Rogue Scaling

"Come in. Come in. You know I've said you don't need to knock."

Neo smiled and pushed on the door with both hands. It groaned as it opened. The room inside was well-lit and far more opulent than those we'd been through. It had a thick bearskin rug before a fire that merrily burned, and a pair of couches stood near it. Off to the other side, a mannequin wore a full set of heavy armour.

It was the man at the wooden desk who caught our attention, however. Dressed in a form-fitting black outfit, with a clashing white coat thrown over the top, the Thief was looking at several forms, but dropped them when we entered. He had bright hair a similar shade to Nora's, and his teeth glinted as he smiled at us. "Well, well, if it isn't the Hunters. Welcome to my humble abode."

"You knew who we were," I said, surprised. "How did you know our faces?"

"It's my job to know things, kid." Torchwick, or as his name labelled him, Roman, smiled. "Well, I would say that, but in this case, it was more process of elimination. I don't expect many other Knights and Champions to visit me. Who else could it be?" He gestured to some chairs. "Pull up a seat and get comfortable. I see you've met Neo."

—B3C2


Torchwick was sat behind his desk when the door exploded. How he managed it, I had no idea, but he raised a curious eyebrow when we poured in, and then sighed as though faced with a bunch of unruly children, and he was the overly patient father.

"Coco Adel, so good to see you," he said, standing up and holding his arms wide.

[...]

"Fox…?" Her eyes were misty, but quickly cleared. A single tear ran from her left eye, trailing down her cheek. "Fox…," she whispered. "FOX!" An agonised scream escaped her, and she nocked and drew in an arrow in less than a second. "Rargh! Torchwick, I'll kill you!"

The arrow flew true.

"Tch," Roman grunted, ducking aside and behind his desk. The arrow shattered on the stone wall behind him, but another stuck into the wooden table, and then a third as he ducked behind it.

—B3C13