Tyrian may have had a bag placed over his head, but there were still several things that he could tell about what was going on around him. For one, he knew for sure that they were taking him underground because the air had gone from arid and dry to cool and damp after an extended amount of time. The other was the fact that he was getting closer to Strakh, his nose picking up on the smell of Dust, which he was quite familiar with. He wasn't sure he understood why they wanted to hide it from him, this was a long-term business venture and he was determined to assist Strakh in any way possible to achieve his goal.
"Boys, I don't think it's necessary to go to all this trouble for me. Your boss is the one who asked me to come out here and help move the Temnota name to an entirely new level! If anything you all should be thanking me!" He told them before his tune changed from his usual joking manner to crazed and homicidal, thrashing against the grip of the two men. "Not placing a sack over my head! Let go of me you jack-"
"Let him go," a voice said. Tyrian recognized the voice from the many phone calls that they had exchanged, and he felt relief as they removed the bag quickly. He stumbled to his knees and his tail whipped back, slapping the two men away.
"These brutes are awful Strakh! I recommend getting some new help in here that knows what they're doing!" Tyrian told him. Tyrian took in the sight around him. He was right, they were in some kind of poorly lit cavern or structure that was underground, made entirely of sandstone, which made sense seeing as it would have been the cheapest building material he could have gotten his hands on. A desk sat in the middle of the large room, probably made of mahogany, the rest of the room bustling with commotion and noise. Crates of Dust were stacked everywhere. It was as if he had chosen to set up in the middle of the production floor or busy warehouse. "An interesting location choice for your point of operations conduction, don't you think?" Strakh looked up and peered over his glasses.
The man looked different than Tyrian expected, plainer. His dark orange eyes didn't strike fear as Tyrian would have assumed. The goatee almost made the man look too old. A scar running from the corner of his lip down the chin, hair wouldn't grow there ever again. Another smaller scar across the bridge of his nose. His short black hair was spiked and his suit was a tailored black jacket with matching slacks. His dark blue tie completed the look. He set the glasses down gently, but they rattled slightly off of the table as he let them go, his hands unsteady.
"Fear, as I'm sure you're well aware of, is a great tool for motivation," Strakh said as he stood. He did have height over Tyrian and muscle, but his legs trembled just enough that it was visible. "It's not necessarily the fact that I can kill them myself, but that at any given moment, I can give the command." Strakh grinned and his face became dark. "But I am still quite capable of doing it myself." Tyrian nodded and groveled slightly.
"Of course! Of course, you are! I wasn't suggesting that you weren't, I never thought that once!" Tyrian defended himself. Strakh grabbed his cane and shuffled across the floor, moving to the back of the large room, Tyrian following after a moment.
"Why are you here so early Tyrian. I told you when I contacted you last that we wouldn't be setting your part of the plan into motion until the spring. It isn't even winter yet," Strakh reminded him. Tyrian nodded and squirmed, his body practically pleading for his new leader to remain patient with him.
"I know Strakh, I know! I couldn't stand the idea of waiting to help you when I could be making a difference now and I had a desire to discuss details and happenings now, I hope you understand…" Strakh reached quickly into his jacket and spun back towards Tyrian, firing a shot off that tore the arm of his jacket without drawing any blood. It was an abnormal revolver, that used normal rounds and didn't double as any other weapon. Tyrian looked at him in confusion.
"It would be in your best interest that you do not forget that I am in charge," Strakh reminded him. He hobbled on, Tyrian walking behind him on twos now, slowly and cautiously.
"I can leave if you'd like," Tyrian offered.
"And create even more work for ourselves?" Strakh asked. He lifted the cane and shoved it into a small hole in the cavern wall, giving it a turn. The wall shifted and he pulled his prop back out, the wall sliding slowly into the ground and revealing a large room filled with large metal crates that were marked with amounts on the outside. They were filled with Lien. "Come… follow me to paradise."
"But of course," Tyrian complied. The far end of the room contained an unnecessarily expensive wet bar and jacuzzi, girls that were dressed in expensive lingerie met them halfway but looked less than happy.
"Welcome home master," one of them told him. "Shall we tend to the needs of you or your guest?" Strakh's face turned into a perverted smile and it was then that Tyrian noted the girls' shackles. He pulled her in.
"Not now Aurelia, but perhaps later this evening, hmm?" He asked. She struggled against his grip, whimpering slightly. His eyes undressed her for a long moment and he let her go. She nodded at him, blushing in shame and he slapped her on the ass as she walked away.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Strakh asked as he stepped behind the counter and poured himself a drink. Tyrian shook his head.
"I'd rather get along with business if possible," Tyrian told him. Strakh took a sip of his White Russian and shrugged.
"Suit yourself," Strakh scoffed. "What is it that you'd like to know?" Tyrian sat awkwardly on the stool across from Temnota, perched on the top like a gargoyle.
"I want to be brought up to speed," Tyrian explained. "For one, how have you stayed in contact with Her? If what I've been hearing is true, the bridge to the Queen's realm in Mistral has been blocked off, or destroyed, or something to that effect." Strakh dabbed his lip with a napkin.
"It's true," Temnota confirmed. "But we found a new gate was opened. It sits on top of the middle of the ocean, far west of here. I only go visit when I am instructed to." Tyrian lifted an eyebrow and rubbed his hands together.
"What do you mean by that?" The scorpion asked.
"Our informant in Mistral is the one running the operation. I was never in charge of this, but we've been using my name at the top of everything so that things will continue on if I meet my end before we see this plan through to the end," Strakh told him. "I am the Queen's pawn in the West. Admon in the North. Mercury in the 'South'."
"What of the East?" Tyrian inquired. Strakh looked deep into his glass at the ice and stifled a laugh.
"Who knows?" Strakh set the glass in the sink and returned to the bar. "They've chosen to remain anonymous due to continuous and growing pressure from Sterling. That man has made it impossible to make any progress in Mistral." Strakh slammed his fist. "The council needs to be torn down before any of this can progress further."
"What's the wait?" Tyrian asked, his eyes filled with delighted malice intent. "Why don't we attack Olesia now? Why are we waiting?" Strakh shook his head and laughed as he stood and moved towards a door at the back of the room. One of the women bowed slightly, opening the door and letting them in.
"The council members are the strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses that Remnant has. They aren't to be trifled with. Ruby Rose is at their head." Tyrian gritted his teeth. "And we know how powerful Rose is."
"I don't need a reminder!" Tyrian snapped. "She's the reason that we're in this mess!" The room had a bed and a nightstand.
"This is where you'll be staying," Strakh told him. "Make yourself comfortable and if you need anything, the ladies will be glad to help." He turned to leave and he gave off an evil aura as he glanced back. "And I do mean anything." He moved to close the door but Tyrian stopped him.
"What about the girl?" Tyrian asked. This time it was Strakh's turn to grit his teeth.
"She knows better than to say anything." Temnota left with a slamming of the door and Tyrian rubbed his hands together. He had taken on the Rose once, surely this Olesia couldn't be as powerful as Strakh assumed. It would also give him an opportunity to try out his gift from Temnota's company.
Olesia sat in her bed for a long moment, reaching back and feeling her soft tail, nothing but her underwear and bra covering her. She took a deep breath and sighed. Another day, another chance to tackle the issues that had been placed before her. They had begun trying to pinpoint Strakh and his base of operations, but Shade was a large city and offered many places to hide. They had gotten off to a slow start and hadn't had any luck up to that point. She stared out her bedroom window that faced one of the only large oasis located in the kingdom of Vacuo.
She was alone, but it was mostly her own choice. Emotions and romantic feelings would only get in the way of protecting the kingdom and for her, the kingdom came first before anything else. It had offered her refuge long ago when she and Dorian had first met and ran away. Her family had been killed by Grimm and Dorian had always had faith in her and her strength, even if she didn't believe in herself all the time. Both victims of the Nuckelavee, they had run and kept running until they reached Atlas. The academy had taken them in, but it was a time when Faunus were still frowned upon, the White Fang was at the peak of their terrorist acts. The General had asked them to stay, but they fled again, finally finding safety in Shade.
They had never been romantic, Dorian had always placed Olesia on a pedestal and admired her from below, making sure that it didn't fall out from beneath her. She owed a lot to the kingdom, but maybe she owed more to Dorian. She stretched and smirked. Perhaps there was no one else there to tell her that she was beautiful, but she admired her own body, and that was enough for her. She rubbed her wrists. Still a touch sore. They had been bothering her for the last week or so, but there was little she could do about it until the next council meeting.
She moved to her bathroom, the door sliding open without her so much as acknowledging it and the shower starting itself as she removed her undergarments. Everything in the house was controlled electronically, synchronizing perfectly with her technopathic abilities. It made things a breeze. She looked at herself naked in the mirror. She knew in the back of her mind she was kidding herself. She wanted to know the touch of a man so badly… but she had disciplined herself so well. Maybe someday…
She stepped into the shower, the water the perfect temperature as her mind adjusted it for her. She took a deep breath, the water felt good and she reached back, shampooing her tail before moving to her hair. She startled for a moment as the PA in her house alarmed. It was usually so silent, and the sudden ringing had frightened her, though it was no more than a message. She chuckled. She was justified though, wasn't she? She was naked. She couldn't be more vulnerable than she was now, and even Dorian had accidentally seen her naked before, though it was a memory that she'd take time later to remember.
*Have you seen the news yet this morning? - Dorian*
She shook her head and finished in the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and moving back to her bedroom. He was no doubt overreacting to something related to Temnota and she would reassure him that they were already doing everything possible to catch the man. The TV activated for her and she sat on her bed drying off.
"Temnota's men struck once again this morning, using Vacuo's own military tech against itself to overpower them and steal a large shipment of Dust from the SDC. The SDC declined to comment as Vacuo regulations currently don't allow the militaries of other kingdoms to interfere on their soil. It appears that if things carry on this way, the SDC may refuse to continue trade with Vacuo," the reporter said. Olesia froze for a moment with the towel on her head, and her eye and tail twitched.
*Why hasn't Winter or Ironwood told me about this? Why am I just finding out now?!*
The message composed and sent itself to Dorian and she walked to her closet as the PA dialed Winter Branwen.
"This is General Winter Branwen of the Atlas Military," she answered dryly in her normal rehearsed manner.
"When were you planning on informing me that the SDC is no longer trading with my kingdom?" Olesia asked.
"Olesia…" Winter began.
"I am running this kingdom, don't act like I'm a child," Olesia told her. She could hear Winter sigh after a long pause.
"Why can't you see that the other kingdoms just want to offer their support," Winter asked.
"I can do it on my own!" Olesia snapped.
"You sound like one of my students," Winter told her. "I'll talk to my sister, but she can't continue to afford to lose Dust in Vacuo, so for the moment, she put a hold on exporting to your people." Olesia stepped out of her closet wearing a pair of leggings and tank top. After this, she'd head out for her morning jog. "I can't blame her and I know this is bad for your image, but you have to understand where she's coming from."
Olesia rubbed her forehead. Yes, she understood. But they needed to understand that she was doing her best to take care of the situation. Wasn't that enough for them? And she had always idolized Ruby and the rest of her team, but why was everyone insistent on her needing help? Dorian never insisted she needed help… but he was always there to help if she needed it…
"Ask Weiss to reconsider, and perhaps I will reconsider as well," Olesia told her. She hung up and grabbed her keys. Now to continue her… She froze in place for a long moment, the security system speaking to her. There was a large number of people that were waiting in her foyer, but she knew that she had nothing scheduled this morning, and if Dorian had stopped by, he would have deactivated the security system before entering.
"Olesia Lychnítis," the voice called out. She thought long and hard, but she couldn't remember a time that she had ever heard this voice before and she stepped towards her lobby, ready to attack or defend.
"It's unwise," her voice thundered over the PA. "To attack someone with my power in their home." The man laughed wildly, setting slight nausea in Olesia's stomach, but it was nothing compared to what she had felt when face to face with the Grimm that destroyed her home long ago. "You don't know who you're dealing with, do you?"
"They told me that I shouldn't do this. They told me that this was suicide," the man called out into the house that appeared to be empty so far. She spotted one of the men, he was checking for her in the pantry, unfamiliar with the layout of her house. She came up behind him quickly and quietly, activating the ice maker with her power and distracting him, allowing her to easily break his neck unnoticed. "But I didn't believe that at such a young age, you could be as powerful as Ruby Rose." She noted how bitter his voice was as if the words choked him.
"I'll allow you to live if you leave now," she offered over the PA. He gave the same laugh as he had before.
"Overconfidence will get you nowhere," He told her. He lowered his voice, unaware that if he was close enough to anything in the house that was run with electricity, she could hear it. "Split up and bring her to me."
"Do you think it's wise for them to take me on one at a time?" She asked. She stepped into the dining room and two of them spotted her. She slid the door shut between the rooms and locked them out.
*Dorian. If you can, I'd appreciate you stopping over within the next ten minutes.*
"They don't matter to me, and they'll gladly give their lives for my vengeance," he explained. "The council needs to pay for what they did to my Goddess!" Olesia didn't follow entirely, but if this maniac wanted a fight, she'd give it to him. "You see Olesia, I have nothing to lose!" The men attempted to open the door using the security panel, but were greeted with a blast of electricity that threw them back against the wall. The door opened for her and she walked past.
"I'm still in the foyer if you're wondering," he told her. "I wouldn't want you forgetting or getting lost on the way here!" She moved quietly through the house, stopping beside an open doorway as one of the men passed by. She drew his attention by opening a door at the end of the hallway and quickly walking past him and into the foyer. Her challenger stood in the door, wearing a brown trench coat, smiling wickedly, his eyes small and crazed.
"Who are you?" She asked. He gasped and placed a hand to his chest.
"I haven't introduced myself?" He asked. "I am Tyrian, and my one and only love that I will give my life for, is Salem." He was dramatic, but Olesia understood his logic better now. He was one of those extremists that had followed Salem before she had been destroyed by Ruby.
"Was Salem," Olesia corrected. His mouth twitched. He smiled as he revealed a switch in his hand.
"Indeed." He activated the plunger and an explosion rocked the house, taking out the floor beneath them and they both tumbled into a subterranean room that had been cleared out. When had they taken the time to do this? How hadn't she noticed?! "We've been at this for a while, you're never home to hear us. Strakh wanted to wait to make use of this, but his plan is too well thought out to fail, and it appears that you forgot your weapons."
"Oh have I?" She asked. She smirked and he threw off his coat, revealing a stinger on his tail that was made of pure dust, something she had never seen before. Was it possible for entire limbs and appendages to be made of dust? Before she could react he was sliding past her. She knocked his tail away with her hand and he front flipped away, activating his guns and firing.
She blocked the bullets with her hands and after several shots, Tyrian paused, not quite understanding what was happening. She placed her palms out towards him, a foot long metal "needle" protruding from the middle of each. Atlas tech. She had done it long ago without Dorian's knowledge, but when they first hid there after leaving Mistral, she had asked the General to give her a weapon that would let her defend herself. She accepted the risk and consequence. She offered her body to them and it had been a success.
This revelation only irked Tyrian more and he moved in quickly to strike. They exchanged glances with their blades before Tyrian caught both of her needles by clamping them with the blades on his weapons. He smirked and his tail swept around his body, ready to inject her. She leapt over it, her legs wrapping around his neck as she threw her weight forcing him to release her weapons as she twisted. It didn't break his neck as she hoped, her grip had loosened too much, but he bounded away from her all the same. She noted Strakh's men leaping in from her house above.
"I'm impressed, but I'm not convinced that you're one of the 'best' per se. Let's see if it holds true," Tyrian told her. She moved slowly in a circle. Either this scorpion knew what he was doing, or he was suicidal. She waited for one of the thugs to get restless and he charged in… too easy. She stepped past him with speed that caused him to hesitate. She jammed the needle into his neck.
"Here we go," she spoke softly. She released him and the color drained from his eyes. She smirked. Of course, she'd choose a weapon that complimented her semblance, and her needles had the ability to inject her opponent with nanites. Her subconscious was able to take care of the rest from there.
"Attack them!" Tyrian demanded as he charged in. The goon spun and opened fire at Tyrian who finished him off immediately with his tail, blocking her needles again with his pincers. She could feel the electrical wires that had been tethered with the destruction of the floor and they attacked two of the men as she focused on Tyrian, strangling one and giving the other a dose of high voltage electricity.
Several gunshots struck her in the back and she turned her attention towards them, reaching into her bra and tossing something at Tyrian that missed. She moved quickly, a speed that Tyrian could only assume came from her being a bunny Faunus, and she slammed the needles into both of their chests. She injected the nanites and pulled out, turning back just in time to duck under Tyrian's tail. He blasted her back and she slid into the wall, her aura taking several hits before the two men she controlled attempted to take Tyrian on. She threw something behind her again and slid between the men.
"Thanks, boys!" She exclaimed. She knocked both of Tyrian's hands down, his tail taking out the hired help to her right, and she kicked him in the chest, sending him sliding back. The other man still under her watch got several shots in before his tail blocked the rest. She darted through a few more shots slamming two more men to the wall and injecting them as well. She lingered for a moment before turning back to face Tyrian again.
His face was beet red and his eyes had narrowed, now purple instead of yellow. He charged at her and she prepared herself, only to watch him use his tail to vault over her at the last moment and kill the two men she had just took. His tail slashed through the back of her tank top, not cutting her deep enough to inject her with any of the earth Dust, but enough to cause her pain. He fired past at her at the last two thugs that were mounting an attack. She tumbled past them, leaping to her feet and planting against the wall.
"Is that all the help you have?" She asked. "I was hoping to have a little more fun before I killed you." He tilted his head and laughed.
"You don't feel it?" He asked. "Those bullets are from our black market friends over in Mistral. Mistral R&D has been hard at work making some ethically questionable weapons and ammo. But I suppose you're already aware of that. My men were equipped with rounds that nullify your Faunus abilities. Heightened smell, sight, hearing, and agility. All of them dulled to an almost human level." She didn't display any sign of being more nervous than she had been before and it further angered Tyrian.
"I don't think that'll cause any issues to be honest," she told him. He gritted his teeth and charged, letting out an animalistic yell. He clashed with her, both of them exchanging glances and he used his tail to overpower her and push her back to the wall. Pain shot through her body for a moment and she managed to roll across the wall to avoid a direct attack, but another tail swipe sent another wave of pain through her. He chuckled as she leapt back.
"Powerful… Ha! When they told me that you four were the most powerful, I thought that maybe you all had been given the power of the Maidens', but if this is that power, what was everyone so obsessed about?" She grunted as she felt the blood at her side. His aura was going to make this tricky, but if she could get in, it would be the end of him. She just needed a window. Dorian hadn't replied. She might need to do it alone.
"I'm not dead yet though, am I?" She asked with that same condescending grin on her face. He smirked this time.
"Do I hear denial? Are you growing tired? Are the injuries you've received too much?" He asked. She shook her head, trying to disguise her labored breath.
"I've taken worse beatings from Creepers," she egged him on. He shook his head in disbelief.
"So naive for such a pretty face," he replied. She charged him and they exchanged glances, neither landing a hit. His tail swung around and she batted it away with her blades, forcing him to leap back. "You have no long range abilities, and let's face it, you're no match for my short range attacks. You can't win this."
"Now who's overconfident?" She asked. She flicked her wrist and four microchips flew from each side of the room and attached to Tyrian. He looked at them and made a vain attempt to remove them.
"So you missed throwing that at me earlier on purpose," he said. She nodded as she walked towards him.
"I didn't need to be in my house to win. On my way through the kitchen, I grabbed these trap microchips, I have them hiding all over the house for this very occasion. Perhaps you're right. Maybe I'm not the strongest, but I did outsmart you." She explained. He struggled to move, but however her trap worked, it had taken control of his muscular system.
"So an electronic paralysis?" He asked.
"Using electrical impulses," she informed him. "Where's Strakh?" She moved over to him, wiping the blood from her side and looking at her hand. He sneered and his tail shot over his shoulder, stopping inches from her chest. Olesia took a deep breath and glanced up at Dorian. "You got my message."
"And you forget how my time dilations work. Hurry!" He shouted. She nodded and stepped to the side, time starting again as she stabbed him with both needles in the chest. His tail flopped to the ground and his eyes were wide.
"How?" He grunted. She sighed and looked up at Dorian.
"Sometimes strength is found in admitting you can't do it alone," Olesia told him. "Now where's Strakh?" He spat at her, his body under her control.
"Screw you." His tail lifted behind him and impaled him through his chest. He looked down, his head rolling and he laughed manically for the last time. "Well, that's ironic…" She released him and his body flopped to the ground as she watched him, wondering what he had truly hoped to accomplish. She glanced back up at Dorian.
"The council won't be happy to hear about this," he told her. She nodded thoughtfully.
"I guess we'll be asking Mistral to send aid after all."
After a close run-in with Tyrian, Olesia wins by the skin of her teeth and decides that she needs help from Mistral after all. Next week, will Blake find out about Neela fighting Stardust? Chapter 30 - Morning Memories!
A big thank you to Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!