"Where do we even start?" Titus asked as he watched the scene unfold for a moment as they reached the battle. White Fang were everywhere, Blake's clones and Yang trying to reach Athena but having very little success as Crimson and Ebony kept them from getting too close, the woman wearing a smile on her face as an intimidating man asked her something and she replied before he nodded and gave his own unnerving grin, leaving her to head for the tower. "Athena is the mastermind, I say that we help Yang and Blake get in close so they can take her down." Ilia nodded as she strapped her guns onto her arms.
"Sounds like a plan to me," she agreed. He chuckled.
"Good thing we opted for bringing our weapons," Titus noted.
"One can never be too careful," she replied. Titus looked for an opening to slip in, Yang knocking Ebony back as the girl vanished into the ground, the sun had almost completely disappeared which means that the girl had seemingly endless shadows to work with on this night of the new moon. She appeared behind Yang, raising her dagger before Titus arrived a second later, taking her off guard as he caught her by the wrist and slammed her into the ground, watching her disappear once again.
"I thought Blake told you kids to leave," Yang reminded him.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Titus informed her. "We've gone toe to toe with her lackeys once before, you and Blake can focus on Athena and we'll keep the heat off." Yang gave him a nod and smiled.
"Sounds good to me," Yang noted. Ilia took a step towards Titus, still scanning the area for Ebony as Crimson exchanged blows with Yang and Titus, holding them both off momentarily.
"No one can match the strength of my goddess!" Crimson yelled. Her rod became Ember Celica and she matched Yang hit for hit before they both slid back and Titus raced towards her. His blades came down as Ebony emerged beside him, her darkness crawling up from the ground to trap Titus. Ilia noted the attack in time, moving into action and leaping into Ebony's body as the two crashed back into the shadows and Titus' blade met Crimson's torso, tossing her away. Her body bounced several times as she rolled before finally finding her feet with a manic look and laugh to match.
"Go!" Titus shouted. Yang nodded, sprinting for Athena who teleported with a grin. She stopped short, one of Blake's clones knocking out a member of the White Fang before disappearing.
"You holding up okay?" Yang asked her.
"I told them to leave for a reason!" Blake shouted, clinging to a confused and panicking Shadow.
"Mommy!" Shadow cried out. Blake held her closer.
"It's okay," Blake reassured her.
"I'll find Athena," Yang told her. "Leave using an airship if you can." Blake debated protesting, but she needed to get Shadow out of there. She nodded.
"Be careful," Blake instructed her. Yang gave a salute.
"You got it, babe," Yang replied before leaving.
"Fight me then!" Crimson demanded.
"With pleasure!" Titus called back slamming his blades into the ground, sending pikes of earth crashing up through the ground towards Crimson who leapt over them, just escaping his attack as she navigated the tops of them with precision and came in quick for an attack. He blocked her with his sword, one hand seemed to be enough at this point and allowed him to prepare his next attack, turning the Dust dial without looking and choosing ice, an empty swipe which appeared to be a missed hit slammed her with a blast of frozen air, enough to render her arms useless for a moment. She tilted her head as she landed, throwing her head back.
"You're strong, but not as strong as Athena!" Crimson made him aware.
"I think you're being a bit obsessive," Titus pointed out.
"Athena is everything!" She shouted, firing her gauntlets to eliminate the ice.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Titus told her.
"Less talk!" She hissed, charging again, though this time she seemed to reach him faster. This blast nearly removed the sword from his hands, forcing him to use both hands to keep her back as her gauntlets transformed to match his blades. She spun them as she lunged back, making him chase her with an empty attack before moving in on his opening and slashing out, nailing him in the chest and forcing him to leap away from her. "I'm only getting started!" She raced for him again, his eyes struggling to keep up with her movement as she kept him on the defensive, moving in a flurry as their swords met, sparks flying about before he tried selecting a new Dust. Her attacks didn't give his blades enough time to fully load the ammunition and the fire Dust erupted prematurely, throwing them both back from each other and destroying the hilt on one of the lieutenant general's blades.
"How can she be getting faster as the fight goes on?" Titus asked himself. His blade stayed intact, flying away as he double handed the sword he had left, using enough force to throw her from him and into a myriad of the chairs, toppling through them before slicing them apart with her replicas of Hera and Hestia.
"To think the fakes beat out the real ones," she cackled moving in again. He blocked her twice before she slashed him in the chest, his aura taking it but driving him back as she dove in. Another blade met her and blasted her back, sending her further than Titus was able to and he looked up to see Cobalt standing over him.
"What's happening here?" Cobalt asked, helping the militant up.
"Where were you guys?" Titus inquired.
"Is this really the best time for an interrogation?" Cobalt questioned. Titus sighed.
"The White Fang attacked right before the power went out," Titus informed him. "Athena and her best are here and we can only assume she plans on taking down the tower again."
"What's the catch with this one again? You guys faced them before, right?" Cobalt noted.
"She gets a bit excited about blood," Titus informed Cobalt. Cobalt smirked.
"Got it," he replied.
"Two of you?" Crimson asked as she approached. "This will be a much better showing of my loyalty and strength!" She moved in faster than they could blink, the wind splitting and blowing past them as she attacked quickly, the two of them attempting to defend. Titus failed, having his other sword knocked away before taking a second slash that he couldn't avoid. Cobalt blocked both of her quick attacks directed at him, she spun around to use both kopides on him, failing several more attacks before they clashed against his laser sword and they pushed against each other.
"Surprised?" Cobalt asked. He had only his computer to thank, he'd given slight control over the moment that Crimson disappeared from his sight, allowing the AI to extend and contract his joint armor as needed. She had impossible speed, was she even human? She snarled, batting his blade down and swinging for him but failing as Titus had grabbed her by the arm, lifting her from her feet and planting her into the ground.
"Fire!" Titus shouted. Cobalt did, landing what would have been a direct hit but Crimson had formed her weapon into his as she hit the ground and fired back at the same moment. The two powers met, Crimson's quickly overpowering Cobalt's and the resulting blow obscured Cobalt's vision and left Titus open. "Not yet, I need another moment or so!" Titus diverted the end of the sword with his bare hand, kicking Crimson who took the blow to the jaw in stride, bounding away into the chairs once again, laughing as she finally rolled to a stop.
"You said you took her on before?" Cobalt made sure as she wiped her mouth and noted the blood. Her eyes darkened and she gripped the blade tighter, veins pulsating against her skin.
"She seems to be going all out this time," Titus offered.
"I need more blood!" She screamed, letting it ring out for a few seconds before dashing in again.
"I hope you're ready!" Cobalt shouted.
"I hope so too!" Titus declared. He gripped Cobalt quickly, knowing full and well from the look in her eyes that she found him to be an easier target. Titus pulled him out of the way, dragging the otaku to the other side of him with all of his strength and swinging his arm out as Crimson arrived to attack, clotheslining her and scoffing as she dropped hard. He swung down, Crimson slipping out of the way and climbing over him, impaling Cobalt with her replica of his blade. His eyes grew wide. "Cobalt!"
"One down!" Crimson noted as she removed her sword and turned to face Titus before freezing. She stared at the blade, her eyes dancing as they searched the blade for blood. She glanced up, noting that Titus had covered himself in stone despite not losing his aura. He cracked a grin. Winter had called him a week after his last update and suggested that he focus on his semblance. He took it to heart. He stole her blade, gripping her hand and she released it from the pain before he crushed her wrist. His right fist was pulling back, crashing into her stomach amid her disbelief, and throwing her away from him through the air and towards the cafeteria. Her feet struck the side of the building, rocketing her back at him as he prepared to swat her, but she was shot out of the air by Cobalt whose real body had flown into the woods after she overpowered him.
"Athena hasn't taught you not to underestimate your opponents?" Cobalt asked as he made his way in from the woods. "That's like... Beacon 101."
"Then stay on your toes," Titus instructed.
"Right," Cobalt agreed. They moved towards where Cobalt's computer had calculated she should have landed, but she wasn't there.
"How is her aura not done yet?" Titus pondered.
"Could have something to do with the blood," Cobalt suggested. She charged in from their blind spot, biting Cobalt's hand and forcing him to drop his sword, she scrambled on all fours like an animal and scooped it up, trying to turn and fire at them but failing.
"What?" Crimson asked. Titus charged her, she defended against him, her strength surprisingly sound against his stone form. "You don't understand that I can't lose!"
"You don't understand that I don't care," Titus barked back.
"I care a little," Cobalt added. He charged in, Crimson taking a step back and swiping at him, forcing him to stay a step back. Titus maneuvered towards her, she put her speed on display again as she managed to swing back around and deflect him, kicking Cobalt in the chest before she and Titus met with a flurry of blows. Cobalt grunted, nearly tripping over Titus intact blade and picking it up, sprinting in for her. He clumsily chose a Dust, crashing against his own weapon and activating the gravity. Crimson made show of her skill, somehow deflecting the blow at Titus who stumbled back. Crimson took off after him, kicking him in the chest as he was off balance and sending him through a tree. His body destroyed the trunk and he hit his knees for a moment, shaking his head as he glanced up and attempted to block the next hit.
His arm took it, strong-arming away Cobalt's blade but she managed to grip her own, her feet planting on his chest as she pulled it away and backflipped over Cobalt.
"No getting out of the way this time!" She shouted. Cobalt's eyes grew wide before Titus gripped his hand and threw him to the ground, pulling himself up and snatching his sword back from Cobalt. He landed a glancing blow on Crimson, her blade glancing off of Titus's chest but tearing away part of the stone. It cracked across his body and he looked down before meeting eyes with her, they were crazed and filled with rage. "You might have been lucky up to this point, but you can't avoid my next attack."
"You seem like nothing but talk," Titus scowled.
"My goddess would not have chosen me if that were the case," Crimson assured him. Her sword became a rod again, doing her best to deflect a few empty and desperate blows. Dammit, Titus thought. I'm on the brink of losing my aura from overdoing my semblance and if she cracks the rest of the way through my semblance I'm as good as dead! "Goodbye, humans."
"Not good!" Cobalt shouted. Titus moved back as she pressed a button on the weapon and it lit up with a blinding light.
"Not yet!" Titus shouted. The weapon released an explosion of unstable Dust, taking out the surrounding area, blasting Crimson away, tossing her in a heap onto the stage with her aura fizzling out, trying to atleast pull herself onto her elbows but failing. The trees around both Titus and Cobalt were obliterated with Titus standing firm in front of the other Huntsman with a smile on his face. Prior to the blast, he'd lifted the tree that his body had snapped in half earlier, weakening the blow that stripped the stone from his body and sliced through the rest of his aura.
"How?!" Crimson demanded, trying to force her body to stand.
"His magic is never giving up!" Cobalt shouted before checking on Titus who'd flopped onto the ground. "You okay?"
"As soon as I get back some of my aura, sure," he noted. Cobalt stared out at Crimson who somehow was pushing through the immense pain she must have been feeling to stand.
"Hopefully that's soon!" Cobalt noted.
"Titus!" Ilia shouted as she sank into the darkness and her eyes were suddenly filled with blinding light. Again? Visions of the person's past… was it possible that she'd always see these when she tried using someone's body who had a strong Aura? Ilia peered out through the light that filled her eyes, noting a familiar figure that seemed to be coming closer every moment that passed.
"Pathetic," the woman spat.
"I can do better!" Ebony shouted, Ilia recognizing the voice that came from her.
"You'll never be strong enough to take over this tribe if you don't," the voice said again before coming into focus. Raven… she was Ebony's mentor before she joined the Fang, wasn't she? It explained a lot about Ebony and the way that she tended to act, but at this point, Ilia could feel that Ebony was eager and surprised.
"Take over the tribe?" Ebony asked.
"I'm not fit to lead them for much longer," Raven informed her.
"You think I'm up to the task?" Ebony squealed.
"Not yet," Raven scoffed. "You need to get stronger…" The scene of them talking in the woods faded and Ilia found herself standing in the midst of a bandit camp, tents and huts burning to the ground around her as she found herself fighting against the Mistral Military.
"Where is Raven?!" Ebony called out to her men.
"There's no sight of her!" One of the other fighter's shouted out. "No one has seen her all day!"
"Ebony!" Shay yelled, firing at one of the officers and hitting them in the chest as he dove behind a large boulder that was situated in the middle of the action. "We need to get out of here or else we're all going to be slaughtered!"
"We just need to hold out for Raven!" Ebony shouted in denial.
"She's not coming!" Shay informed her. "You gotta know that by now, she deserted us because she's a coward! She always has been! Before Salem died we were constantly moving, she'd never stick around and fight!"
"That's not true!" Ebony said stabbing a soldier in the chest. "Stop saying that or I'll silence you myself!"
"Then where is she?" Shay demanded. Ebony couldn't answer, she had no idea where Raven had gone to. The scene faded once again.
"Tell me then, why are you here?" Athena inquired as she walked through the temple with Ebony who walked beside her. "Have you come to finish me off so that you can run home to Raven and tell her that you're finally strong enough to fill whatever fantasy she had of you in her head?" Ebony thought it over before shaking her head and stopping in her tracks, Athena turning to look at her after taking a few more steps.
"I'm here to get stronger," she told Athena. "Raven left us in the dust and she's been training with her granddaughter…" Ebony stared off into the distance. "The same way that she trained me…" She balled up her fists and gritted her teeth, glaring at Athena. "They both deserve to go down."
"Awww," Athena remarked sarcastically. "The woman you looked up to like a mother ran away and found a new family and you're upset."
"I don't care about Raven anymore," Ebony assured her with a growl. "I will kill her."
"Then it must have been pretty embarrassing to lose to Neela," Athena noted with a sense of pride. The feeling confused Ilia but the scene ended and she was falling through the darkness with Ebony.
"What are you doing here?!" Ebony shouted as she flew through the abyss, coming in to attack Ilia who deflected with her blades, firing and putting distance between the two of them with an explosion from fire Dust rounds.
"Team NITE isn't just going to sit around and let you destroy Beacon!" Ilia informed her.
"Good," Ebony yelled. "I enjoy it more when they struggle!" The darkness became the woods surrounding the schools on the opposite side of the tower as Ebony emerged from the shadows and Ilia leapt out of her mind, sliding to a stop and turning to face her opponent. "Are you ready to die?"
"That's number two on the list of things I'm not about to allow to happen," Ilia pointed out as they charged each other. This fight would have been a wash, she knew that Ebony was one who enjoyed fighting close and striking quickly, her curved daggers that were attached to a Dust line made for decent mid-range attack weapons, and the 'claws' that covered her knuckles allowed her to be feral up close. However, Ilia had been practicing with Titus should such an occasion arise again. Her skills weren't the best, but they'd keep her alive. She crossed her arms as she moved closer, detaching the blades and wielding them as short swords as she planted her feet and deflected both of Ebony's claws, kicking her in the chest.
Ebony was swift, the kick allowed her enough time to wrap her daggers around Ilia's leg, pulling her in and moving to stab her in the chest. Ilia torqued her body, gripping Ebony's upper arm above what the glove covered, quickly phasing through her body which allowed her to reorient herself, firing a gravity Dust blast into her back and sending her into the shadows. She needed to get to a source of light, or this battle was going to end up boiling down to the person that used their Semblance the most sparingly.
"Nervous?" Ebony called out from the darkness. Ilia chuckled as she swallowed hard.
"You don't know despair the way that I do," Ilia assured her. "At least you felt like Raven cared for you at one point. I've never had that… not since my mother died."
"Am I supposed to pity you?" Ebony inquired, waiting a bit longer to show herself. Ilia slowly turned, waiting for her to attack.
"No, I was hoping to intimidate you," Ilia noted. Ebony laughed as she leapt from the ground, Ilia deflecting her as she came up but Ebony was more skilled and knocked her arms away from the force, moving in and slashing at her inner arms. Ilia forced herself back, Ebony pressing back and keeping her on the run before Ilia used a blast of gravity Dust from her guns to widen the gap.
"None of you entitled brats at this school ever had it harder than any of us in the tribe or those stupid White Fang," Ebony shouted. She threw her daggers again, hoping to wrap Ilia's wrist this time and pull her back in but Ilia deflected it, sending Ebony sprinting for her. Unlike most of Ebony's opponents, Ilia had noted quickly that the daggers were suspended on a Dust line and when Ebony reeled it back in hoping to catch Ilia off guard, the girl had caught the weapon and pulled Ebony in.
"You want to say that again?" Ilia asked, the look in her eyes frightening Ebony as she attempted to stop, but it was too late. Ilia foot smashed into her temple, dazing her as Ilia wrapped the line around her arm even further, not allowing Ebony to regain her balance before pulling her in once more and kicking her in the torso. Ebony flew through the air, noting that she didn't have enough time to release the rest of the Dust line before Ilia would pull her in again and as she hit the ground she phased into the shadows once more, breaking the line. Now!
Ilia sprinted for the campus, Ebony had taken her further into the woods than she'd initially realized and without some kind of light, she was going to prove difficult to fight. Sure the power was out, but if she could get out of the shadow of the CCT tower…
"I know what you're planning!" Ebony declared. Ilia ignored her, she had to get there!
"I highly doubt that!" Ilia scoffed as she used the dagger to swing up to the tree branches before tossing it away in the opposite direction.
"It has nothing to do with the moon?" Ebony asked. Ilia disregarded the girl until she was free of the woods, stumbling out and noting the lack of moonlight. The new moon?!
"Foolish!" Ebony shouted. She emerged and attacked, using her claws to keep Ilia on her toes. "You think I didn't know?"
"Too bad you need to depend on your semblance to win!" Ilia told her as she kept on the defensive.
"We all rely on the tools we've been given," Ebony informed her, nearly knocking Ilia's weapons out of her hands. "And some of us are just more skilled than others."
"Can't argue there," Ilia replied. Why did she keep making small talk? What was she delaying for? A few well placed shots and she increased the distance between them, allowing Ilia a moment of breath before Ebony dove again and left her wondering where she'd show up from. Without her dagger and knowing full well that Ilia had guns, she wasn't willing to risk fighting at long range and kept using her semblance… was it that easy? Ilia smirked as she inserted the blades back into her guns and prepared for another round.
"I'll wear you down just like any other opponent that I've ever faced and then I'll finish you off," Ebony hissed.
"Funny, that's not the way it went down with Neela," Ilia mentioned. Ebony burst from her cover, eyes wild as she attacked in a rage.
"That girl should have died, there's no way that she could have survived my ultimate attack!" Ebony declared. "Raven must have saved her that night, it's the only explanation!" Ilia blocked with her wrists, calculating as Ebony's attacks were nothing more than a flurry of forceful swings instead of meaningful blows, the mention of the fight with Neela had really set something off in her. "I've gotten stronger since then, nothing can stand in the way of my new attacks and with Athena's help, someday I'll even be strong enough to overthrow her."
"Careful!" Ilia shouted as she planted her feet and met her attack with a strong counter, throwing her off of her feet, Ilia turned quickly, firing a shot of fire Dust as Ebony hit the ground, the explosion generating light and keeping Ebony from hiding again. Through the smoke she saw Ilia charging her, grabbing the sides of her face before disappearing. The darkness may be your playground, but the mind is mine! Ilia struggled to take control, Ebony's body stumbling and wrenching before dissipating into the darkness again. Not like this! There was no telling what would become of Ilia's body if she was rejected while they dwelled in the shadows, and she wouldn't let this be the end of her!
I escaped Mistral. I made friends. People who care about me are counting on me. I'm protecting the people that I care about! It doesn't matter what I was ranked at, or what Strakh thought of me! I'm not going to lose here! Ebony laughed maniacally as they struggled through the darkness, it was as though the two were grappling each other and they were sinking closer and closer to the bottom of the emptiness that embraced them.
"Oh?" Ebony chuckled. "You think it's as easy as believing that you aren't going to lose? You think that you can just will yourself to win?"
"Shut up," Ilia growled. "I saw your past. It was nothing compared to mine. Abandoned. Kidnapped. Forced to work for a monster. Always on the run. I've killed for less than this before I came here."
"Get out," Ebony demanded. Ilia held steadfast, forcing them back to the surface before removing herself from the woman's body. She turned quickly, slicing at her and missing with her blades, but the shots of earth Dust hit their mark and covered her arms in stone. Ilia landed on one foot, dashing forward and attacking Ebony before she could break free, doing a great deal of damage to her aura before the woman finally freed herself, out of breath as she put distance between the two of them, emerging almost as fast as she phased into the earth, reappearing far enough away that Ilia couldn't see her the best along the edge of the forest.
"Running away?" Ilia asked. Ebony laughed as she removed something from her pocket and held it up, viewing it against the starry sky.
"I believe that you've met General Admon before, correct?" Ebony inquired. Ilia stared hard at the woman. Titus's homicidal mentor that seemed to be playing some kind of ongoing death game with him? How could he have anything to do with this, how did the Faunus winning this fight benefit him? Would it place him in good graces with Athena? Was he that afraid of her? Or, was it something else?
"Yes, I know who that is," Ilia replied unmoving, loading her lightning Dust for her next move.
"The injection that Athena gave Glynda was a gift from the man, the Neo-Salems have a lot riding on this battle today," Ebony declared.
"Is she dead?" Ilia questioned. Ebony sighed and shook her head.
"I'm afraid not," Ebony noted. "Athena insisted she be left alive, which is more than I can say about the rest of you. But it's not the only thing that Admon gave us." Ebony plunged the needle deep into her skin and slammed the plunger in with her thumb. "Crimson is a natural-born terror, we're not even sure that she's completely human or Faunus, but as I said before, I like to use the tools that I've been given and this…" She threw it to the ground and stepped on it, shattering it. "This is supposed to amplify my aura and semblance!"
"What?!" Ilia shouted as she attempted to fire her guns. The lightning was immediately absorbed by a living shadow that crept out of the ground before encasing Ilia inside of a small dome. She began to panic. An enclosed space just like back then! No! I need to get out!
"You can struggle all that you'd like, but there's no escaping until I release the barrier," Ebony informed her. "And that won't be until after you're dead!"
I thought… that I was safe… that I was getting stronger...
"No!" Eliana screamed at the top of her lungs. "No!" This couldn't be happening! They let her watch the ceremony and things were going horribly wrong, all of this had to be her fault! If she'd told them where she'd seen Athena right away, or when she was the police at the warehouse the other day, maybe all of this could have been avoided! She could have just told them where she was supposed to meet them! Anything, but instead she kept it to herself and everything was falling apart before her very eyes. Athena, Ebony, Crimson, Mattachanna, and Irving were all there and they had Yang and Blake, but would the two of them be enough to hold off that many?
She had no way of knowing if Glynda was dead or not, but things seemed to point towards the former. Things were on fire, and the last image that Eliana saw before the power went out was Blake's clones and Yang doing their best to get to Athena after Neela and the rest of NITE had ran. She was sure that Blake told them to, but… who would let her out? Would she be down here forever if they lost? Eliana pulled as hard as she could on the bars, she needed to get out there and help! She needed to rectify the situation! She had tried to use her semblance before, but Velvet had noted before that the cell was designed for much more powerful criminals and that there was a device that nullified semblances, so there was no point in bothering.
It was no use. It was her fault. She couldn't fix it. She could only hate herself and pray that her father wasn't watching. She knew that he had to be disappointed, she made the wrong choices and in the end, still wasn't able to save her mother… Raven had. She wasn't cut out to be a huntress and she wasn't sure she could ever look Neela in the eyes ever again. I'm sorry, Neela. The elevator chains clattered for a second before Eliana could hear the car crashing down the shaft, finally stopping at the bottom with a mighty and thunderous stop. Someone had come to let her out?
"Blake!?" Eliana yelled. "Blake! I can help, I can fight!" The doors were pulled open suddenly, in the pitch black that had been created by the power going out, it was nearly impossible to see, the only thing in the basement still generating light were the dimly lit fires that did little in terms of providing illumination.
"Just like Athena said," the voice spoke, dripping with perversion and drowning in lust. "My reward is waiting here for me…"
"Irving?" Eliana whimpered as she moved swiftly to the back of her cell.
"Where should I start?" He asked, his voice echoing off of the walls as he lumbered down the hallway. "Perhaps with your hair?"
"Leave me alone!" She demanded desperately as she trembled, the monster drawing nearer by the second.
"Maybe your eyes?" He noted.
"Why are you doing this?!" She shouted.
"I've already told them why many times, but every time they've told me I was crazy," he explained, his body hunched over as he dragged himself towards her cell.
"You can stop this!" Eliana declared. "Think about it! Think about the mass chaos going on up there!"
"I had this glorious dream one day about the goddess," Irving explained, creeping. "She was an angel, the most beautiful creature that I had ever laid eyes upon, and so I made it the point of my existence to try and fix the women that exist today. Remake them in the image of Salem…" He stood at the door and glared at her, reaching through the bars for her before determining that he couldn't reach her as long as they were in the way.
"Please," she pleaded. "Just go away."
"But sometimes I get caught up in my work or get angry," he informed her as he tightly gripped the bars. "Sometimes I go too far…" He pulled open the cage with ease and cornered the girl who wasn't sure what to do. "Sometimes I… I just want to feel their warmth…" He gripped her by the neck and lifted her, pinning her to the wall.
"No…" She choked as he squeezed harder.
"And you are quite the wonder already," he stated ripping her cropped jacket off of her. "And your father needs to pay…"
"He's already dead," Eliana cried out as tears began falling down her face. He gripped her tank top and prepared to remove it from her.
"It's not enough," Irving replied coldly.
"Let her go!" someone shouted who was approaching from the elevator shaft.
"Neela!" Eliana gasped as she clawed at Irving's hands but he ignored her.
"Another girl?" He exclaimed before turning to look at her. His eyes narrowed. "You."
"Put her down now and I won't have to kill you!" Neela yelled at him as she knocked an arrow.
"Really?" Irving asked with a chuckle as he released Eliana and moved out of the cell, jamming the door shut behind him in a way that Eliana wasn't able to force it open. "Because I don't think you have it in you and I'm guessing that this time you don't have Raven with you."
"Ready to test that theory?" Neela inquired unwaveringly. As he vanished, Neela removed the remaining lighting from the basement with two quick wind Dust arrows that put out the dull burning fires, placing her in the dark with an enemy that she couldn't see, but he was also unable to see her. He chuckled, filling the air with an eerie dread that Neela stood tall in the face of, watching closely for him to make himself known.
"You think that turning out the lights is going to be enough to stop me?" Irving thundered. Neela took a step back, she could see in the dark but having the lights off like this did heighten her other senses. She was more aware of where she could hear him from.
"No, but I think it'll help slow you down," Neela stated.
"Be careful!" Eliana called out. Neela could feel his presence close by, striking out with her sword but missing as she felt his fist greet her chest and he knocked her back several feet. How was he still able to see her in this darkness unless he was a Faunus himself?
"I was blessed by Salem with this semblance and with it, the ability to see things around me," Irving pointed out. "As long as I stay in this form I'll have no problem seeing you." Neela knew then that she just needed to outlast him, if he used his semblance in excessive amounts it would take a massive toll on his aura and he'd eventually be defenseless to her.
"Let's do it then," Neela demanded. He laughed, striking out and hitting her once with one of his hook blades before she was able to block the next several slices. She used her grapple to swing past him towards Eliana from the mounts on the wall for the lighting, sprinting for her friend as the ground cracked and shook behind her. She came to a stop a few feet from the cell, nearly reaching it before Irving grabbed her by the arm and tossed her away.
"I can't let you leave with her," he made note of. "Salem would be very disappointed."
"Would she? Or would she be more upset at the fact that you're kind of a creep?" Neela asked as she fired an arrow at him that he caught just inches from his chest. He smirked.
"You're good for not being able to see me," he informed her. "This is my destiny! To remake all of the world in Salem's image!" There was no reasoning with him, he didn't want to change his ways, hardwired to believe that Salem had tasked him with this holy duty. Was he being controlled by someone to believe this, or was it legitimate? Their only saving grace so far with both Eliana and Violet was that he seemed to fear Athena for some reason, and was methodic to a point. Neela grappled again, in hope to get away but Irving caught her again and held tight to her arm, pulling against the tow cable and causing it to ungrip and retract immediately, her selector screen warning her that it had failed. "Now I can fix both of you."
"No thanks, I like the way that I look," Neela protested. She swung her blade around, catching him on what she assumed was his cheek, and he let her go as he stumbled away.
"You!" He shouted. "Both of you resist! Everyone eventually resists!" She could hear him breathing heavily, noting Eliana who stood at the door of her cage, desperately trying to escape. "That makes me angry!"
"Run, Neela!" Eliana shouted. Neela refused, she'd heard that Irving was a rapist and a killer, Eliana wasn't able to hide those facts, it was all over the internet seeing as the man was wanted and still at large. She wouldn't let her friend suffer through either of those fates, and she drew back an arrow, firing at where she guessed Irving was. It erupted, coating the lower half of him in ice and he growled, shouting out again in frustration as Neela moved in, putting the skills that Raven taught her to good use. Attacking wasn't enough, you had to know what the enemy would do next… even though she couldn't see him…
"I'm sick of this!" Irving noted as he freed his legs swiftly. Neela attacked, knowing very little about how he fought aside from the fact that he was a brute who preferred force over anything else, and that he had a pair of blades that were hooked. Her first two quick attacks were met by his blades, she expected as much as he had shown having abnormal speed despite his stature. The third was successful, crashing against his chest and putting him off balance as she used her grapple to latch onto his leg and throw him onto his back. She came down to finish him off, angling her blade so that it would glance off of his block which he made with both blades, before tossing a lightning paralyzing arrow tip at him to leave him stunned and out of the way.
The arrow erupted as he caught it, leaving him unharmed as he slowly stood, Neela could see nothing more of him than the lightning that was crackling in his hand and he laughed.
"Just go already!" Eliana demanded again.
"Was that your best shot?" Irving asked. He crushed the tip and let the powder seep through his fingers as he turned his hand over and blew the rest off. "Was that supposed to hurt?"
"You can't beat him!" Eliana yelled.
"You might be right, but I'm not leaving you down here with him!" Neela finally called back. Eliana was stunned, she had been convinced that Neela would hate her, but here she was trying her damndest to rescue her. But still… this was all Eliana's fault…
"Are you two finished?" He asked before striking out at Neela who still had her bow formed. He hooked it with both swords, throwing it away as he manipulated it out of her grip, it slid across the floor and came to a stop in the corner. He appeared for a brief moment, long enough that Neela could see the desire in his eyes before he disappeared once again and struck out, slashing her across the chest and neck, her aura taking the damage. "I'm going to fix you, even if it means that I have to kill you." He glanced back at Eliana, despite the fact she couldn't see anything. "And that'll make me even angrier."
Neela attempted to grapple her weapon but he reached out and grabbed the cable, swinging her around and smashing her into the wall which caused her pain, her ribs flaring in discomfort and she cried out momentarily, her aura cracking further.
"I can't leave you down here with him," Neela groaned as Irving pinned Neela to the wall by her neck. She reached up, trying desperately to free herself but it was no use. With as hard as he was squeezing, once her aura broke it would more than likely crush her windpipe and she would fail all the same. He had proved to be too much at times for one of the best Huntsmen in all of Remnant, why was Neela thinking that she'd have any better luck? Irving laughed as he looked at her face.
"Those eyes," he told her, reaching up with his free hand. "It's a shame that I have to kill you." He raised her higher. "Such beautiful eyes."
"Neela!" Eliana screamed. She needed to do something! She couldn't let Neela die like this! She yanked on the door once more before she realized something that should have dawned on her minutes ago. The power was out!
"Any last words?" Irving asked as Neela's aura crackled and he pulled her back before slamming her against the wall again.
"Let go of my friend, you creepy fuck!" Eliana shouted. Irving grinned and snickered, releasing Neela as he took a step towards Eliana.
"Perhaps that was a poor choice of words," he noted as his voice wandered around the room. "Now you have no idea where I'm at and it will be even less trouble for me to land the killing blow. But I won't kill you, Eliana. I want you to watch your friend die slowly before I take your pride and destroy your body!" Eliana used her forcefield to sense where he was like she had in her fight against Neo, slamming him against the wall and keeping him there as the stone around him cracked and crumbled. He came visible once again, reaching out and struggling before Eliana released him momentarily, just to slam him hard back into the wall.
He stared at her for a moment, his eyes darting about in a panic before the door in front of Eliana was crushed and she walked towards them. Another force field crashed into the beast, cracking his aura and threatening to crush his body as Eliana approached him.
"This is for my mom and my friends!" She screamed at him as his ribs cracked, he resisted her with all of his might, murmuring between cries for it to stop.
"Eliana, don't," Neela coughed as she regained her breath.
"He's hurt so many!" Eliana sobbed as the tears fell from her face and she gritted her teeth, holding him there.
"We're no better than him if we kill him and he's currently in no condition to fight," Neela exhaled. "Let him live." Eliana glanced over at Neela, looking her over for a minute before releasing the barrier around Irving and running to her best friend. He fell to the floor.
"This isn't over!" Irving thundered out as he stared at them in disdain. "I will destroy everything to make sure that you suffer!"
"I doubt that," Neela spoke as she grappled her weapon and fired a paralysis arrow, his aura broken, meaning that he was effectively down for the count.
"Neela, I'm sorry," Eliana exclaimed hugging her. Neela pushed her off and stood, stumbling back towards the elevator shaft. "Neela?!"
"We can talk later," Neela explained.
"Neela!" Eliana yelled at her.
"There's something that I need to do first," Neela grumbled.
"You're in no condition to fight!" Eliana noted.
"I still have to try," Neela told her.
Neela survived her fight with Irving, but can she survive Athena? Next week, Chapter 138 - Round Two!
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The 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 safe, stay healthy, and stay classy!