Yakshith observed Hunter Ash's mansion for about 24 hours to decide the best approach. The time window was perfect for establishing guard routes and the time at which they switch. But, to his surprise, there wasn't much going on outside the building. And unfortunately, the ability to discern how the defenses were on the inside was fairly limited.
He cracked his knuckles, "time to play."
Running up a nearby rock, he jumped on the mansion's roof with the help of his claw and moved towards the back. He started peeking into the windows to see where is the safest place to enter. When he finally found an empty room, he swiftly and quietly slithered inside. Moving slowly towards the door, he harked to know if anyone was outside. Silence. He opened the door and peeked out. Two guards standing at the top of the staircase, which was a good approximation of where to find the leader.
When he wanted to move out, the main door of the mansion was blown open. Startled, Yakshith closed the door and listened in on what's going on.
"Bloody hell," someone with a somewhat deep voice exclaimed. "What's going on?"
"We don't know yet, boss," another one answered.
"You settled down quite nicely," a boisterous statement from someone down the stairs. "I personally never was fond of the decadent decor."
"Vermillion?" A surprised tone of the person Yakshith heard first. "Why are you here?" The boss was getting nervous.
"The long of it is troublesome to go through, so I'll be brief. With Wave gone, you're the next target on the agenda."
"And you want to prevent Hana from being wiped out? I think we can stand a fighting chance against the Black Sheep on our own, thank you."
A small chuckle could be heard even by Yakshith in hiding. "Maybe, but it's not the Black Sheep that defeated Wave."
"What are you talking about?" Concern in the voice alarmed Yaksihth. However, the statement of Vermillion made his throat tighten up even more so. They know?
Creeks of the floor as the man was coming up the stairs made Yara realize how huge he must be. For a brief moment, he had an impulse to just run out and kill both of them. Use the element of surprise. Still, the information that someone knows their plans was crucial, and Raymond needed to know that. He started to slowly back away towards the window when he felt a strange tug on his aura.
"There's a fourth party in the midst, and I intend to take them down before they do more harm." His footsteps were getting closer. "And speaking of…" The door to the room Yakshith was hiding in swang open, "we have a rat."
Without thinking, Yakshith unsheathed his claws and attacked the man. Before the slash could connect, the huge man in an animal mask grabbed him by his wrist and twisted his arm behind him. Trying to break free, Yakshith pulled his body, dislocating his shoulder, and slashed Vermilions hand. Now free, he dashed towards the stairs, his right arm flapping uncontrollably.
"Get him!" A corpulent man before him shouted, and the guards dashed to intercept.
Yakshith flipped over the railing to jump down, but the moment he was in the air, someone grabbed his dislocated arm. Vermillion was standing on the bar, holding him.
"Let me go!" The would-be assassin started swiping his claw at the huge man but had no reach. The pain in his arm was slowly beginning to feel excruciating.
The masked fighter tossed the smaller one higher and jumped in with a dropkick to his head. Yakshith landed a floor lower, tumbling some distance before stopping on a wall. Vermillion, on the other hand, landed flat on his hands and sprung upwards, standing tall. He started slowly approaching.
Yakshith, using the moment, fixed his arm. The pain was still troublesome, but now he was able to fight back. He got on his feet and prepared for an attack.
"A true assassin," Vermillion suddenly stated. "Nothing can stop you from achieving your goal."
Yakshith jumped high into the air to attack from above. However, the opponent quickly stepped forward, grabbed the attacker by the leg, and slammed him to the ground. The would-be assassin stood up fast with a kick up, but before he could do anything after, his face met with the opponent's boot. Once again, he landed on his back.
"I would recommend staying on the ground," Vermillion stated calmly, which for Yakshith sounded more like an insult.
"Ok," he stood up and jumped in place a few times. "Time to get serious." He smiled from ear to ear.
"I hope you do," the opponent crossed his arms on his chest.
Yakshith dashed in for an attack, the opponent winded up a punch, but the nimble fighter pivoted to the side and swept Vermillion's leg. The huge man briefly staggered. Still, he regained balance after a solid stomp. Yara used this opportunity to jump on the enemy's back and scratch his face.
"To scratch a predator," he chuckled.
Before Vermillion's hand could reach him, he jumped away, kicking him as a farewell.
"Scratch me if you can!" Yakshith started running towards the door.
He was close to the exit when a wooden board landing beneath his feet made him trip. He twirled to the side and used the momentum to get back on his feet just in time to avoid a punch from Vermillion. Yakshith rolled between the attacker's legs.
"Have a nice trip," he kicked the opponent in the back of the knee.
The huge man's leg bent, making him kneel. However, at the same time, he delivered a powerful elbow to the side of Yakshith's face. The Huntsman stumbled, and before he could see what was going on, Vermillion twisted to the side and uppercut him, sending him flying. Then, with the same hand that punched Yakshith into the air, he grabbed him by the leg and slammed him back to the ground. Before the fighter could get back on his feet, the masked warrior had him in a headlock.
"Your life is now in my hands," Vermillion started talking calmly. His breath was fast but slowly getting calmer.
"And what? You want me to spill who sent me?" Only now, when his focus wasn't taken by the fight, he noticed that a small armed force was amassed around them. Observing their fight with interest.
"Hunter?" The brute holding Yakshith tight looked towards the corpulent man, slowly walking down the stairs.
"What do you want me to say? It's your catch."
Yara was thinking, perhaps more than ever in his life. Still, the only thing that was logical to him was to continue the mission he embarked on. So, with a smile from ear to ear, he started talking.
"Ok, ok… I was sent by Black Sheep to kill the leader of Hana."
The man on the stairs coughed. "And why would Cerulean want me dead?"
"To take control over the city, duh? Now would you give me a break?"
"Poor choice of words," Vermillion said, and with a swift move of his arm, he snapped Yakshith's neck.
The lifeless body of the assassin fell to the ground. Vermillion ignored it as he came closer to Hunter.
"We have some things to discuss."
Rory was looking at an almost unconscious Ray lying in bed. She never thought that she would have to nurse her employer in the way she did. Still, a job is a job, and he was paying. She still was perplexed about why he was in the state he was in, as he didn't take much damage during the fight with that enormous beast of a man. Maybe it had to do something with that man's semblance? She already alerted the gang members and called for a doctor, so she wasn't that concerned.
Ray was still mumbling like in a fever dream, sweating like a sick man. When he was moving his head around, Rory noticed a small bruise near his left temple. She was sure it wasn't there before. Holding his head, Rory took a deeper look and saw that it wasn't really a bruise but something different. Unfortunately, her medical knowledge was lacking, and she could not identify what it really was. Still, when the doctor finally arrives, she was planning to make him know of her discovery.
Having a few brief conversations with the Spider family members, it was apparent that Ray had a very small circle and held his plans close to his chest. It was surprising that even working with the gang, he was suspicious of them. What was even more bewildering was the fact that because of that, it seemed like she was now in charge of the plan. The plan… Yakshith popped into her mind like a zit on a teenager's face. He always was impulsive and prone to acting out, but there was no denying he was talented and, most of all, good at what he does. In most cases, he was able to turn every situation around somehow, though he was bailed by Kain in many of those scenarios.
When the doctor finally arrived, she notified him of the bruise-like swelling on Ray's temple. The medical professional checked him thoroughly.
"So, what's the problem?"
After a long breath, the doctor answered. "Internal bleeding. He requires treatment in a professional facility."
"We don't have that kind of luxury, doctor," one of the gang members chimed in.
"If I'm to operate here, I require equipment."
Another gang member rolled in a set of medical supplies on a moving table. The doctor nodded, observing what they had.
"I can work with that."
"Good," Rory stated and headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" One of the gang members asked.
She gave him a suspicious look. "Raymond's job," she answered as she exited the building.
As she moved through the city streets, she had only one question on her mind: What now? Ray was out of commission, Kain behind the enemy lines, and Yakshith, who the hell knows. For a brief moment, she thought to herself that it was time to bail, but the mission was too exciting to not see it through to the end. For once, she knew that at least Yakshith was enjoying this kind of assignment. A gentle sigh came out of her mouth; Korin would have a plan for the situation.
Still, she was technically in charge, at least for the time Ray was out of commission. What would he actually come up with? If Yakshith's mission to kill the leader of Hana is successful, that would more than likely be a declaration of war between the two last remaining gangs. In the chaos of the fight, the Spiders are free to sow discord as they please and dwindle the forces on both sides until only one is left with no strength to match Ray. So, in the end, it all boils down to waiting? How droll.
Vermillion and Hunter closed themselves in a room to talk. The masked mastermind already had many ideas and plots to execute, but he required the assistance of the Hana gang in most of them. Working with Ash, as crazy as it might sound, was still a valid strategy.
"So what's it all about? A fourth party? An assassin claiming he was sent by Cerulean? What the hell is going on, Vermillion?" The current leader of Hana was pacing around the room, nervously playing with his own hands.
Raddock stood in place, looking carefully at the distraught man. "All you need to know is that Black Sheep was tricked into attacking and devastating Wave and wanted to off you to force a reaction out of Hana."
"And with a war between the two last gangs, they could just step in and kill off the stragglers." He continued after a short pause, "and the assassin move would be really believable."
Vermillion chuckled in his boisterous voice, "for someone illiterate, maybe. Does sending out a killer to do his dirty work sound like Cerulean to you?"
Hunter stopped in place, looking at the masked man with an expression of realization. "That doesn't sound like him, true. He would do it himself."
The room was silent for a moment. The Hana leader looked at the masked man, trying to pierce through the calm exterior and discern what he could possibly be thinking about.
"So, what exactly do you hope to accomplish by barging in here? What do you plan on using Hana for?"
"You're not as dumb as you used to be," Hunter was angered and started to raise his voice but was silenced when Vermillion raised his hand. The look of utmost fear on his face made Raddock smirk under his mask. "Let's play out the little game the enemy set up. I want Hana to attack the Black Sheep on the pretext that they attempted to kill you."
Hunter blinked few times, befuddled. "What the hell are you talking about? We don't have a chance in an open confrontation with the Black Sheep! And by the way, wouldn't that just make us play right into their trap?"
"It is a gamble, true. However, it's a calculated one."
"How is it calculated? You just want me to go on a suicide mission. No way I'm up for that."
Vermillion took a few steps towards Hunter. His statue completely dominating over the small, corpulent man. "You know I don't really need you to execute this plan, right?"
The towering mountain of a man made Ash seem like a scared child. His legs started trembling.
"To answer your question: We know it's a trap, and I will observe the situation for any underhanded tactics. You will be the bait that I will capitalize on and destroy anything or anyone that interferes."
"You're still putting too many lives on the line for a payoff that may not even come," Hunter eyed the man. "Are you getting more sloppy with age?"
"No," the masked warrior stated calmly. "You forget that the lives I gamble with are not my own."
Ash simply nodded, "so you're just getting colder with age."
Vermillion walked towards the window. Looking outside, he started talking with a calm, almost nostalgic tone. "Ever since Salem vanished, the dream of being the king of this city was my only driving motivation." He turned around to look the Hana leader in the eye, "and nothing will take that throne away from me."
Hunter nodded again. There was still a wave of scratching anger at the back of his mind. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you kidnap my son?"
"Your son?" A palpable confusion was visible in Vermillion's eyes even behind the mask.
Hunter's anger grew even more profound. "You kidnapped my son for some experiments you…" He wanted to say 'monster,' but fear gripped him by the throat.
"The process of picking test subjects was not under my control. If your son was targeted, you had Aurelius Moridun Blane to blame. However, that would be difficult as he is no longer with us."
Ash's eyes were wide open in shock. "Did you punish him for what he did?"
Vermillion considered his answer. On the one hand, he wanted Hunter to cooperate with him and not cause any problems. However, on the other one, did he really cared?
"No," he answered slowly.
For a brief moment, the Hana leader's fist clenched. But only for a moment. He looked down to the floor, utterly defeated and without any energy left in him. Vermillion closed in and put his hand on the man's shoulder.
"You have a job to do."
