4 years ago.
Onyx, by nature, was a shy person. Often forgotten and always talked over back up on the surface. She keeps to herself mostly, only speaking when she's comfortable around the others around her. When she was brought to the Seeker Camp, she felt oddly comfortable, mainly with those who take residence in the camp. She could always be found hanging around them and cracking jokes. But, her demeanor changes the instant Ozen walks over to them. She starts to shake and her face losing all its color, not that it had much, to begin reactions did not go unnoticed. Everyone picked up on it and tried to ask Onyx about what's going on because she was always by Ozen's side when she first arrived, but even the mere mention of Ozen's name caused a scared reaction. They all just assumed it was Ozen's disposition that induced fear, but that theory was put to rest after the events that happened a few days later.
A bandit from the Southern perimeter somehow bypassed observers and traversed into the second level. He heard rumors about grade-4 relics being stashed in the Seeker Camp. He had hopes of selling them. He skillfully snuck past the scope deck and broke into where all the relics were kept, stashed in wooden crates. He swiped as much as he pack could hold, smiling coyly to himself. He wasn't alone though. Unannounced to him, Ozen was watching him, staying hidden in the shadows. She followed him out of the facility and down the trail to her chambers. Well, this is inconvenient, Ozen thought, watching the bandit sneak in through the giant doors.
The bandit was in awe at the special grade relics in the room. Collections of books, an epic weapon on display beside what resembled armor, and a giant white cube. He was almost drooling at the thought of how much money he would get if he cashed these in. He walked towards the books, running his fingers over their spines.
"Like what you see?" the man jumped, turning around shakingly, eyes traveling up the tower standing in the doorway. "From the lack of a whistle choking you, you shouldn't be on this level, let alone down into the Abyss." Ozen was now standing in front of the man, hunched over at eye-level. Southern district wharf criminal. Easy target, Ozen thought. He probably thought the place was abando-. A reflection of light interrupted Ozen's thinking. A dull, jagged blade came swinging at her face. Ozen foresaw a possible struggle, though didn't move out the way of the blade.
A thin line of blood formed on Ozen's cheek, trailing down to her jawline. Though it stung, she did not exclaim out in pain. A gloved hand emerged from under a black cape and reached up to her face, caressing the bloodied cheek. A wide, wicked smile stretched from ear to ear. Her lungs buzzed as a dry laughter escaped them.
"You must be really stupid," Ozen chuckled out, straightening her back. "You must not value your life if you think you're man enough to steal AND challenge a White Whistle." popping and cracking sounds echoed as she stood up at full height. "Let's hope you come back wiser in your next life." Ozen reached out and grabbed the man by his neck, lifting him off the ground. Screams echoed throughout the forest.
Onyx heard noises from Ozen's chambers. Normally, she would be run up the stairs to see if Ozen wanted to chat. But this was different, she heard voices. Is someone with her? Onyx walked up to the half-opened doors, peering around them. As she stepped into the dim room, a gruesome sight stopped her dead in her tracks. Standing in the doorway, now shaking, Onyx saw Ozen with an iron grip on a now limp form of a man. The sound the man's pack falling onto the floor echoed, causing Onyx's ears to ring.
"O-Ozen-san…?" Ozen, surprised, shifted and turned her head towards the voice.
"Onyx.." she dropped the now dead man and walked over to the frightened girl. With every step Ozen took forward, Onyx stepped back. She kept backtracking until she reached the stairs, stepping and falling down on them. "Onyx, you weren't meant to see that." Ozen knelt down on the stairs in front of Onyx's shaking form. "Onyx.." she held a hand out the girl.
Onyx, wide-eyed, shook her head and slapped the older woman's hand away. She scrambled to her feet and ran back in the direction of the camp…
Her reminiscing and mindless wandering brought Ozen to a wooded area deep in the Inverted Forest, the complete opposite direction of her chambers. Huh, it's been awhile since I've been here. Ozen walked around for a bit, looking at how the scenery changed from the last time she was there.
"ONYX?" Ozen wandered the forest looking for Onyx. Using a skill that Ozen taught her, Onyx faked out Ozen by acting like she was running towards the camp just to throw her off into thinking she was in the facility. Sending Ozen on that wild goose chase bought herself enough time to run and hide in the forest.
"ONYX, PLEASE. IT'S NOT SAFE OUT HERE!" Ozen searched high and low for the girl, coming up short on finding a trail. Damn, she is good.
Ozen wandered around more, leaving no stone unturned. As she walked down a rocky, uneven path, Ozen noticed something unusual. Fabric? Her pass quickened. She reached out and picked up the fabric that was attached to a sharp spike. This is Onyx's shirt. Ozen examined it closer. And her blood. Faint whimpering broke Ozen's attention from the fabric and towards the end of the path she was standing on. She pocketed the fabric and headed down, only to stop at sight down below. Onyx was laying on the ground, bruised and bleeding, and crying.
"Onyx!" Ozen jogged down and knelt in front of Onyx. She could tell that the events prior still have her shaking and fearful by watching the younger girl as she tried to scramble away again, but too exhausted. She pushed those thoughts aside as she reached down and scooped Onyx into her arms.
Whimpers turned into hitched, heavy breathing as Onyx was carried back to the camp.
"W-Why..?" Onyx said finally, not looking at Ozen. "W-Why did y-you kill him..?" Ozen sighed, tightening her grip on Onyx.
"To protect you," no change in her stoic expression. Onyx looked up at Ozen with slight confusion and shock. "From the look of his clothing, he was from the Southern district. Slums. Only knowing stealing and attacking. He possessed no prior knowledge of this area and frankly, I was surprised he wasn't killed by the creatures who inhabit this level. He snuck into the camp and stole some relics. Well, attempted to anyway. He tried to do the same in my chambers but to no avail. His biggest mistake was pulling a knife on me." As Ozen explained her reasoning, Onyx started shaking, fear coursing throughout her body. She noticed the thin, red line on Ozen's cheek. Dry and clotted blood on her face with light shades of pink surrounding the small wound.
"B-But," Onyx muttered, "why did you HAVE to kill him..?"
Onyx's questioning was justified, considering she just saw her caretaker with a dead man in her grip. Though her asking the questions seemed easy, Ozen answering them posed as a whole different challenge. She could've easily pinned the other inhabitants against the man, or sent a message up to the city edge. She didn't have to intervene.
"I," Ozen started, searching her brain for the right words. "don't really have an answer that will put your mind at ease. I could've sent the other inhabitants to go after him. Had he hurt my men, that would be inconvenient," she shrugged. "I guess challenging him head on myself was simpler, knowing there was no way I could lose." Ozen sighed. She could feel Onyx shaking more.
"You're hurt, though.."
"It's nothing but a scratch." Ozen deadpanned, making a mental note to clean the wound later.
They reached the camp facilities, greeted by the normal three inhabitants alongside two new faces.
"PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T KILL A MAN, OZEN!" the taller of the two guests roared, ending with a light chuckle.
"IT WAS MERELY AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE, TONZO!" Ozen barked back, startling Onyx more. The loud back and forth conversation made Onyx bury her face in Ozen's chest. Ozen sighed, tightening her already tight grip on the fragile frame in her arms.
"You," Tonzo pointed a finger at Ozen as she walked up to them "had to defend yourself?" He roared with laughter, scaring Onyx to the point of whimpering.
"Must you be so loud?" Ozen's tone returned to its low, cold volume, pushing past the five bodies to get into the facility.
"I have to be, to ensure that the sound reaches your ears." Tonzo chuckled, picking at Ozen's incredible height. He elbowed his partner, encouraging him to join in. Ozen groaned in annoyance, walking to the couch in the open lounge space.
"Who is that?" Tonzo's partner asked, nodding his head towards the couch.
"Oh, didn't you hear? Ozen's a mother!" Tonzo roared, walking over to Ozen. He patted her on the shoulder. "I'm so proud of y-" A flick of the face shut Tonzo up. "FUCK! OZEN!" He held his face, blood dripping from his nose.
"You adopted her?" the partner asked.
"The Slums' orphanage classifies it as adoption, the rest of the city edge see it as training with room and board." Ozen stated, shrugging. She looked the normal inhabitants, pointing at the girl. They nodded, getting the message. "Tonzo, follow. We'll discuss the formalities of the situation in private," she turned to the other man "You. Come."
Tonzo and his partner followed.
"My name is Alok, by the way." Tonzo's partner said.
"I don't particularly care."
They walked to Ozen's chambers, the remnants of the bandit's things were still on the floor, the body disposed of. Ozen kicked them out of her way, breaking a few in the process.
"Why are you kicking relics around?" Alok questioned, picking up a cracked relic.
"They are grade-4. Not a lot of value to me." Ozen said bluntly, sitting at her desk. Tonzo walked over to the desk, slamming his fists on the metal surface.
"Why did you kill a man?" Tonzo asked.
"Why was a whistle-less asshole from the Slums down on this level?" Ozen deadpanned. Tonzo opened his mouth to reply but closed it a second later, unable to answer.
"Isn't that girl from the Slums? I didn't see a whistle on her." Alok interjected, receiving a glare from Ozen.
"That girl has a name, Onyx. She was found on the fourth level by Tonzo and a few others. Though she doesn't have a whistle, she has a black stone to symbolize a whistle. But we aren't here to discuss her. The bandit was down here because of a rumor," she shooed away Tonzo's hands off her desk. "I killed him to send a message. When word reaches the surface that a bandit was killed on the second level, it'll keep others from coming down here and bothering me," she stood and hunched over "like you two are." Alok swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes widening. He straightened his stance and bowed his head.
"Our apologies, ma' were just following protocol," he said, sounding sincere.
"Never call me 'ma'am'."
Ozen stood under the trees that made up Onyx's 'safe-space', covered by a canopy of giant leaves, creating a shaded area. Normally, one would appreciate a shaded area, but down on the second level, the shade proved to be more of an inconvenience than a benefit. Unlike the other layers of the Abyss, minus the 5th and 6th level, the second was devoid of natural light. Some areas inhabited species of plants that produced their own light, though very dull, it was helpful.
Ozen didn't mind the lack of light, exposure to it for a period of time, whether it's natural or artificial, irritates her eyes. When she does go out in the light, she shields her eyes with her bangs slightly, reducing direct exposure. Even with the lack of harsh light, the separation of day and night is still clear, to an extent. If it's pitch black, it's night and if it looks like a normal evening, it's day.
"Close to night.," Ozen muttered to herself, observing the slow, but steady transition from dusk to pitch. Sighing, Ozen turned on her heel and faced the dimly lit Seeker Camp. "One day I'll take Onyx along with me on a delivery mission. On the lower levels," she muttered, walking towards the Camp. She brought a hand up to her face, running her fingers over a raised scar on her cheek. But not anytime soon.
