//------------------------------//
// Round 3 
// Story: Three More Things! 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

As Augustus followed the path through the dungeon-like hall he'd found himself in, he kept his senses focused and his mind aware.  He knew dimensional manipulation was at work here, so there was no telling what might happen with every step.  He had to do his best to be careful against some other sort of creature getting the drop on him, and be prepared to deal with anything he came across.  As such, he slipped a couple of metal braces with tiny spikes over the gloves Fujin had given him.  They wouldn't actually injure his opponents, that wasn't their purpose.  The spikes would lightly scrape against what they encountered, no more than a swab did on the inside of the cheek...and with the same purpose.  The scrape would be analyzed to determine the general layout of the subject's magical and biological nature...not enough to specifically target them with magic, but enough to determine which species classification they fell under, and thus which number bundles to various effects he had on him he would need to use to determine the desired effect.  Had he had them on when he fought the beast with the bone spikes, he would have known to use Type 7 without Fujin telling him.
In the brief moment he was distracted mentally going over the startup sequences for the devices, the area around him shifted and he found himself - of all places - in a deep swamp.  He felt himself tense up as he took in the change of the surroundings...only to quickly notice several things amiss.  As rich as the fragrances and intense as the heat and humidity was, it all felt too localized.  A quick glance showed that the various stagnant pools and plants in the distance - save directly along the path that was still there - didn't move right, and their movements didn't quite match up with the air currents.  A brief glance in his notebook on labyrinths told him what was going on.  "A Guardian Space," he grumbled as he took a combat stance.  "Shaped to give greatest advantage to the one standing guard.  In this kind of swamp, it's either reptiles or insects..."  He clenched his fists as he heard a sudden buzzing.  "Insects it is," he grumbled as his hands slipped into the pockets of his Coat, ready to act.
The buzzing focused as a swarm of insects converged on the air a good distance in front of him, seeming to coalesce into the form of a yellow-skinned woman in a black cloak, two extra sets of green insectoid limbs extending from her back between her arms and legs.  "This one is impressed," she hissed out, her voice having an odd choral quality as though more than one voice were speaking at the same time.  "You scent to this one as mundane, and yet you know the ways of magic well."
"Law enforcement," Augustus responded easily as he found what he was looking for in his pockets.  "Are you working for this warlord that's causing this problem?"
"This one's allegiance is only to the Hive," the figure replied as she began to stalk around Augustus, him turning to keep his eyes on her.  "However, the warlord you speak of and the Hive's interests currently coincide, and helping him claim your world will restore This One's, and thus the Hive."
"I'll be sure to look into that after I've stuck my boot firmly up his ass and kicked him back to where he came from," Augustus stated flatly.
The figure laughed in a way that sounded reminiscent of the chirping of cicadas.  "You amuse this one, mortal human!" she hissed out in a pleased tone.  "Tell this one your name, that it might be remembered."
"Veil Captain Augustus Black," he replied calmly, using the new rank he'd been given after his promotions for security clearance...which really only upped his payscale and how much clout he could bring on his cases as far as local law cooperation, as well as who he actually had clearance to talk to about his cases.  "And what do I call you?"
"This one is called D'Vorah," the figure replied as she braced herself.  "Of the Kytinn.  Take that name to the Netherrealm with you!"  With that declaration, she lunged for him.
Augustus quickly pulled the two objects he'd grasped in his pockets, making sure she could see one as he pulled it back to throw.  As he'd expected, she conjured a swarm of insects that hid her movements...and him from her sight as he put the other object to his face.  As he felt the pincers touching his shoulders from above, he squeezed the activator on the device he'd pulled out, causing it to explode and release a massive noxious cloud that quickly covered them both.
D'Vorah fell back, coughing and choking as she quickly dived out of the cloud, though a great deal of it clung to her.  "What toxin is this?" she demanded angrily.
"Just a mix of some of the deadliest bug sprays available," Augustus stated through the gas mask that now covered his entire face and the dome of his head, his voice slightly distorted by it.  "Carry it around just in case some artifact lets someone command an insect swarm...or someone like you who can do so naturally."
D'Vorah snarled angrily as parts of her body shifted, seeming to seal her internals off as the bugs she'd summoned scattered away from her.  "If you think a bio-weapon can stop this one on its own, you are dreadfully mistaken-"
"It's also highly flammable," Augustus commented idly as he tossed a small open vial towards a stagnant pool that was within the cloud of gas that still touched both of them.  He then promptly pulled the jacket protectively around his body.
"And what-" D'Vorah began only to see the chemical withing the vial, her eyes catching the reaction as it touched the stagnant water just too late to move.  "Oh bugger-"
A soundless whumph! and a burst of flames sent Augustus flying out the other end of the swampy segment even as D'Vorah was all but consumed by the toxic flames, her consciousness lost if not her life.