Zrocker119: Holy shit, it has been far too long! A recurring theme when it comes to me and updating my stories. One that I hope to eventually kick. Anyway, lots of interesting responses to the last chapter. Many of which were positive. I'm glad that so many people are enjoying this story and I can only hope to continue living up to everyone's expectations.
-Redemption of a Betrayer-
-Start-
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The sound of pen on paper could be heard throughout the room as Sienna went over form after form. Finish filling out one? Move on to the next. Hour after hour. Day after day. Week after week. The nigh-endless loop of monotonous work slowly gives way to frustration. Before that too reaches its limit and boils over.
Pressing down far harder than what was required, the pen in Sienna's hand suddenly and violently snaps in half. The ink held within exploded from the newly created opening and all over the remaining forms. Blinking, the tiger Faunus took a moment to process what had happened.
It was during that moment that the door that led to her office opened.
"Hey, it's about lunchtime. Are you eating in here again or do you wanna come with…" Tukson trailed off as he finally took note of the state of Sienna's desk. Honestly, the only things of note appearance-wise were his sideburns and decently muscular build. Other than those he was rather unassuming. Clean cut, with black hair, he wore a short-sleeved, quarter-zip burgundy and black shirt with a visible white undershirt, light grey cargo pants steel-toed shoes.
"You know what," Sienna tossed the remains of her pen into the waste basket. A moment passed before she swept her arm across her desk, all of the ruined paperwork following after the destroyed pen. Sporting a strained smile, she looked at Tukson. "I think I can use some fresh air right now."
Before the Wolverine Faunus could respond, Sienna marched past him, the frustration practically flowing off her form. Chuckling, he turned on his heel and followed, catching up to her in only a few steps.
"So," he began once they stepped outside the White Fang HQ. "I see that you're thoroughly enjoying all of the benefits of your new station?" He was answered by a mock punch to the shoulder.
When Ghira had first announced that he would be stepping down and had elected Sienna as his successor, the Tiger Faunus had been caught off guard. While the two shared a healthy respect for one another, it was no secret that they shared different ideologies on how to lead the organization.
Ghira was an exceptional and charismatic leader. Two things that had been required for the White Fang to gain any sort of traction, and in the five years since the organization's inception, he had been an effective figurehead. But after the massacre of Kuchinashi, many of their numbers had begun to question the passive stance with which they had been leading.
Sienna would be the first to admit that she was amongst that number, but she had been loyal enough to keep following Ghira's lead. With the caveat that they provided training to members who wished for it and ensured that future scouting operations had proper protection instead of a single retired Huntsman/Huntress.
But as the years went by and their rallies faced mounting opposition, the White Fang had been forced to follow suit. While no protests had reached the same level as the massacre two years prior, it was becoming more and more common for violence to break out at the peace rallies. And it had been due to this startling pattern that eventually led to Ghira stepping down.
That had been some months back. And while Sienna had long grown accustomed to her new duties as the High Leader, she couldn't stop herself from resenting the Panther Faunus. Because if she had known the extent of the paperwork that was involved, she would've taken the position and shoved it straight up his towering-
Sienna elected to nip that line of thought before it could gain any real traction. She could resent the extra work all she wanted, but she knew that it was necessary for the sake of the movement. If her slaving away to the cruel master that was logistics was what it took to secure a prosperous future for her kind, then she would give all that she could without any regrets.
An arm draping over her shoulder tore her from her thoughts.
"So. What do you feel like getting today?"
Wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning into his comfortable embrace, Sienna let her eyes wander about. During her reminiscing, the two had managed to find themselves near the Boardwalk. With their heightened sense of smell, the wafting scent of vendors preparing for the lunch rush was enough to make the two almost salivate.
Before she could voice her thoughts, the sound of commotion farther ahead caught their attention. Looking past the food stalls and toward the port, they saw the cause.
"Wasn't the next ship supposed to arrive later tonight?" questioned Tukson.
Sienna nodded. Without so much as another word, she began to run towards the docks, with Tukson hot on her heels. The closer they drew, the denser the crowd became. It was as if the entire population of the Island was congregating.
Upon reaching a point where it was almost impossible to pass through the crowd, the two decided that the best course of action was to go over it. With Aura enhancing their physical capabilities, the two leaped dozens of feet into the air. Soring over the gathered denizens of Kuo Kuana, Sienna and Tukson used the new perspective to get a proper view of the ship that had just finished pulling up to the dock.
And it wasn't a pretty sight.
The ship had received extensive damage, the most severe of which was the three gouges that ran nearly the entire length of its starboard side. Several scorch marks dotted multiple portions of the ship. When the ramp hit the dock, crew and passengers alike immediately began to disembark, nearly all of which bore an injury of some sort.
When Sienna's feet touched the ground once again, she immediately ran to assist those who appeared to be the most critically injured. She absent-mindedly heard someone calling for medical assistance, but she was too distracted to see if anybody ran to do so.
"What happened," came her immediate question.
The man she was currently supporting with her shoulder, an elderly Sheep Faunus, gave a haggard cough. "F-Feilong-" was all that he managed to get out before devolving into a fit of uncontrollable coughs. When he pulled his hand away, Sienna could see that his palm was now covered in tiny droplets of blood.
The man was in far worse condition than she originally thought. With one arm slung over her shoulder, Sienna began to make her way toward the town's only hospital. She saw many other townspeople offering aid to others who were injured and hoped that they would be able to help them all.
She hadn't even taken her second step when the screaming started. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked out over the ocean. With how perfect the weather currently was, she had a picturesque view of the crystal clear waters. But that proved to be a double-edged sword, as it also allowed every Faunus present to spot the massive, long shadow swimming just beneath the calm waves.
"Everyone get back!"
Sienna blinked. She recognized that voice.
Tearing her gaze away from the approaching shape, she saw an all too familiar blue-haired Wolf Faunus hurrying down the ship's ramp, an injured passenger slung over each shoulder like a sack.
"Maria?"
The teen either didn't hear or elected to ignore her and instead opted to pass off her cargo to two Menagerie guards. With her hands now free, she ran toward the edge of the dock and stared out over the water. The approaching shadow had grown much closer, now only a few hundred meters out. The water had begun to swell. A small prelude to just how large the monster beneath the waves truly was.
Sienna's staring was interrupted by another familiar face suddenly appearing before her.
"Nicholas?" The teen had grown since she had last seen him, though admittedly not by that much. He gave her a wolfish grin and set down the crying child he had been holding. Giving the kid a comforting head pat, he turned on his heels and ran to stand beside Maria, who was flanked on either side by two other teens that Sienna didn't know.
Thumbing open his sword and sporting a downright feral smile, Nic prepared for the upcoming battle only for Maria to place a hand over his and force his weapon back into its sheath.
"No," she spoke without looking away from the water. They had been ordered to hold their position on the docks and protect the civilians even if she wanted to be out fighting alongside Terra and Valen.
Out of the corner of her gaze, she spotted Pyrrha fidgeting nervously beside her. Reaching out with a hand, she placed it on the redhead's shoulder. With her attention gained, she offered a comforting smirk.
"Don't worry. I'm sure that they'll be finished it no-"
Roughly 500 hundred meters out, the water exploded in a massive geyser. From the center of which, came forth a Grimm of monstrous proportions. With a wing span easily reaching thirty meters and a serpentine body over four times that this particular specimen of Sea Feilong had been documented to inhabit the waters between Anima and Menagerie for easily a hundred years. But from its sheer size alone, Grimm specialists had determined it to be anywhere from 100 to 300 years old, thus granting it the classification of an Ancient Grimm, one of only a handful throughout the world.
Dozens of teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses had attempted to exterminate it throughout the decades. None had ever succeeded, with only one or two even making it back to report the failure of the mission to their superiors.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a creature that was impossible to kill through conventional means. At least, that was the case by the standards of Remnant.
With eyes far more keen than even that of a Fanus, Nic spotted a blur blitzing around the Feilong, opening cuts all along its serpentine body. Grinning, he patted Pyrrha on the shoulder. "Your Mom's tearing it up."
The meek teen offered a minuscule smile. "Can you see Valen?"
He looked back at the battle, one that was steadily growing closer toward the docks, and shook his head. The girls looked mildly confused and concerned. The last they had seen Valen was when he had gained hold of one of the Grimm's whiskers during one of its flybys and had been whisked off into the sky.
They were unable to contemplate more on the old warrior's location as the Grimm let loose an ear-piercing roar.
Its left wing had been severed cleanly from the rest of its body. But even with only one wing, the monstrosity was able to remain airborne, but at the cost of losing a significant amount of altitude. Now only skimming about thirty or so meters above the waters, the Grimm shifted its course. It was now bearing down on the settlement.
"Shit," Maria swore. Looks like they would be fighting after all. Flourishing her weapon, she focused her eyes on the approaching Grimm. Thanks to its rapidly approaching form, they all found out why Nicholas hadn't been able to spot Valen earlier.
Roughly halfway down the Grimm's body, the man in question had a dagger driven into the Feilong's side and was using it as an improvised climbing instrument.
"Come on, come on." Maria chanted quietly to herself as they watched her adoptive father climb further up the Grimm's form. Whatever he was planning, it had to be soon. If that thing managed to reach the docks, then there was no telling how much carnage it would cause before they took it down.
Because, despite what previous attempts at eliminating the Ancient Grimm said, she instinctively knew that this would be its final day on Remnant.
Throughout all of this, Terra was still doing her damnedest to slow the beast down. Her form was little more than a blur as she continuously used her Semblance to alter Gravity's hold on her. It wasn't flight per se but more of a controlled fall/dive at terminal velocity in the direction of her choosing. So the closest one could get to flight without the assistance of technology.
Rapture, its blade wreathed in lightning dust, flashed out whenever she drew close enough for her weapon to find purchase. She must have opened hundreds of human-sized gashes all along Grimm throughout the entirety of this fight, but when compared to the monster's sheer size and bulk, they were little more than shallow wounds.
As she began to renew her assault on the Ancient Grimm, she saw that Valen had at last managed to pull himself onto its back and was now sprinting along its spine and towards its head. The Feilong must have felt his approach for it began to twist and contort its body, attempting to throw off its unwelcome passenger.
But Valen was anything if not stubborn. Maintaining his balance, the Veteran of Eons of war picked up speed, his Aura flaring. Nearing its head, the Feilong suddenly twisted around, jaws wide open with an orb of lightning already formed between its teeth. Had it been any other Huntsman or Huntress in his place, they would've thrown themselves over the side, as the chances of surviving the fall were infinitely higher than meeting the breath attack of a Feilong head-on. It was the choice any sane person would have made.
But then again, Valen had not once claimed to be sane.
With the assistance of his booster kit, Valen hurried to close the gap. Right as the energy build-up reached its zenith, he dropped, sliding the remaining distance just as a beam of highly condensed lightning was unleashed.
Every hair across his body stood on end, but he didn't allow the close call to halt his advance. Activating his booster kit again, he slid underneath the Grimm's still-open maw. Slinging his hammer from its magnetic holster, he swung the Argent Energy hammer upward with all of his strength.
With a mighty crack, the Grimsm's massive jaw was forcefully closed, knocking its head up. Dazed, the Ancient Grimm saw the other warrior too late as she came crashing down from above. Between the force of Valen's blow and her body's momentum, Terra was able to drive Rapture's electrified blade deep into the Feilong's external skull.
Had it been an average size of its species, this would have been a fatal blow. But even though she managed to drive the sword down to the hilt, it proved to not be deep enough.
The mighty Grimm let out an ear-piercing roar of pain but nothing else. Shaking its head violently, Terra was flung away, leaving her weapon embedded in its skull. Tumbling through the air for a moment, she utilized her semblance and attempted to slow her descent.
But she wasn't quite fast enough. Just as she managed to gain some semblance of control, she crashed into the cobblestone at less-than-lethal speeds. Her Aura flared brightly as she tumbled end over end until eventually coming to a painful stop. Though her Aura had prevented any sort of debilitating injury, hitting the ground at near-terminal velocity would always be an unpleasant experience.
"Mom!"
"Which way?" Terra asked as she pushed herself back onto her feet. She could no longer see the Grimm flying above. That could only mean two things. One. She and Valen had dealt enough damage to kill it, thus causing it to dissipate into nothingness. Or two, and the more likely option, it had crashed somewhere outside of the town's limits.
"That way," Maria said as she and the others ran past her and further into town.
Though her parental instincts told her to have the children stay behind, she was down a vital component of her weapon until she retrieved it. And seeing as how it was hilt deep in the skull of the largest known specimen of a Feilong, that task would be easier said than done. So she would need all of the help that she could get.
Besides, she and Valen had been training the children for specifically the purpose of battling the threat of Grimm. While this particular Grimm was far outside the norm of what they would face in the future, it would serve to better their understanding of just how dangerous this field was.
With that thought in mind, Terra sprinted after them, taking her position at the front of the pack. Though they could no longer see the Grimm, as they drew closer to the northernmost part of the town they certainly heard it.
She was so focused on returning to the battle that she hadn't even noticed that one more body had joined their group until they spoke up.
"Hell of a way to return, eh Maria?"
"We didn't exactly plan on getting attacked by a giant Grimm! Also, nice to see you again, Sienna!" Maria ended with an earnest smile. She had missed the company of the Tiger Faunus over the past couple of years and was looking forward to showing her just how much she had grown.
She saw Neo quirk a brown and jab a thumb in Siennas' direction. She shook her head, signing that proper introductions would have to wait until the immediate crisis was over.
Within moments the group had reached the northern wall. The sounds of battle could be heard just beyond. With Aura assisting them, they leaped onto the ramparts just in time to witness an electric blast discharge a dozen feet over their heads to dissipate harmlessly into the afternoon sky.
Looking out to the area beyond the wall, they saw a freshly made trench, no doubt created by the massive Grimm when it crashed into the earth. Following it they spotted the massive Grimm far out in the distance. Even from this far away they could see it twisting about, its jaw snapping at the figure that darted about.
Wasting no time Terra dropped back down to ground level and charged head along. She heard the telltale sounds of multiple impacts behind her, indicating that the others were close on her heels. As they drew closer, she saw that Valen had retrieved Rapture from the Grimms' skull and now wielded it in tandem with his hammer, having even managed to sever the beast's other wing, grounding it completely.
He must have spotted them on approach. Flipping Rapture so that he held it by the blade, he cocked his arm back and sent it hurtling toward them before taking his hammer in a two-handed grip and smashing it into the joint of the Grimms' leftmost forward leg, buckling it and causing the Feilong to fall.
Terra ducked to the side and snatched Rapture out of the air as it made to pass her by. Slotting in a fresh lightning dust shard, she renewed her assault, scoring dozens of slashes along the Grimms' body.
The two were quickly joined by the children and Sienna. Knowing that her weapon would be of little use against the Grimms' tough hide, Sienna maintained her distance, using Cerberus' superior range to target the few vulnerabilities on its head, managing to blind it in one of its four eyes.
As it reared back in pain, Nicolas appeared behind it in a burst of speed, wielding a combat knife in each hand. Following Siennas' example, he aimed to bury both in one of its eyes, but the Grimm turned at the last moment, causing the knives to skid off of its bony head. That didn't deter him, however. Landing atop it, he flipped back and threw them, the blades sinking into the black hide just beneath its skull plate.
Landing back on the ground, he splayed his finger, revealing the pins that hung from each index finger. A second later, the fire dust within the knife handles exploded, creating a sizable fireball, blowing off part of the Failongs' jaw and causing it an immense amount of pain. Damn, he was glad he took a page out of that bastard assassin's book and splurged for those knives.
His confidence was short-lived as the Grimm suddenly spun around, striking him with its enormously long and powerful tail. Or at least, that had been its intent. Instead of turning the teen into a finely ground red paste, the boy shattered like glass, revealing it to have been nothing but empty space. Whipping its head around, it spotted its target, standing beside the much shorter Neo who waved cheekily.
The Grimm growled, somehow understanding that it was being mocked by the tiny human.
It was unable to act on its rage however as the rest of the group kept up their assault. Maria kept at a distance, unloading explosive rounds after explosive rounds until she had spent the majority of her ammunition. It wasn't for no reason as the custom rounds were powerful enough to pierce and tear its hide, opening numerous weak points all along its body for the others to exploit.
And exploit them they did.
As the battle dragged on, the Feilong began to gradually grow weaker and weaker. Even though the Grimm's size was by far its greatest advantage as it allowed it to absorb a ludicrous amount of punishment, it also proved to be its greatest weakness. Though the damage dealt to it was minuscule more often than not, even the tiniest of wounds could take a toll once enough had accumulated.
But not every wound was insignificant. The weapons these Hunters bore proved to be far more effective than those wielded by those it had fought, killed, and devoured in its centuries of existence. The elder males' weapon, the one that glowed crimson, proved to be the most lethal. Especially since he always struck at the most integral point on the Grimms' body.
It managed to score significant blows in its own right, but the Feilongs' struggles ultimately proved futile. After what felt like an eternity the once mighty Elder Feilong, the terror of the South East seas, finally fell in an earth-shattering thud. Its ancient body was too damaged to support its massive size and weight.
Emitting a low groan, the Grimm's sole remaining eye fell onto the one closest to it. The elder human. The one with a nigh unfathomable amount of rage and loathing. Not held towards the Grimm but onto himself. This was the last image the Failong saw before the light left its eyes.
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"Well, you certainly know how to make a reappearance."
Valen gave a brief shake of his head, though a slight smile betrayed his amusement at Ghiras' words. They were currently seated in the chieftain's home. It was currently just the two of them as the rest of Valen's party was currently assisting the townsfolk with various tasks in the wake of the recent attack. Whether it be giving medical relief or securing the border from any stray Grimm that grew too curious for its own good.
On the topic of Grimm, while it hadn't been their intention, he was glad that they had managed to remove such a dangerous specimen from the world. It had been a hard-fought battle. Much harder than anything he had ever expected from this world. And though neither he nor any of his children had sustained any major injury, was mildly irritated with them.
He had given the children strict orders to remain within the confines of the town borders and guard the civilians. But even as he thought about their blatant dismissal of his orders, he couldn't fault them too much for joining the fray. He had been training them to battle and kill such foes and they had assisted him greatly.
Neo in particular had proven to be the most valuable. A pleasant surprise when he considered the fact that she had only been with them for a little under a month. And while she hadn't so much as landed a scratch on the massive Grimm, the effectiveness of her Semblance couldn't be understated. The power to craft such illusions that were even capable of fooling his senses, while frightening to battle against, made distracting the Grimm downright laughable.
"You must be thinking of something particularly good if it's got you smiling like that."
Valen blinked and noticed that he had indeed been smiling. Well, it was more of a smirk, but the point stands. "Just feeling pride in my children's growth."
"Ah! The pride of a father," Pouring the two of them a drink, Ghira passed one saucer to Valen and raised his own. "Now that's something I understand completely."
Though he usually abstained from alcohol, Valen followed the man's lead and took a drink. It was of high quality and didn't taste too terribly, but the chances of him having more were next to none.
"Well then," Finished with his drink, Ghira set the saucer aside and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, what brought you back after so long? I figured you would've been picked up by one of the academies by now. What with your crushing victory at the Festival."
"Hmm, you saw that." Valen set his unfinished drink down and sat up a bit straighter.
"My friend, there probably isn't a soul on Remnant that didn't see how you swept the competition," Ghira exclaimed. He then made a face one often portrayed when deep in thought. "Speaking of which, isn't that redheaded woman with you the same one you fought in the finals?"
"She is."
The Panther Faunus narrowed his gaze, looking the older man over. Soon after, a toothy grin spread across his lips as he rubbed his chin. "Valen, you sly dog."
This garnered him an unimpressed look in response.
But his silence was all the answer that Ghira needed. As a man who has been happily married for almost fifteen years, he recognized blossoming love when he saw it and he was happy for his friend. If anything else, he felt sorry for many of the single women of Kuo Kuana. Looks like Remants' latest celebrity was already off the table.
"So, how long are you and your family staying?"
"For the duration of the summer," Valen spoke plainly. While he would like to stay for longer, Pyrrha still had school to attend. And while he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would learn far more from training alongside his children and her mother, he also knew that there were many more lessons that he wasn't suitable to teach.
The topic of enrolling Maria and the other two had even come up at one point, but all three had declined the offer.
The chieftain nodded. "Well, even if you have been gone for a few years, you're still a citizen of Kuo Kuana as far as I'm concerned. Sienna has even started looking after your residence these past few months."
Valen blinked out of surprise. That is very unexpected but welcomed news. He would be sure to express his gratitude the next time he saw her. Although he couldn't help but wonder why.
"Any particular reason why?"
For the first time since their reunion, Ghiras' expression took a noticeable dive. "It's my fault really. I'm not sure if you have heard but it was around the same time that I stepped down as the White Fangs High leader and elected Sienna as my successor. Given the stress that comes with the position, I figured she just needed a quiet place to unwind."
Valen was surprised by this. From the years he and Maria had lived on the island, he had come to learn just how much the movement meant to Ghira. So to learn that he had willingly stepped down was difficult to imagine.
"What caused you to step down?"
"Surely you've heard how more than a few of our rallies turned out?'
Valen nodded. While he didn't particularly care for television, the same couldn't be said for the children. At least when it pertains to Nicolas. The boy was fond of "channel surfing" as it was apparently called. It had been during one of those moments when he had happened upon news coverage of a White Fang rally moments before it had devolved into a small riot. Though damage to the surrounding area had been kept low, dozens of Humans and Faunus had been injured. Many of which had required hospitalization.
"While support for our movement has grown, so too has the opposition. Many of our founding members believed that it was time to take a more aggressive approach. I was a part of the few who were against it." Ghira frowned at the memory of many of his closest friends turning against him. "So instead of being voted out, I put Sienna as my successor. While she was amongst those pushing for the movement to be more aggressive, she didn't believe in outright violence like others."
Valen could follow the logic behind the man's decision. Wanting equality through completely peaceful means was a noble goal. But very rarely was reality so forgiving. Sometimes it was better to speak softly, whilst simultaneously carrying the biggest gun. Because when negotiations failed it was better to be prepared than be found wanting.
"Speaking of acts of extreme violence," And like a switch had been flipped, Ghira was back to all smiles. "I called the mainland to let them know the Ancient Feilong has been taken care of. I gave them your name so that you could claim the reward money. They'll be sending someone out to confirm, but I don't see the whole thing taking any longer than a week."
Valen didn't want to ask as he didn't kill the Grimm expecting to be rewarded, but he felt that it was best to know just how much the hunt was worth. After all, how big of a bounty could it have been?
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If there was one thing that could be counted on to remain consistent about Evernight Castle, it was how quiet the place was. And quiet was something that Arthur Watts appreciated more than anything. Well, there was that and the abundance of knowledge stored within the ancient structures walls.
Honestly, he should really think of a way of a way to express his gratitude for the opportunity that Salem had given him when she invited him to join her inner council all those years ago. But he never would as there were much more important things for him to occupy his time. Besides, he knew the immortal wasn't one to be bothered with such frivolous things.
With the Qween of Grimm on his mind, his thoughts eventually drifted towards the other members of her inner circle. And just like that, his good mood immediately fell to the wayside. While Hazel was easy enough to work and get along with due to the giant's calm and composed nature, the same couldn't be said for the last founding member.
If he could sum up Tyrian Callows in one word… actually no, that was impossible. Between the man, often violent, mood swings there was no singular word that could encompass Arthurs' absolute disdain for the Scorpion Faunus. To even call him a man would be an overestimation of his mental capabilities. He was more along the lines of a mentally deranged child.
Before the disgraced doctor could delve further into his opinion of the lesser of his cohorts, Arthur noticed that he had reached his destination. That location is one of the rooms in the castle's lowest levels. If memory served him correctly, the room he stood outside of held within a spawning pool for his mistresses' children. And he wasn't alone.
"Lady Salem," Arthur showed the Mother of Grimm the respect that was due and bowed. "I was unaware that you would be present."
She motioned for him to rise. Only once he did so did she speak. "I am just as surprised to see you as well."
Before either could question the other, the two felt something wash over them. A surge of power. Salem was completely unbothered, but the same could not be said for Watts. The aged Doctor was forced to a knee as his breathing became noticeably heavier. A moment later, the feeling subsided and he could breathe easily once again.
The large double doors meant to contain a small horde of Grimm were suddenly blasted off of their hinges, where they flew across the hall and became embedded in the opposing wall. From the opening Salem and Watts saw only what looked like a living cloud of red mist blur past them with dizzying speed before it rounded the corner and disappeared from view.
From the darkness of the now permanently open room strode out the pale form of Abaddon. Hands clasped behind his waist as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Behind him, the two spied what appeared to be glowing runic symbols lining the entirety of the room. They show for a moment longer before fading into nothingness.
"That was…an unexpected result." He turned his attention toward the others and gestured in the direction that the mist had gone. "But I would say that the experiment was a success."
Though Watts would never admit it out loud to anyone but himself, the self-proclaimed demon always struck a primordial fear within the doctor. The being bosted a stature equal to that of Hazel but with a mind that even Watts, for all of his genius, couldn't even begin to fathom.
The giant was an unknown element. One that even Watts didn't think he wanted to learn the mystery of.
"What happened just now? What was that?"
The Doctors' questions went unanswered. The demon simply motioned for them to follow before walking in the direction of the upper levels at a brisk pace. Whereas Watts appeared annoyed, Salem was intrigued. Unlike the Doctor, she had an inkling as to what Abaddon had been doing these past few months. So with a noticeable eagerness in her step, the immortal quickly caught up and now walked beside the one being she saw as her equal.
Watts muttered a quick curse to himself and soon followed after.
For several minutes the trio made their way through Evernight Castle, climbing higher and higher until they reached to door the that led to the rooftop balcony. As they passed a nearby window, Abaddon suddenly reached out and tore a large strip from its curtain. He did not explain the bizarre action and walked through the doorway, the door of which had been blown off as well.
Upon setting foot outside and into the cold air, the trio saw their quarry standing out in the middle of the rooftop, staring up into the twilight sky. Though they currently had their back to them, Watts could tell from their figure that It was a woman. One that was entirely naked as well, with only her long black hair offering any form of modesty as it reached far enough to cover her buttocks.
Abaddon stepped forward, the sound of which caused the unknown woman to turn and face them. Either uncaring or unaware, the woman showcased everything to the trio. She was incredibly beautiful with pale skin and soft facial features. Somewhat on the short side, she boasted a curvacious figure with large breasts and wide hips. Her eyes were large and a deep crimson-red. The veins around her eyes were engorged and blackened.
It was impossible for Watts to not draw similarities between the unknown woman and Salem. The two resembled one another so much so that the two could've been confused for sisters. Twins even.
The woman stared unflinchingly as Abaddon approached, not blinking even as he towered over her by a good 3ft. Upon reaching her, the demon flared out the torn curtain before draping it around the woman's shoulders and covering her nudity.
"Come," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You must have questions. Questions that I will do my best to answer. But first, let us find something more appropriate for you to wear."
The woman's gaze briefly returned to the horizon before settling back on Abaddon. Hugging the makeshift cloak closer to her, she gave an almost imperceivable nod and allowed herself to be guided inside.
"What is it that you can recall?"
Salem and Watts fell into place a few steps behind them. Where they could watch the interaction without their presence being too imposing.
The woman frowned. Her eyes pinching as she attempted to remember anything. But try as she might, all that came forth was darkness and she shook her head. "I-I don't remember anything."
Abaddon gave a short grunt. "A common occurrence amongst those returned to the land of the living."
The woman froze before suddenly gripping her head in pain. After a moment, she relaxed once more. That was right. She had died. Killed while battling something that she had stood no chance of defeating. But that begs the question.
Why was she here? Why was she no longer dead? These were but a few of the nigh endless questions she wanted to give voice to. But something within her soul told her that the being walking beside her had spoken no lies when he said that he would provide her with the answers that she sought.
.
.
.
-End-