Chapter 49
The bullet grazed her shoulder as the blade of silver sliced into flesh, glancing across the face of her father while tearing from the corner of his mouth and out through his cheek as she passed him. She slid against the floor as she spun herself around, embedding her dagger into the tiled ground as to halt her momentum. Her father stumbled back from the cut, blood coating his jaw and his neck, reaching down and staining the white of his uniform. The guards turned to face the two as their rifles aimed at Winter. Their fingers never squeezed upon the triggers as they saw the condition of their master however.
Mr Schnee brought his hand up to his face in an attempt to staunch the bleeding as he aimed his pistol at Winter, taking steps back as he looked to his men. "What are you doing!? Fire!" he yelled in pain, blood dripping to the floor. The guards looked to one another before lowering their rifles.
Winter knew well their intent, they were still going to get paid if she killed her father and inherited the company. They seemed to prefer the idea of a younger leader. Her icy gaze locked to her father as a large glyph appeared around her. Mr Schnee narrowed his eyes as he fired his antique pistol, the bullet slamming into, and killing, a white Beowulf that had been summoned. It was not alone however as three more joined its assault, lunging down towards the man with claws at the ready.
He raised his bloodied free hand towards the Grimm as a black glyph formed around them, their actions slowing to a near halt as he took aim with his weapon and fired three shots into each of their skulls. The glyph vanished as their bodies fell behind him. He had one more bullet to spend before needing to reload and his daughter knew this.
As he looked back to her he found her already in another glyph-boosted charge, blade ready to pierce his throat. Winter's vision was focused on nothing more. Something appeared in front of her however, another summon. Her blade pierced the neck of the creature, but her haunted eyes looked up to see a familiar face. Looking down at her with a lifeless gaze was her mother, her form pale and ghostly as a result of the summoning.
Mr Schnee extended out his gun-arm to the back of his wife's head. It fired as his arm recoiled from the shot. The bullet passed through her skull and launched itself towards Winter's face. She stumbled suddenly from the shot, struck by the bullet as she fell to the ground with the impaled form of her mother falling over her. The man standing brought his hand back to his face, the blood still pouring from the wound inflicted. He looked to his men in disgust, "How dare you! To think that your loyalty is so easily purchased!" he screamed.
"Father..." came a pained voice. The man's eyes widened as he looked to the corpses besides him. Winter was getting up to her feet, a metallic hand covering her right eye that poured a stream of blood. A ghastly wound that cost her vision. "How quickly can you reload...?" she asked as she stood to her feet, blade clenched in her right hand as she started walking towards him in staggered steps.
Her father trembled at the sight as he quickly brought both his hands to his weapon, he flicked the chamber out to the side as the spent casings fell to the floor in a clatter. He moved his other hand to his pocket as he pulled out two bullets. He only needed one to finish the job. He chambered the first and moved to place the second in, but the blood on his fingers caused it to slip from his grasp. He watched the bullet land upon the floor and gave thought to picking it back up. No, one was enough. He closed the cylinder and looked forward as he extended his arm out to aim. His eyes widened as the silver blade sliced through his wrist, screaming in agony as he stumbled back while clutching at his arm as his hand fell to the ground along with his weapon.
"Shoot her damn you! Shoot her!" he screamed for his men as they watched Winter draw back her blade, lunging it forward and into the chest of the man. He gasped for air as the sharp metal pierced his lung, a spatter of blood escaping his already maimed mouth.
Winter pulled the blade up, forcing her father to stand straight as it remained embedded within him. "You lack form, Father..." she spoke coldly as his groans of agony only grew louder.
He struggled as he gripped the blade of the sword with his hand, opening his glacial eyes as he glared at his daughter. Between breaths of pain he spoke to her in a harsh tone. "To think... I preferred Weiss..." he said, more blood dripping from his mouth. Winter narrowed her eye at his words. "You... You are perfect..." he grinned, the cut upon his mouth only making it the more wider. "I'll... Be sure to... Say hello to your mother..." he spoke, head starting to dip weakly.
"You're not going where she is..." replied Winter as she withdrew her blade roughly, the blood spurting from his chest as he was pulled forward. He passed her as she stared on ahead, his form leaving her peripheral vision as he collapsed to the floor before his throne-like seat. The guards watched on in silence as their former master bled to death upon the floor, his blood pooling beneath him. Slowly Winter looked back over her shoulder before turning fully. Her sword dropped and clattered to the floor as her left metallic hand continued to cover her right eye, dripping with the red liquid that coated the prosthetic, flowing over the symbol of her family. She stepped over towards the chair and turned to face the guards before sitting down upon it.
She sat there upon her new chair, her father at her feet as his blood started to slither down the steps in front of it. She had inherited the legacy of the Schnee family, and much like it was in history, she did it with Schnee blood on her hands. At least this way Weiss would still be free to do as she wanted.
Her eye closed as the pain began to take hold of her. There was no doubt in her mind she would live as her new guards rushed to her aid. This wasn't the life she wanted, but it was the one she would endure for her sake.
The sound of a blade leaving its sheath drew the attention of the heiress and Neo. Instantly Neo stepped away, pressing her back up against the wall in fear as she looked upon the image of Raven. Her crimson blade was drawn as she took a single step into the elevator that seemed to echo loudly. Weiss looked to Neo as she stepped away from the woman, unsure of who she was. Neo's reaction told her it was a person they certainly didn't want to mess with.
The masked woman turned her attention to Weiss, raising her free hand up towards her face. Neo was frozen with fear as she watched her lunge her open hand forward, it grasped Weiss' face and slammed the back of her head into the window behind her, cracking the glass as her body fell limp to the floor. Neo's eyes blinked into blue, and back into white. She knew she was no match for Raven, knew that it would surely result in her death. But Weiss, this woman she had become so attached to, this woman that in her mind belonged to her.
Raven turned to look at Neo, as if daring her to make a move. She had little to worry about for it seemed she was going to do nothing but stand there and watch. Something blunt struck her in the gut, it came from Weiss' direction and the hit forced her out of the elevator. She looked forward as Neo lunged out of it from a different angle, having used her semblance to strike from Raven's blind spot. The elevator door behind her was closing with Weiss in it.
The area she found herself in was a parking lot, there were few cars and no people. It was rather open however, which could only work in Raven's favour. Noting that the doors were closing the woman attacked. Her blade extending fully as she made a diagonal cut towards Neo who shattered upon impact. The weapon itself carved into the doors of the elevator, the steel rending open like a can and disrupting the operations of the device, preventing it from taking Weiss away from the two.
Neo's blade came in at Raven's flank for a stab but the seasoned huntress was quick and turned to knock the blade aside with the back of her hand before following up with a sweeping uppercut. Neo tried to pull her umbrella into contact with the sword, using it in her off-hand while she held her thin blade in her right. The uppercut carved up the concrete floor before it connected with Neo's umbrella. The force alone sent the smaller girl back, landing on her feet as she so often did. Raven was relentless as she sheathed her sword, quickly pulling it back out as spears of ice erupted from the ground towards Neo who leapt aside. The spikes speared a car behind her, impaling it as its alarm malfunctioned into a slowly fading beep.
The smaller girl moved into a charge, her eyes blinked into red as they mimicked her opponent. Raven narrowed her eyes at the mockery before lunging her blade forward into a stab. It shattered Neo's image as she appeared besides it, another stab repeating the same action and having the same effect. Neo's thin blade came in at another flank, but again it was futile as Raven's own sword met it, sending the smaller woman back again. Each strike Raven delivered was simply too powerful for her to compete against.
Neo landed and looked up to see Raven sheath her blade, the chamber revolving as she switched the dust type she was using. She withdrew her blade and slashed it forward against the ground. In a line towards Neo the concrete blasted up from the floor in a quake, sending both her and chunks of concrete into the air. Raven quickly sheathed her blade as the chamber revolved once. She withdrew the weapon and jabbed it forward into a straight cut, utilizing gravity dust as the rocks in the air were fired forth towards Neo. She tried her best to shield herself from the barrage as she was sent back, the rocks pelting her before falling to the ground. By nothing short of a miracle her aura survived by the skin of its teeth as she staggered to her feet.
Raven was once more in pursuit as Neo fled, moving behind one of the pillars in the parking lot. As she ran around it she heard Raven's weapon as it sheared through the pillar entirely. Neo ducked, the blade narrowly passing over her head as her foe came around the corner. Neo began to realise just how impossible of a task was set before her, she had to come up with a plan as she kept her distance, running towards one of the parked cars as she leapt over it. Not shortly after was it slashed in half down the middle as Raven walked calmly after her.
Neo looked back to see where she was, but she had disappeared from sight. She gasped silently, looking forward again as a pommel came crashing against her jaw, the portal behind Raven closing. Neo crashed against the floor as her aura broke, her eyes shifting into pained white. She looked up and saw Raven's red blade curving into a strike towards her. She leaned her head back as the cut made its way up her cheek. She stumbled back and fell again as she dropped her umbrella, holding her hand to her face in agony as she tried to turn and stand, she had to escape.
Her mouth opened in burning pain as she silently screamed, the blade being stabbed into her leg as she fell back down. Raven was stood behind her, watching with a curious gaze through her mask as she followed her slowly while the girl crawled along the floor in a vain attempt to flee. Tears were trailing down from Neo's eyes, the pain was unbearable. She was crawling towards the slashed entrance of the elevator, she at least had to find a way to save Weiss. The sound of metal scraping along the floor came trailing behind her and to her side. Eventually the red tip of the sword was right in front of her face as Raven came to a halt in her path. Neo looked up to her, gritting her teeth and narrowing her tear-filled eyes.
"Why won't you scream?" came the voice from the masked woman as the tip of her blade pressed itself against her cheek, cutting it lightly. "I've never met somebody who isn't begging me to stop by this point" she spoke, her blade moving away from her face. "It's annoying" she stated, boot stomping down on Neo's head, crushing it against the concrete ground as the mute gave out another silent scream for help. Raven's glare watched her as she applied more pressure, yet still she heard nothing. She removed her boot from the girls head and reached down her free hand to grasp her hair. Harshly she pulled Neo up and swung around, tossing her against the floor as she rolled to a halt in front of the elevator.
Neo had her eyes shut tight as she curled up into a ball on the ground, she wanted the pain to stop. "Neo...?" came a soft voice as she opened her eyes. She could see Weiss through the slashed opening of the elevator, she was awake and tired as she looked through the hole. Raven entered her view and delivered a harsh kick into Neo's gut, causing her to roll over as she clutched at the point of impact. "Neo!" exclaimed Weiss as she noticed what was happening. Raven's eyes glanced to her briefly before back to the girl in front of her.
Right now she didn't care about Weiss, she was already stuck in a prison. She just wanted to break Neo down for being so stubborn. Besides, she had time to waste. Her hand grasped at her neck as she pulled her from the ground, slamming her against a pillar forcefully. "Come on already" spoke Raven in a bored tone.
"Leave her alone!" yelled Weiss as her hands gripped at the broken metal, trying to pry it open in any way she could. Raven completely ignored her as she tilted her head at Neo. The short woman looked over to Weiss, her eyes shifting into blue as she struggled to reach her arm out towards her. Raven's free hand abruptly slammed against the extended arm, only half of it was pressed back against the thin pillar as the arm bent in a way it never should, broken with a sickening snap. Neo tilted her head up in torment as her eyes widened, the tears streaming as she silently screamed. "I said leave her alone!" yelled Weiss. Raven still didn't pay her any attention.
The doors of the elevator burst open, one slamming straight into Raven as she was pushed to the floor and away from Neo who collapsed to the ground. Raven lay beneath the metal door as something heavy slammed down against it, crushing her between it and the concrete beneath her. The door was pulled from her as a large white figure stood over her, its armoured hand grasping her and lifting her from the floor before pulling back and throwing her across the parking lot. She slammed with her back into the side of a car, denting the door as the whole vehicle creaked and tilted up onto its side before falling back down. The large armoured knight stood with its weapon ready in front of Weiss and Neo.
Weiss fell to her knees next to her partner, she was still crying and her eyes were closed in agony, her right arm deformed thanks to her attacker. The heiress looked over to where Raven was, somehow not even her aura had broken as slowly she started to pull herself out of the large dent she made in the car, glass falling from her body as she moved. Weiss stood to her feet and looked for an exit, the large knight she had summoned gently picking up Neo in its hand as it chased after its mistress.
Raven stood and made ready to chase, but she halted as something vibrated. She reached into her pocket and checked her scroll. For some reason she had already been paid for the job she was taking. She was confused as she looked to the direction Weiss had fled in. No matter. She wasn't going to work for free.