This chapter will be from the POV of Raye Rothslor, next chapter we will be returning back to Artos.
Chapter 2: Raye Rothslor
The day had dawned with the promise of a joyous celebration in Ravens Claw—the mystical event known as the Kvolar, set to unfold under the radiant splintered moon tonight. As the fractured moon reached its apex, it would illuminate the night sky with a breathtaking display of colors, an otherworldly spectacle amidst the perpetual darkness. Some believed it to be the gods' benevolent blessing, while others, like Raye, dismissed such notions as madness. He knew better. This lunar phenomenon was no divine act; rather, it was caused by the moon's proximity to Remnant, resulting in a brief flipping of the magnetic poles and an explosion of spectral hues.
Regardless of the circumstances of the event, Raye still was looking forward to at least experiencing the occasion. Instead, he was freezing his balls off, at this goddamn building.
"Target spotted, first-floor south-facing window," the speaker barked.
With his back braced against the wall, hugging the outcropping of the building, Raye moved towards the entrance, his assault rifle scanning his surroundings. Up ahead, Reed could be seen getting into position on the opposite side of the door, ready to breach. Eye contact was made, hazelnut meeting the deep red of Reed's eyes. Reed wore a black and white skull-patterned mask that blended with the rest of his black special ops gear. A nod of the head was all the confirmation Raye needed. Bringing his darkly gloved hand up to his earpiece, he calmly responded, "Copy that, Alpha moving to engage."
Allowing the cool and bitter sensation to run through his body, he channeled his semblance into the lock of the door, unlocking it without making a noise. Reed pushed the door open with his palm, allowing Raye to sweep inside.
The building's air was thick with unnatural black particles swirling like malevolent specters, making it difficult to see. A hint of ash and rot mixed together in an unholy matrimony of scents. Making his way quickly into the center of the room, Raye observed the rotting floorboards and tarnished furniture, with blood and sinew snaking amongst the decaying decor as if it were decoration. Taking a second to study the directions of the blood, Raye noticed they weren't random. They formed intricate triangular and circular shapes, a plethora of runes dotted around them. The farther he scanned, the more he saw—bones and intestines sprinkled around the obscure occult-like drawings.
"Fucking animals," Reed's shaky voice broke through the silence.
Looking up, Raye saw what had disturbed Reed so greatly—a young girl, around the same age as Lisa, hanging from the ceiling, completely nude, her body torn and mutilated, her bowels spilled open. Instead of hands, ruined stumps of flesh took their place, with antlers stitched into her eye sockets. The disturbing imagery seared its way into his mind.
A deep rage festered within him—an emotion he quickly attempted to clamp down on, to little avail. Lisa's face manifested where hers should have been, and he tightened his grip on his weapon. "Let's flay these fuckers," anger tinted his voice as he spoke to Reed.
Looking over to Reed, who had placed his hand on the floor in deep concentration, using his semblance to pinpoint the location of these animals. Suddenly, Reed's head shot up, hand retreating from the rotting floorboard. "Three individuals up above, a further five directly beneath us," Reed intoned, the unspoken question clear, which do you want?
"You clear the first floor, then rendezvous with me in the basement." A nod was all he got in response.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling scream tore through the building, reverberating through the halls. It clearly came from the basement. Raye rushed to the old, rusty door that led to the basement, gently working to open it. As soon as he did, the putrid stench of rotting corpses and human waste assailed his senses, nearly causing him to gag. He quickly brought up a hand to the side of his helmet and flicked a switch. The filtration system churned to life, clearing the intoxicating smell.
Making his way down the rickety stairs, the air felt frigid, an eerie sense of wrongness enveloping him. The further he descended, the stronger the sense got.
At the bottom, he rounded a corner, allowing him to silently scan the rest of the room. Four targets, dressed in red-hooded garbs, stood in a circle around a chained masked being in the center of the room. Bloody lines wove from the targets to whatever was in the center. A low chant emanated from them, slowly growing in tempo, the lines glowing faintly with ominous energy. Suddenly, his coms crackled to life. "Raye, I can confirm the targets lack aura."
That made things simpler. Peeking to the right, he aimed and squeezed the trigger. Three precise rounds flew, and three bodies fell. Quickly turning to the last target, the closest to him, he pivoted and reached out with his open hand, activating his semblance to manipulate the metal in the garbed man's necklace. The metal constricted, choking the man, and Raye closed his hand, causing the metal to sever the man's head cleanly, like a hot knife through butter.
Stalking past the freshly decapitated man, Raye made his way hesitantly into the center of the room. The sight that greeted him was macabre and nightmare-inducing. The old, rusty metallic basement floor was covered in moldy, ash-laden carpets and inscribed in runic symbols carved from fresh blood, organs, and human waste. Shingles and bindings adorned the walls, used to hold unfortunate captives. Unnaturally colored candles provided the only eerie light source, casting disturbing shadows across the room.
Up close, it was evident that the masked being, now discernible as a person, was harshly chained to an old, rusty seat. A faint murmur could be heard coming from beneath the cloth that covered most of their body.
Reaching forward, he hastily pulled the coverings off, the sight not one he would soon forget.
There she was—a beaten, bloody, and delirious girl. Her lip was busted, one eye stitched shut, while the other, dilated and bloody, gazed brokenly at him. Her body was covered in gore, not her own, but the remnants of some dreadful ritual performed in that accursed place. Her hands were drawn back and tied behind the chair, and her feet were bound together, the flesh raw and irritated from the cruel restraints.
"Please… help," came the wet raspy plea. Blood oozed from her mouth, followed by a wet cough.
"Reed, I've got a girl, still alive," Raye called into his earpiece.
Silence met his call.
"Reed? Respond, damn it!"
Quickly reaching down, he pulled his knife from his waist. The girl noticed this and whimpered loudly. Trying to remain calm, he raised his right hand, palm open in a sign of peace, and spoke in a kind voice, "Wait, wait. I'm not here to hurt you, okay?" Staring into her one available eye, he continued raising his knife slightly so as to be in her line of sight. "I'm going to use this to untie you, then I'm getting you out of here," he assured her, unsure if she could even comprehend his words. Yet, somehow, she seemed to visibly relax a little.
Swiftly, he moved to cut the bindings that held her feet, and a sigh of relief escaped the girl's lips, perhaps some semblance of lucidity returning to her. Shifting to the other side, he carefully began the work of freeing her bound hands.
"Quickly… Before… others… return," she managed to spit the jumbled words out, her strength waning.
"Don't worry, I'll handle them," Raye vowed, his heart pounding.
Her breathing suddenly became more erratic, the veins amongst her forearms straining against the flesh.
"Powerful," she managed to meekly whisper, hinting at the horrors she must have witnessed.
With a final, desperate struggle, the bindings fell to the floor, her arms hanging loosely by her side. It seemed that unconsciousness had taken hold, and Raye feared for her fragile life.
Moving to pick her up, a deafening sonic boom erupted from the far side of the room, hurtling him violently against the opposing wall. Groaning, he quickly used his semblance to summon his weapon back to his waiting embrace. Getting into a low stance, he scanned the surrounding area. The girl had remained unmoved.
Where the blast had come from, smoke billowed out from the torn-down wall. Two pairs of bright, burning crimson eyes beamed from the smoke, stalking through it. Their hulking mass was prevalent, easily at least five meters tall while on the ground. Black vapors pooled out from their existence, their thick, dark, and matted fur absorbing the little light available. Their paws were the size of pillars, each nail a blade, capable of tearing through concrete as if it were paper. There was a distinct red glow amongst both of their armored heads, signifying they were both Alpha Ursai.
How the hell Grimm got here would have to remain a mystery for the moment.
"Reed, we got two Alpha Ursai down here," he tried to relay through his coms, but only silence greeted him as if the darkness itself had devoured his words.
Without warning, the savage beasts charged at him, their malevolence palpable. Reacting with swift reflexes, Raye unleashed a torrent of bullets, aiming for the armored head of the right-most Ursa. The plating shattered, and the Grimm dissipated into black vapor. Dodging to the right, he narrowly evaded the lethal claws of the other Ursai; its strike violently collided with the wall, sending tremors through the crumbling building. The very foundation seemed to protest, spiderweb cracks spreading rapidly up the walls and into the rotten floorboards above.
Fueled by adrenaline and his semblance, Raye's aura surged, casting a brilliant glow over his right hand. He thrust it forward, and a spike of metal emerged from the steel floorboard, skewering the turning Ursa. Despite its injuries, the monstrous creature thrashed violently, impaling itself further in its futile attempt to reach Raye. Seizing control of the metallic spike, he directed it through the Grimm, piercing its neck and head until, finally, it dissipated into oblivion, mirroring the fate of its fallen brethren.
Taking a shuddering breath, Raye swapped magazines and hoisted the automatic rifle to his shoulder. His eyes darted back to where the Grimm had emerged, but he could now hear faint, gentle footsteps approaching. Throwing caution to the wind, he unleashed a barrage of bullets towards the unseen presence.
To his horror, the bullets were caught mid-air, suspended within an invisible force. Then, without warning, they hurtled back towards him. Reacting quickly, Raye activated his semblance, barely managing to divert the trajectory of the bullets to avoid getting hit himself.
As he glanced up again, he saw the fifth target—the one the girl had warned him about. Adorned in red, gold-lined garbs like the others, this one bore a distinct symbol on his chest: a simple, golden, five-pointed star with runic inscriptions at each point and a central triangle.
Before Raye could react, the being raised his hand, and suddenly, Raye found himself floating helplessly in midair. An immense pressure enveloped him, threatening to crush him. His aura flared to life, trying to shield him from the crushing force, but he could feel it draining rapidly. Time was running out.
"The mistress will be most pleased with this one," a voice whispered, devoid of humanity, its sound akin to scraping sandpaper. The words sent shivers down Raye's spine.
A seer could be seen floating towards the man, its large ethereal bulbous head, swirling with colors. Quickly an image was formed, that of a young woman with ashen-black hair and amber eyes.
"You see Cinder, it's not difficult to satisfy Mother, now is it?" the man cooed madly.
Looking upward, Raye noticed a rotting floorboard being held up by a steel support beam. The cracks caused by the previous Ursa attack had nearly brought the floor down—it was now up to him to finish the job. Summoning all the strength he could muster, he channeled his semblance to destroy the steel beam, causing the flooring above to come crashing down. The collapsing floor released him from the crushing embrace just before the basement was buried in debris.
Raye acted swiftly, launching himself at the girl in the center of the room, covering her protectively. The noise that followed was bone-chilling—rubble, dust, and gore filled the air as the building collapsed around them. But, by some miracle, the debris had spared him and the girl, forming a protective pocket amidst the destruction.
As the dust settled, Raye gazed up at the night sky. The Kvolar had begun—the moon rested at its apex, casting an eerie, brilliant light that danced through the torn-down building. Its illuminating rays reached down to cast Raye in its ethereal glow as if mocking his predicament.
Looking to his left, the remains of the hung girl from before were now laid bare to him. This hellish night couldn't get any worse, he thought.
"Raye! Can you hear me?" he absentmindedly heard Reed shout from up above, no doubt searching for him amongst the rubble.
"I'm here. I've got the girl. Call for evac."
Looking over at the unconscious figure of the abused girl, he couldn't help but wonder what horrors she must have seen. Taking a good look at her she couldn't have been older than seventeen, which would make her the same age as Antonis and Maximus. With a shake of his head, he reached over to feel for a pulse. It was faint, yet still there.
Further away, he could hear the telltale sounds of explosions from people celebrating the Kvolar. Raye wasn't a religious person, but if there were gods, they were definitely mocking him now.