Archer could tell quite quickly that Emerald had some sort of ulterior motive other than revenge to keep herself around; however, he didn't call her out on it as he felt that she herself didn't quite seem to understand the reason.
A knee-jerk reaction then?
He wasn't certain. Just that he could feel Emerald trying to be subtle while glancing at him from time to time.
Honestly, if he was a normal person, he may not have been able to catch her staring due to her experience and confidence as a thief, but his senses were quite good after years in numerous battlefields.
The three of them were meandering down the street while waiting for Summer to get a 'feeling' of where they had to go. Emerald obviously didn't buy it and thought Summer looked funny while rubbing her temples as if it would help her powers concentrate, but he knew better.
Summer's situation was complex, and rubbing her temples really may have helped her concentrate on what was important. Sadly, Summer had only described faint tingles again, but she assured everyone that everything was on track.
Emerald idled near the back of the group, likely to have the best excuse to observe them both at once, but she couldn't get a feel for them in the silence while Summer focused.
"Who are you people anyway?" Emerald finally broached the subject. Apart form their names, she knew next to nothing. "And why the masks?"
She was probing them.
For a moment, he considered how to answer.
Emerald was just someone that they had helped and was now offering her help in turn. The matter regarding the identity of the woman that they were chasing had nothing to do with her, and it would lead to further danger in her life. This case was sensitive as it had something to do with the main orchestrator of the Grimm.
It's best to mislead her.
Just as he was about to offer some sort of deflection, he was interrupted by an overly enthusiastic mother.
"He's a celebrity." Summer answered for him, causing him to scowl at her, but it wasn't as if she could see it behind the mask.
Still, Emerald nodded her head.
He knew that she could definitely believe this excuse considering what she saw him do with the food vendor, but it didn't mean he was happy about it. Sure, it worked, but didn't this just serve to make Emerald more curious about him? Or what he looked like under the mask?
Why couldn't she have just said something simple like he was a passing Huntsman or official task force member? That way, Emerald may be more disinclined to pursue her curiosity by threat of government intervention.
A celebrity though?
Die hard fans can get away with a lot of things.
Unaware of the sudden gleam of interest in Emerald's eyes, Summer nudged him as if she'd just done him a favour even as his shoulders slumped.
"Then what about you?" Emerald glanced at Summer, all while a bout of snarkiness assailed him.
"She's old," he answered snidely before Summer could speak up. "Terribly so. Wrinkles and all. You wouldn't want to see."
The sudden look of understanding Emerald leveled on Summer couldn't have been anymore appalling to Summer.
How could she be old? She'd practically died before she'd reached her thirties after giving birth to Ruby. She was only twenty-eight in spirit form.
Old? Bullshit!
Wrinkles? I'll strangle you.
It was like Shirou could read the thoughts flickering across Summer's mind, but it wasn't as if she could act out on them in the middle of a crowded street. Unresigned, she huffed instead and sniffed in finality.
"There's a line you can't cross…and you've just crossed it." Summer said indignantly.
Was that supposed to make him feel bad?
Wasn't she the one who started this?
What? You didn't expect retaliation?
He looked at Summer strangely, almost taken aback as she puffed in offence, crossed her arms, and pointedly turned her chin up.
"You've lost talking privileges with me," she declared petulantly.
Suddenly Archer remembers where his Master's childishness comes from because it obviously didn't come from Tai who spent years in dedication searching for Summer.
"Are you treating me like a child?" He asked in all fairness. If she didn't talk, how were they supposed to track their target properly?
He knew this concept, and Summer definitely did as well.
Evidently, this was why she did it, trying to force him to grovel out an explanation or an apology.
"You can't be serious?"
"Hmph," Summer turned her head away and pretended as if she heard nothing.
Honestly…Fine.
Thinking about it clearly, who was really the one who would suffer from this type of pettiness?
As he recalled, he wasn't the talker of the group.
Once again, silence reigned while the three walked. With Summer refusing to speak to him, she was beginning to understand that he wasn't going to be giving in any time soon and wilted. She was still an adult, a professional, and knew what needed to be done. However, this didn't mean that she would just give up once she'd started something.
Summer thought that she'd done him a favour earlier, so clearly, she was in the right to earn proper concessions.
One look at Summer verified that she wouldn't be giving in unless he did first.
Be that as it may, the continued silence without any guidance towards their quarry was a detriment to everyone.
"Emerald," Summer tutted, causing Emerald to glance strangely at her. "Tell Mr. Archer that we need to head west."
Emerald raised a twitching brow. She had no intention of playing a middleman when he was clearly close enough to Summer to hear Summer anyway.
Instead, under his watch, she walked up to his side and leaned in to whisper into his ear with as much condescension as she could muster.
"I think we need an adult," Emerald paraphrased flatly echoed by Summer's indignant growl. "But if we're taking the fastest route west through the suburbs, I know the quickest way so follow me."
Emerald didn't waste another second with a direction given and sped up to act as the guide.
Observing her, Archer could see that her movements reflected her experience in the lay of the land. She pushed past people, hopped over abandoned barricades, and even led them through dark alleys lined with unfriendly gazes which she ignored.
There were dozens of thieves, vagrants, and homeless hidden from society in these darker parts outside the supervision of the kingdoms. Most were in torn rags, and making the most of what they had. Compared to them, Emerald was way better off, and the effect of her unlocking her Aura was distinct.
It was everyone for themselves here, and Emerald had long since adapted.
Summer though looked distinctly uncomfortable, her optimism cooling down to a simmer.
This wasn't the first time Archer had seen life in the slums of a city, so he hardly reacted which drew Emerald's silent interest. More so when he knew to avoid eye-contact for too long lest he give the impression that he was looking down on anyone and trying to pick a fight.
Unless you were here to actually help them, it's best that you just go on your way. Right now, he had no money to give, or even a concrete means to lead them towards self-sustainability.
Worse, back in his days trying to aid such people as a freelance Enforcer and Mercenary, his bleeding heart had often left him giving out whatever he owned to those who needed it more. It was only inevitable that he'd spent some nights in this sort of environment while out on solo missions.
It was here that he picked up certain things, and quirks.
'The do's and the don'ts,' if you will.
If Emerald wasn't sure of an assumption before, she was now.
"You were a street rat too," she sounded almost certain, a small measure of acknowledgment for him in her gaze. "Wonder how much someone like you would have been able to steal?"
"I didn't steal," he replied firmly.
It was true that he'd camped out in the streets a few times before, but even if he'd given what he'd had away, he wouldn't abandon his own principles.
"Right," Emerald rolled her eyes, and said nothing else.
Meanwhile, Summer was about to ask him something before realizing what she was doing and snorting at him.
Was she still continuing this game?
He sighed, and just didn't bother for the time being.
Soon enough, Emerald cut a path through the central hub of the city and had now stopped by the side of a large river separating east from the west side of the city.
"The fastest way to the western suburbs is over this river, but it's too wide for anyone to cross. The nearest bridge will take us half-an-hour on foot that way." Emerald advised while calculating a path ahead.
"No need," Summer shook her head ruefully.
"No need?" Emerald echoed.
"Yup, no need." Summer wrapped an arm around Emerald's waist then winked at him meaningfully.
See you on the other side, she seemed to indicate with a tilted chin.
Summer ran towards the river and leapt up high; Emerald's eyes bugging out into saucers as her yelp of alarm was muffled out by a storm of white rose petals carrying the two across the river.
Neat trick, he acknowledged.
Summer Semblance seemed increasingly similar to Ruby's, just that Summer had more control and understanding over it. Like daughter like mother, he supposed.
He shook his head before bracing his legs and crossing the river in a burst of energy.
On the other side, a wave of petals swooped up into the air and revealed Emerald with her eyes shut tightly, and her figure clinging onto Summer's own for dear life. She scowled when Summer put her down while shuddering from the experience.
Aura or not, who could possibly come up with a landing strategy after before abruptly shot through the sky?
Crazy.
"What about-"
Emerald didn't even get to finish before Archer slammed down beside her, leaving cracks beneath his feet.
She shut her mouth. "Neat Semblance," she said blandly.
Archer paid little mind to what Emerald thought, as he wasn't going to explain himself anyway. The concept of magic, Heroic Spirits, and mysteries surrounding Remnant would elude most people including Emerald anyway.
"Shall we go?" He said as Emerald just kept staring at him.
She grunted and played it cool before crossing her arms. "I've led you both west. Now we're in the western suburbs. I can't guide anymore unless you both specify a part of the district."
Both his and Emerald's attention then landed on Summer who slumped her shoulders and began pressing both the index and middle finger of her hands over her temples again to concentrate.
"Slave drivers," Summer mumbled to herself.
Left with little to do but wait on Summer's behalf, they began to idle in the western suburb's market area.
Archer had always been an observant individual, and so he noticed it when Emerald got bored and began slinking her way towards the nearby stalls, careful to avoid public notice and acting seemly to blend in.
Eventually, her sights settled on a quaint looking shop with small trinkets out on display. The owner had her back turned and was rummaging through the wares kept in a crate off to the side.
Archer quickly noticed Emerald's eyes gleam while noting how unguarded the owner seemed.
His eyes narrowed in response.
She really wasn't planning on actually- yup. Yes, she was planning on doing exactly what he thought she was doing.
The nearest and most eye-catching bracelet near the center of the display was pilfered right then and there. Working quickly, Emerald swiveled on the balls of her feet and turned her back on the store owner while slinking away.
She was being careful and discrete, causing her not to notice when he'd walked up to the stall owner and directly paid for what was just stolen.
While Summer continued to concentrate on the woman's trail, he found Emerald admiring the new accessory over her wrist.
This was until she stiffened when he placed a hand over her shoulder.
"Don't do that again," he chastised her in disappointment.
For a second, she blinked at him in confusion, but soon understood when she noticed the stall owner from before counting the lien Archer had given her.
Emerald curled her lips.
"They're fault for making it too easy," she shrugged unmindful.
She may not be able to see his expression behind the mask, but he gave her a flat and unamused look.
"You know, I could have just bought it for you if you'd asked?" He pressed, implying that it was wrong of her to steal it in the first place.
Glancing away from her new bracelet, she frowned, annoyed at him.
"What's wrong with stealing if they make it too easy? So, what if they lost just bit or two of profit, they can just make it back as they're already better off than the rest of us by miles," she sneered, bias and bitterness shifting her tone cold. "This is my life here; all that I've known to do since I could speak. If they aren't capable enough to keep their goods, then they better expect them to be stolen around here."
It was around this time that Summer seemed to have gotten 'a feeling' of where to go and ended up overhearing the conversation.
Summer seemed as if she wanted to interject on the issue, but when their eyes met, she must have recalled that he'd lost talking privileges with her and started squirming. if Summer wanted to get involved, then there was no way she could pretend to not hear him speaking and reply back.
A war was brewing in Summer's mind between pettiness and morality, and it was her own fault for being the type of mom to follow through on her decisions- even the dumb ones.
Still, this was a conversation between he and Emerald, and he's the one who started it.
"Your choice is leaving you with little options for the future," he tried another approach. "You can't have decided to be a thief living on the streets all your life, have you?"
Emerald wavered for a moment as she stared between him and her. Her previous misunderstanding about him once being someone in similar circumstances to her, causing her to think over the issue rather than just react.
He used this moment to continue as he felt that he may be able to get through to her.
"You should really think about the sort of life you wish to live if you ever want to get out of it." "You're playing a dangerous game," he warned with a nod.
Emerald licked her dry lips, a smirk playing over her face before she nudged him away with a closed fist.
"Then you clearly don't know me enough. I know my limits and I'll find my own way," her resolve was apparent in the fact that she'd already lived her life this far. She was tough, Stronger than the rest for sure. "Until then, it's better to take and survive then die doing nothing."
It was a rather bleak and morbid statement, but there was no way to refute it.
Cities outside the kingdoms were harsh like that.
It was clear to him that this conversation had been pointless. "I know it may not mean anything to you, but I only as that you think about it, alright?"
He stared into her eyes, and she back at him, but oddly enough she was the one to turn away first in a fluster, unable to deal with genuine concern leveled on her.
It was kind of sad when he thought about it.
"Are we still chasing this rat or not?" Emerald's ears flushed red and she immediately tried to put things back on track. She walked a short distance away before strutting in front of them and revealing her confidence. "I'm not exactly a tracker. Just point me in a direction and I'll take you there through the quickest route."
Summer blinked when Emerald stared at her.
"She's somewhere over yonder now," Summer replied while pointing a finger down the commercial district of town."
"Thanks, old lady." Emerald said nothing else before bolting off.
"O-Old lady?"
Summer froze, stricken, feeling utterly wronged and not the least bit mindful of the murderousness of the stare she leveled on him.
Before Summer could react, he moved after Emerald, forcing her to drop the issue.
Emerald wanted vengeance, and that vengeance would be coming soon.
She'd learned since young that leaving loose ends would only result in further loss. Similarly, a target that wasn't properly put down would naturally bite back, and this was what she was doing while sticking close to Archer and Scarlet.
After spending the day guiding them, she developed an idea about them and their character. As for their purpose in chasing after this woman? She didn't care half as much as the thought of getting even.
Better yet, she felt like Archer was someone she could relate to; a goal to achieve; a role model.
He'd broken free of the slum life. He must have as there was no other way than through one's own capabilities. Was this the reason she found herself gravitating towards him?
No. It can't be.
It didn't make sense if this was the answer since she felt the same inclination for Scarlet just in a smaller dosage. Then what was it?
The concept of kindness was so foreign to her that it was difficult to believe that people did anything without an ulterior motive.
Right.
She just hadn't found the two's motives in helping her yet. As for her acting as a guide? Well, with what Scarlet displayed, they would have found the woman even without her.
In that case, what was she to them? Why did they help her?
The lack of an answer was unsettling indeed.
Regardless, she pushed her doubts and thoughts aside quite quickly by the afternoon. This was because they'd finally smoked the bitch out.
Her mouth dried in anticipation before running into a sprint with Archer and Scarlet trailing ahead of her. Her injured leg still felt numb at times so she was obviously slower than before.
The moment that they saw the target, the woman in the red dress saw them, and the woman's expression looked ashen before she bolted into a sprint.
The woman had been taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse complex in the city, and was completely unprepared when they suddenly walked into said building.
The woman was out in the building in a heart beat and making her way towards a crowded area to seek out a chance to escape.
"Emerald," Archer called out to her.
"I know," she scoffed, confident in herself. "I'll keep her away from the crowds."
This was another reason why she was brought along to begin with. With her Semblance which could cause others to see illusions, she would direct the woman away from the open areas where people could intervene or cause complications.
Narrowing her eyes, she focused her attention on the fleeing woman and like magic, the woman suddenly took a sharp turn towards a secluded location by a park.
"There's still too many people," Archer said, troubled.
Alright, then that means she just had to find a better place, Emerald decided. She could tell that Archer seemed disinclined to display his appearance and means before others, but she'd heard of such things regarding famous celebrities before.
Shuddering as she felt a dip in her Aura, the woman suddenly changed direction and began running towards the allies. The problem were the obstacles in the way that the woman couldn't see while bewitched by illusions.
Left, right, forward, left.
She was panting.
"Can you keep this up?" Summer asked in concern.
"Nothing for you to worry about." Sweat matted Emerald's forehead, creating a glistening sheen that she couldn't even wipe away in her focus.
Needless to say, chasing after the woman and using her Semblance at the same time was taking its toll.
Suddenly, she beamed in excitement. "There! She went into a closed back alley. Hurry up and get her!"
Her legs wobbled at this moment, but Archer supported her with an arm. A rush of heat and embarrassment caused her blood to rush to her face.
"I'm fine!" She protested, gripping his hand in hers, but failing to prove her point when was unable to pry Archer's grip off of her.
Archer picked her up at this point, one arm beneath her knees, and the other supporting her back. He just stared at her, as if waiting for what sort of excuse she'd use now. She was mortified.
"…I-I'm just going to rest here for a bit," she forced herself to say.
Archer didn't think much of it.
Slowing down, he placed her by the entrance of the alley the woman had run into and nodded at her reassuringly.
"We'll be going ahead then," Archer said before suddenly taking off.
"We'll be right be right back," Summer gave her two cents before sprinting forward into the alley.
Left behind, Emerald felt remorseful at her own stamina. Moreover, she could tell that Archer didn't just bring her along because he didn't want to involve her in the confrontation. She could accept it though, as it was a liability in any fight for one person carry the weight of an entire partner.
Seeing Archer's Semblance first hand, she had no doubt that the woman would be captured. It seemed like teleportation of sorts was his Semblance? He'd suddenly appeared from one side of a river to the other in the blink of an eye.
She speculated that the only reason the woman hadn't been caught earlier was that Archer didn't want to attract needless attention by the populace. In this case, the alleys were the best choice.
No one cares for what goes down around here.
Still, she'd wanted to see the look on the woman's face when she got apprehended if only to rub dirt in the wound. This thought was motivation enough.
Stumbling into the with a slow gait, she hoped to see signs of the woman's capture but ended up doing something stupid instead.
"Well, if it isn't the little thief?"
A voice froze her in her tracks as she hobbled in exhaustion from a mostly recovered leg.
Hastily, she glanced behind her to see a group of men and women staring at her and cutting off the alley's exit. They must have seen her earlier and made preparations.
Their fashion was based on a patch-job in which they'd scrounged together anything that they could to look intimidating. The sad part was that it worked to scare off most normal citizens of the city. Several had biker jackets, tattoos, ripped jeans, and even parts of a bike tire to act as shoulder guards.
She knew these people. Most of them were part of the local gang operating within the city's slums, but why should this matter to her? Well, the answer was simple.
She'd grown quite arrogant after she'd unlocked her Aura and tried to cut off ties with any of them…but not before stealing a thing or two from their boss to make her life easier. It wasn't an impulsive action but done in revenge when she was to be sold into the 'market' as merchandise and she refused.
"Didn't think that this day would come, did you?" The woman in the lead, Carla, the boss's bitch scowled. "Then again, neither did we ever since you unlocked your Aura, but you're not looking so good now, are you?"
Emerald found a pit forming in her stomach. None of this was good.
She was far from her optimum condition, and was practically on her last legs already. She'd been shot in the thigh recently, then went on a chase after the perpetrator, and now her Semblance left her on empty.
Even if she managed to draw in more strength from somewhere, the most she could do was run away.
This couldn't be happening, but the street was cruel.
Why did her life have to be like this?
"You should really think about what sort of life you wish to live if you ever want to get out of it. You're playing a dangerous game."
Archer's words from before came to mind as she shuddered.
Maybe she just wasn't as strong as him?
This was just karma.
"Fuck off you sleaze bags," she forced herself up straight to bluff them, but her vision was practically spinning.
Her Semblance was exhausting was a double-edged sword and now she was suffering for it.
Shit.
She blanked for just a short moment, but couldn't even react as she was tackled to the ground by a random grunt. Struggling, she flailed her arms and aimed to kick the assailant in the groin, but the man twisted her arms, pinned her legs, and then flattened her with his weight.
Her face pressed into the ground, the rough pavement digging into her cheek as she tasted bits of gravel in her mouth. She spit them out in anger and thrashed hard, but her attempts were feeble.
A sudden kick to the stomach knocked the wind right out of her.
"Y-You bitch!" Emerald gnashed her teeth while resisting the urge to heave.
Carla stood in front of her, the pointed heel of her shoe twisting over her solar plexus. However, a layer of energy prevented Emerald from taking any real substantial damage.
"Your Aura may protect you, but you still feel the impact of your insides shaking, don't you?"
Another kick landed on her navel before a heel stomped down on the back of her head, forcing her into a submissive position. Her indignation was rising, but at the same time, so was a feeling of panic and helplessness.
It had been a long time since these people had been able to walk over her like she was dirt on their feet.
"I-I'll remember this," she coughed heatedly, her body curling up while she glared as best as she could. "You think I'll let any of you off once I recover?!"
The threat was quite real.
An Aura user vs a non-Aura user could crush dozens if not hundreds of opponents in battle.
Carla and the rest were just common street rats working for the local gang leader.
They couldn't kill her.
Emerald was sure of this.
While the other nearby gave wary glances at each other, Carla remained unperturbed as if she had backing of some sort.
"How amusing," Carla's idle expression caused no end of confusion and dread in Emerald.
Carla had always been the vindictive sort. The fact that Carla still hadn't removed her foot stepping over Emerald's head and continued to dig her heel in only proved this.
"When I first met you, I didn't think you were this dumb," Carla insulted. "This is a rare chance; did you think we planned on letting you off to begin with after seeing you?"
Emerald didn't answer. Her eyes directed on Carla conveyed it all.
"Ooh, how scary," Carla lifted her foot off of Emerald's head and knelt down to crane Emerald's neck up by the roots of her hair.
"Now listen here, you little thief," Carla whispered. "You've stolen from the wrong person. You'd be dead even if we didn't see you now. You see these guys?"
Carla pointed to the only people that didn't react at all when Emerald had made her threat to get back at everyone. All of them were far tougher than the common street rat. No, this wasn't quite right. They had the disposition of murderers.
"They're bandits that the boss hired with a considerable sum. They aren't the Branwen's, but all of them have their Aura's unlocked and all are experienced fighters." Carla grinned. "Your Aura will do nothing against them."
The news stunned Emerald into silence.
There was nothing else left to be said.
Game over.
It was done.
The thought itself was more jarring than she dared to admit, but the feeling of isolation and loneliness at the realization that her life had had no real meaning caused a lump to form in her throat.
From young, she strived against her peers for better, fully believing that she could be different, unrestrained. She'd been proven right. Her Aura had surged to life, her Semblance all but allowing her to remain unfettered throughout the city.
Yet in the end, what did this all amount to?
No allies. No friends, No one to grieve her passing.
Was it all worth it?
For a second, she just didn't know anymore.
She'd had plenty of chances for change. Aura enabled her the option to be a Huntress; her Semblance giving her the opportunity to specialize. There had been no need to continue just being a small-time thief, but old habits died hard and she didn't have many legal connections.
A thorough screening anywhere would reveal her history of crime, barring her path for a proper life. But, so what? In the end the choice had still been hers whether she was accepted or not, and here she was now.
Carla signaled for the bandits to do their job, and all began to approach one by one.
Emerald wouldn't plead, nor beg despite what was coming.
This city was a cesspool of filth and cowards. This world she was born into possessed none of the beauty it was described to have…or maybe she just hasn't experienced it yet?
A gun shot abruptly echoed followed by a red-haired woman in a mask diving headfirst towards the bandits.
However, none of this truly caught Emerald's attention as much as the sight before her sending everything that she ever believed in into confused turmoil.
What were they if not nothing?
What were they if not passing strangers?
No one gave a shit about you in these streets, and you wouldn't give a shit about them.
So then why?
Gold sand shimmered, a deluge of pressure descending forth to shield against any heavy wind or rain.
Archer landed with a thud.
Why did you both come back?
-Moments earlier.
Cinder felt that this situation was at the brink of driving her mad.
How? How?
It was making no sense!
She ran despite her exhaustion, but nothing she did seemed able to elude her pursuers. They just kept chasing her even after she thought herself safe. Evidently, she wasn't as they'd been able to locate her in the warehouse she thought had been abandoned.
She'd been chased ever since, and nothing she did seemed able to let her get away.
At first, she'd tried the same strategy of running out into the main streets of the city in order to blend into the crowd and shake off the people behind her, but she never ended up reaching said street.
It felt as if she'd been running in circles and was going nowhere. She hadn't even seen any people at all which was odd all things considered.
Mow after entering an alley with a dead end, she was forced to meet her pursuers head-on, but immediately thought better of it.
There was no way she'd fail to recognize the masked mercenary from Mt. Glenn, and the fact that he was here meant he'd come all this way for her. His means were too mysterious, and he may even some relation to magic and the Relics. There was no other explanation for his contributions in Mt. Glenn.
Between fighting such a man and the masked woman accompanying him, retreat really was her only option.
Backed into a corner, Cinder pursed her lips as Archer and the masked woman came within view.
The masked woman moved to block the exit of the alley while Archer approached.
"You're the person working under Salem?" Archer questioned.
Just who is this man? Was he another one of Ozpin's pawns?
Thoughts jumbled Cinder's mind before she suppressed them all and focused on keeping silent and thinking of a way to escape. Her muscles tensed, her pupils darting left and right searching for an opening of any sort.
"Don't bother trying," Archer said as if the situation was already settled. "You're not escaping."
Where did this man get such confidence?
Cinder would have shown scorn had it been anyone else saying that to her, but the look in Archer's eyes unnerved her. He was being serious, and his calmness was an ominous sign.
"You talk too much," Cinder suddenly grinned before firing at the window of a building and hopping inside.
She didn't bother to see whether Archer and the masked woman was chasing after her as the answer was obvious.
Making her way through a dust filled room from the window she entered, she pried open the room's door and stepped into a long hallway. Aura suffusing her form, she sprinted down the corridor as fast as her feet could take her.
Chancing a glance back, she saw no one behind her. D-Did she actually lose them?
Relief was short and brief.
The very moment she rounded the corner, she saw Archer already standing there waiting for her.
She froze, appalled.
Turning around, she barely got two steps before bumping into Archer's broad chest as he appeared in a shower of gold dust.
"Are you done?" He asked her as if a parent allowing a child to run through their tantrum which only delayed the inevitable.
"B-But you were behind…" She trailed off before taking out a weapon made of dark glass, charcoal in colour, and stabbing him with it.
The blow was intercepted by a casual sweep of his legs, swiping her off of her feet and throwing her aim off while sending her sprawling over the floor.
T-This man was too strong.
She'd been using her Aura to augment herself, and he'd still managed to destabilize her as if her strength meant nothing.
"Bastard!" She growled, intent on resisting, but the cold feel of metal on her neck which drew blood halted her movements. A droplet of red dripped onto the floor, clear evidence that her Aura protection could be bypassed and her life endangered.
"Are you done?" Archer repeated.
Cinder was indignant, the venom in her gaze not once lightening.
At this time, the two were interrupted by an urgent call outside.
"Archer, there's a problem!" The masked woman's voice echoed.
Shifting his focus away for just a fraction of a second, Cinder detonated a Dust grenade even at her own expense, using her Aura to tank the blow.
-Bang!
Shrapnel in the form of debris exploded outwards from the building along with the indistinct figure of a woman sailing through the air and into a dumpster which cushioned her fall.
Cinder groaned, the putrid smell of filth and garbage causing her to gag. Her hair was singed at the ends along with parts of her dress. What was worse, was the sloppy feeling of some sort of foul-smelling goop she could feel on her body.
Up above from the building, she could see Archer with his upper arms scalded from the blast, but other than some trivial damage, he seemed fine enough.
"Archer!" The masked woman suddenly called again.
Archer looked towards Cinder before looking towards the masked woman pointing at the entrance of the alley with urgency. He frowned and turned to leave.
Cinder was relieved at the sudden development.
T-They were letting her go?
She thought too soon.
In Archer's hand appeared a bow and a strange arrow which he aimed at her.
Self-preservation instincts kicking in, and she forced herself out of the dumpster bin, hastily ducking for cover when she heard the sound of something whistling through the air.
Sprawled on the ground, she feared the worst, but no pain came.
She soon realized that the shot 'arrow' missed its mark completely, stabbing to the left of her and into her shadow instead of on her person.
For a moment, the urge to gloat nearly took hold of her, but this all changed the moment she suddenly realized that she couldn't move.
What was going on?
A magic related object?
Another relic?
She craned her eyes up to stare at the twisted sword stabbed into her shadow cast from a nearby light by an alley's backdoor. She didn't know what it was called, but the altered arrow was something known as a Black Key.
So long as that arrow remained lodged in her shadow, she would remain immobile.
It didn't take a genius to understand this point, and it was around this time that she noticed that Archer and the masked woman had left.
Now was the only time she could possibly make her escape, but so what? She couldn't move at all.
She was unresigned to going down like this, feeling like a shot animal waiting for some hunter to process her.
Footsteps.
She perked up quickly. The explosion from earlier must have attracted people from nearby.
There was still hope!
Fuck the bullheads, she wouldn't stay in this city and wait anymore. All that mattered now was getting out of here and reporting back to the Grimmlands where it was safe.
Calm Cinder. Deep breaths.
She couldn't act rash here. Even if she got out and tried to leave to the Grimmlands, she'd be a siting duck without a mode of transport. No matter what, she had to find someway to survive the few days left before this rotten city's bullheads arrived. However, her most pressing problem was getting out of this dilemma.
With this in mind, she was prepared to persuade whoever was nearby to remove the arrow in her shadow, but grew indignant a second later when she noticed who it was.
"Lady, are you a garbage woman? A-A Princess of the Dumpster?"
It was a grubby little girl with a toothy grin, and too much imagination. Grime matted her baggy clothing and her wide eyes looked somewhat vacant.
"Yes," she gnashed her teeth while trying to keep things cool.
"A garbage woman?"
"No. A Princess,"
Cinder felt like Watts would have been dying of laughter at this scene.
The great Cinder Fall forced to swindle a child.
"Ugh…I wanted to see a garbage woman. Pa says princesses don't exist out here in the street." The child started sucking on her thumb before shrugging and turning away much to Cinder's panic.
N-No dammit.
The child was losing interest.
Think. Think anything. Just come up with something that can work!
"For thousands of years I lay dormant! If only some hapless dimwit would remove the ruinous curse upon my shadow…."
She narrated while feeling like crying.
"Dimwit?"
Her expression darkened unwillingly, but she was forced to compromise.
"N-No of course not! I-I meant distinguished one, mighty one, n-no chosen one."
Silence, followed by footsteps and elated eyes.
"Yes child…Come. Fulfill your destiny…"
Life over dignity.
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