapped above her head and her legs crossed defensively.
Benji grinned, his pudgy fingers tracing along the exposed skin of her calf and sliding upward toward the end of her dresss. "You know, I've always wondered what a Crowley would feel like. All that pride, all that arrogance... I bet it tastes sweet when it breaks."
Sam squirmed, her face twisted into a defiant frown, and when Benji leaned in close, she spat directly in his face.
Benji's grin vanished as he raised his hand, palm open, ready to backhand her across the face and Sam flinched, bracing herself for the incoming strike—
But he stopped.
Instead, Benji wiped the spit from his cheek slowly, and his grin returned, wider and more twisted than before. "You're a Crowley alright. Always thinking you're better than everyone else. But that'll all change once I'm through with you."
He laughed in the same high nasal sound. "Maybe I'll even let Mary watch. Make it a show."
Suddenly, the light cuffs shattered, the bindings dissolving into nothing, and Sam's hands were free.
She didn't hesitate once she felt the restraints vanish, kicking Benji square in the chest and sending him tumbling backward off the bed as he crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud.
Quickly, Sam scrambled backward on the bed, clutching her wrists. "I'm nothing like them!" she shouted, her voice trembling but fierce. "And you're a monster!"
She bolted for the door, escape only a few feet away. But suddenly her world tilted.
Up became down. Left became right. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, her body refusing to cooperate.
And still laid out on the floor was Benji with his hand placed on his temple, essence flaring around him.
She tried to crawl, but her limbs moved in directions she didn't intend, dragging her in circles. It felt like she was placed in some elaborate swing that spun at forty kilometers per second before dropping her off on the ground.
"It's no use," Benji pushed himself up, breathing hard, and stared at his hands. "Baran must've left or something... why did his cuffs break?" He frowned, then turned towards the door to listen for a moment. He heard nothing. "Doesn't matter. No one else is left. That fool is dead."
He loomed over a disoriented Sam, grabbed her gown and ripped it open. The fabric tore easily, revealing a blue bra barely containing breasts far too generous for her small frame.
Benji licked his lips as he imagined how he'd need both hands to grope just one completely. His breathing quickened from arousal and Sam's eyes went wide, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest.
"How can a Crowley be this weak?" he muttered, fumbling with his belt. "I guess it's just my luck." He pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside, then shoved his trousers down, leaving only his boxers.
Sam's face filled with horror, the defiant strength she'd clung to cracking as tears formed at the edges of her terror-filled eyes.
Benji grabbed her legs and tried to pry them apart. "Don't bother screaming," he said, grinning. "My room's soundproof. Just like the basement. No one's coming to save you."
***
Kurt took the stairs three at a time, his claws still extended, blood pounding in his ears. He reached the third floor, turned left, and found the door at the end of the hall.
Bang!
He didn't knock, the door slammed open against the wall with a powerful kick and his eyes locked onto the scene in front of him.
Benji. On top of Sam. Her dress torn. Her face streaked with tears. His hands on her legs.
Without hesitation, he crossed the room in two strides, drove a clawed finger through the back of Benji's neck, and twisted.
Blood sprayed across Sam's face and chest, hot and thick, and Benji gurgled, his hands flying to his throat as he toppled sideways.
Kurt rolled him off Sam, and Benji hit the floor, clutching his neck, blood pouring between his fingers.
"Oh no you don't," Kurt said coldly. "It won't be that easy."
He crouched beside Benji, his hand igniting with flames, and rammed his burning palm into Benji's throat.
The wound cauterized instantly, the smell of seared flesh filling the room, and Benji's scream was raw and primal as his body convulsed like a fish out of water.
Kurt stood, wiping his hand on his coat, and turned to Sam.
She was shaking, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I saw you die," she whispered. But Kurt didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled a white handkerchief from his coat pocket, knelt beside her, and gently wiped the blood from her face and chest. Then he shrugged off his trench coat and wrapped it around her trembling body.
"You're safe now, love," He pulled her into his arms, holding her as she processed what had just happened. "I've got you," Kurt said quietly.
Sam clung to him tightly, her chest heaving with shaky breaths, and after a long moment, she nodded against his chest.
As soon as Kurt confirmed she was in a much calmer state, he let her go gently and turned to Benji, who was flailing on the floor, still alive, with his face twisted in agony.
"Now," Kurt said, his voice dangerously calm. "Where was the first place that bloody wanker stabbed me? Ah, yes."
He pulled out a bone spike from his collarbone, as hard as steel, and drove it through Benji's kneecap, making him scream in so much pain that his body arched off the floor.
Kurt pulled the spike free and drove it through the other knee, following up with another cauterization to make sure he didn't bleed to death.
The stench of burning flesh thickened, and Benji sobbed, tears streaming down his face when his throat could no longer produce any sounds.
Kurt watched with an unchanging expression and took a last drag of his cigarette.
"Let's see how you like getting burnt," He flicked the cigarette onto Benji's chest, and snapped his fingers.
And in an instant, fire erupted!
Benji's entire body ignited in spontaneous combustion, flames roaring to life across his skin. No matter how much he thrashed, screamed, or rolled across the floor, the fire followed, consuming him.
He slammed into the curtains, and they caught. He crashed into the bed, and the sheets went up in flames.
Kurt didn't wait to watch. He scooped Sam into his arms, kicked the door open, and hurried downstairs. As he closed the door behind him, it muffled Benji's screams—the soundproofed room would ensure no one else heard them either.
Behind them, the fire spread rapidly, consuming the bed, walls, and ceiling. The mansion's fire alarm began blaring, and staff and guards scrambled for the exits.
Kurt reached the basement and found Mary still unconscious, wrapped in Baran's jacket. He slung her over his shoulder, cradled Sam in his other arm with her face buried against his chest, and pushed back into the chaos.
Staff and guards flooded the corridors in a panicked mass, smoke choked the halls, alarms blaring loud enough to drown out reason. No one was looking twice at anyone, only at the exits, and Kurt moved with them, letting the crowd carry him toward the exits.
Outside, the mansion burned. Flames roared from every window, smoke billowing into the night sky, and Kurt stopped at a safe distance to catch his breath, looking back at the inferno as his chest heaved.
His gaze shifted from the burning building to Sam, still wrapped in his coat, gripping it tightly, and Mary, unconscious on his shoulder.
As he pondered his next move, the system chimed.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Eliminate Captor]
[+10 points awarded]
[QUEST COMPLETE: Protect Samantha Crowley]
[+10 points awarded]
[QUEST COMPLETE: PRIMARY - Rescue Operation]
[+15 points awarded]
[Total Points Awarded: 35]
[Available Points: 56]
Kurt stared at the notifications for a moment, then dismissed them, his grip on Sam tightening.
"Right then," he muttered. Then tried to shift Mary's weight to free a hand for his lighter. It was a fool's errand.
He gave up, and tucked an unlit cigarette behind his ear instead. "Bollocks."
With a nod to himself, he adjusted Sam's makeshift coat-dress and said, "Let's get you girls cleaned up. Then it's off to the E-rank district."
He turned, the burning mansion a fading glow behind him, and disappeared into the night.