Chapter Twenty Four – Velocity
A/N; I'm putting a small note here for people so they are aware that this chapter touches on some darker content that some might not be comfortable with, specifically sexual assault. I shall mark the scene for everyone, so that those who wish to skip it can do so.
The sound of splintering wood and metal clanging on the ground alerted those inside that there was a problem. A problem that was shrouded in the black cloak of death and reeked of blood.
Those inside the building all sat up and began to listen out for the source of the commotion. After a few moments of silence, the large wooden doors were kicked open, and before them were two figures, but the two intruders gave the people no chance to fight back.
"Now, Dragon! Go for the throat; show no mercy!" the individual barked as he leapt into the room and pounced on the closest person, who was scrambling to pull his gun out of the waistband of his jeans.
"Damn it, will you slow down?! We need to keep at least one of them alive for interrogation!" Cyrus snapped as he danced past his enemy, slicing him across the back with Black Emperor before firing a round into him with Redemption.
"What the fu–? Aaaaggghhhh!" one of the men screamed as Cyrus' ally turned his attention towards him and attacked, driving him to the floor and slaughtering him.
The surprise attack was over in seconds. The five people who had been in the room when Cyrus and his ally attacked had all been dealt with; four were dead, and there was just one person left, who was scrambling backwards on his hands and feet in a futile attempt to get away.
"Not so fast, worm! We demand answers!" the individual roared, pinning the young man to the floor with his foot.
"Wh-What do you want?!" the man stammered, looking at the two intruders before him, not entirely sure which one was the more frightening of the pair.
"You must be Adrian… Your boy Marcos told us we'd find you here," Cyrus stated, spearing the tip of his sword into the ground next to the man's knee.
"Mmm, that's right. He was very chatty once he was coerced. He said you're one of the top dealers in Heimdallr for all sorts of black market paraphernalia," the individual remarked, smirking as he pressed his foot down harder on Adrian.
"Wait, what…? Is it drugs you guys are after? I mean, I can understand this kid, but you?" Adrian blinked, looking from Cyrus to the individual.
"It's not drugs we're after, but information. This question is two-fold, so pay attention," the individual commanded before turning to look at Cyrus. "Dragon?"
"I want to know where your supply of Velocity comes from," Cyrus stated, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small glass vial which was full of a dark red powder.
"Wait a second… You arseholes want to cut in on my turf?! Fuck no, that's not happening!" Adrian shouted, causing Cyrus' ally to lift his foot off of Adrian's chest and stamp back down on it, cracking a few ribs.
"YOU WILL BE SILENT WHEN THE DRAGON SPEAKS, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" the individual roared.
"Calm yourself… Perhaps he just needs a bit of convincing," Cyrus muttered, kneeling down next to the dealer. "Listen to me, Adrian. My partner and I here have spent the last hour and a half hitting several of Heimdallr's clubs in order to find out where you lowlifes are getting this poison from. Believe me, we have no interest in procuring it for use, nor for distribution. Your friends were all foolish enough to think we were bluffing, and the result is exactly what you see in this room. Now, with that in mind, I'll ask again; where does your supply of Velocity come from? Keep in mind that I won't be asking again."
To drive his point home, Cyrus raised Redemption, and placed it right up against Adrian's temple; the cold metal stinging as the dealer knew Cyrus wasn't bluffing.
"Alright, alright! Just don't kill me!" Adrian pleaded. "I don't know the man's name, but all the dealers in Heimdallr get it from him. He's some big shot in the Zemurian underworld. Everyone calls him the 'Concierge of Crime' because he will provide anyone with anything they need for the right price!"
Cyrus stayed where he was, looking at the dealer, who was pleading with him to be set free. Clicking his tongue, Cyrus nodded and stood up, taking Redemption away from the man's head as he motioned for his ally to release the man. When Cyrus moved away from Adrian, the young man sat up and let out a sigh of relief.
Adrian never got to finish that sigh of relief, as he heard the familiar clicking sound of a firearm being primed to fire, which was promptly followed by a gunshot. Cyrus had stood up, moved behind Adrian, and shot him in the back of the back of the head, executioner style, killing him instantly.
"Well, at least we got an answer out of this guy," Cyrus muttered, looking at the corpse of Adrian, who was missing half his head from the bullet that had been fired into him.
"Then why did you proceed to kill him instead of asking if he had sold to the child?" the individual asked, seemingly annoyed with Cyrus' brash action.
"He was a lair. It's that simple," Cyrus shrugged, making Redemption disappear with a flick of his hand.
"Hmph, quite right. I suppose, if he was able to lie about who he got his product from, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume he'd lie about the girl too," the individual remarked, nodding his head.
"Still though… Out of all the possible things you could refuse to deal in, drugs being the only one is quite surprising," Cyrus muttered.
"It ruins lives… Innocent lives. You know that. Was it not you who told me that in the first place?" the individual countered.
"Yes, that's correct. Alas, let us not waste time philosophising; we need to get moving. I only have about thirty minutes until that meeting at the Golden Hind begins," Cyrus stated as he made his way out of the building.
Whilst Cyrus was off with his partner, the rest of Group B were back at the old Bracer HQ on Vesta Street. It was currently half past eleven at night, which meant if they were going to defy Cyrus and go after the Crimson Yaksha, they had to decide right then and there.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Gaius asked. "What if Cyrus was right?"
"I see where you're coming from, Gaius, but I need to know," Emma stated. It was obvious what her choice was regarding the matter.
"This is completely ridiculous. You're being reckless, and that is the last thing I'd expect from you, as our Class President," Jusis scoffed, looking at Emma as she wandered around, getting ready to head out.
"Really? You don't think it's suspicious that the moment we find a lead on the person who killed Fie that Cyrus demands we drop it and not follow it?" Emma asked, turning to look at Jusis.
"Get a hold of yourself, woman!" Jusis snapped. "You heard what Cyrus said about the creature. It's a being of evil, and it's so strong that even he is afraid of it. For someone who is supposed to be very smart, you're acting awfully stupid at the moment."
"I beg your pardon?!" Emma cried, slamming her staff into the wooden floorboards.
"What Jusis means, Emma, is you need to take a step back and breathe," Gaius interjected. "At the moment, you're incredibly worked up and not thinking straight. I understand how you're feeling, because my brother invokes the same reaction in me. But Tengri is far different to a contract killer that is known for naught but brutality."
"Alisa, what's wrong? You've been awfully silent since we got back to this place," Emma asked, looking at the blonde girl, who had been sat in silence for a while now.
"You don't think he planned this, do you?" Alisa responded, looking out the window and down onto Vesta Street.
"Planned what?" Jusis asked.
"This… Everything; Tengri, the Yaksha, that woman…" Alisa murmured.
"Ok, it's nice to know that both of you have completely lost touch with reality," Jusis muttered, rolling his eyes.
"I don't want to believe it, Jusis, but can you really tell me it's all a coincidence? Let's just assume for a second that Emma is correct and Cyrus is the monster that killed Fie… When he originally told us about the Yaksha's existence, he refused to let us go hunt it. Ok, fair; both he and Instructor Sara said we'd probably die the moment we even looked into the whereabouts of the killer. Then, for the longest time, there was nothing. No mention of either the Yaksha, or helping us look for it. Now, all of the sudden, the right hand to Zemuria's biggest crime lord appears, who just happens to be Gaius' brother, who tells us vital information about the Yaksha, and then, to top it all off, he's conveniently asked to go off and do something else, and forbade us from seeking out the Yaksha," Alisa explained.
"Hmph, sounds like poor writing in a bad story, if you ask me," Jusis muttered, staring into space in front of him.
"Ok, let's back this up for a second. Explain how Tengri and the Concierge fit into this," Gaius began.
"Well, the possibility behind that assumption is two-fold. First is General Le Guin; she's been trying to apprehend the Concierge the moment he stepped foot into Ordis, and Cyrus has even helped her on occasion, by admission of the General herself. Then there's the fact he's the Assassin known as Yang. So, what does the Concierge, Yang, and the Crimson Yaksha all have in common?" Alisa responded.
"The criminal underworld," Emma answered.
"Exactly. Given how hard the General has fought to arrest the Concierge, and given Cyrus' connections to the underworld, is it really that much of a stretch to assume he was able to seek out the Concierge, and hire him to send Tengri to follow us, and deliberately provide us with information about the one who killed Fie? To add to that, look at how he let the guy go instead of trying to arrest him. Doesn't all of that seem suspicious?" Alisa carried on.
"Perhaps, but why would he tell us that the Yaksha was going to be in Heimdallr if it's actually him? Wouldn't it make more sense to simply cut the middle man out and not say anything, so his disappearance wouldn't seem suspicious?" Jusis countered.
"That's the part I can't figure out… The only thing I can think of is so absurd that it just doesn't fit with the narrative in any way, shape, or form," Alisa sighed.
"What is it?" Gaius asked.
"He told us because he wants to kill us," Alisa responded.
At that shocking declaration, everyone in the room fell silent. All four members of Group B simply looked at one another, unsure of how to respond. Alisa was correct; it was absurd, but if everything else she said was true, then just how absurd was her declaration really?
"Hmph, nonsense. Do you even hear yourself? Why in Thanatos' name would he want to kill us?" Jusis scoffed.
"I don't know! That's the problem. I must be missing something here… I just don't know what that something is!" Alisa cried, cradling her head in her hands.
'Child of Isola… I demand your presence before me in the Garden…'
The voice of the Immortal Dragon thundered in Emma's head, taking her by surprise. He never made contact with the Witches of the Hexen Clan, unless it was of the utmost importance, and even then, he would usually contact Roselia. What did he want with Emma?
Emma started to feel uneasy. She knew she could not ignore the commands of the Hexen Clan's almighty Reignbow Arbiter, but what if she missed the opportunity to find out who the Crimson Yaksha was, because of the phantom's demand?
'DO NOT IGNORE ME, CHILD! I DEMAND YOUR PRESENCE BEFORE ME, IMMEDIATELY! DO NOT MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN!'
This time, the voice of the Immortal Dragon exploded in her mind, causing her to fall to her knees. Even at this distance, his influence over Emma was so absolute that she couldn't hide it.
"Emma?!" Gaius shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her out of her daze.
"Ugh… I'm… I'm alright. Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom before I head out," Emma mumbled, standing up and leaving the room.
"Tch, just as I thought," Jusis muttered.
"Wanna share with the rest of us then?" Alisa asked.
"She hasn't got the stomach to go through with this. As much as she wants to believe that Cyrus isn't the Crimson Yaksha, she's not prepared for the fallout if it turns out that he is," Jusis stated.
"What do you mean?" Gaius turned looking at Jusis with a puzzled look.
"She hides it well, but not as well as she thinks. Maybe, if Fie hadn't died and Cyrus hadn't admitted that he's an Assassin with a contract to kill Fie, things would be different," Jusis shrugged.
"So, you noticed it too? I'm impressed, Jusis. I didn't think you cared about anyone in our class," Alisa smirked.
"Hush, woman. I only noticed it because you couldn't keep your hands off him," Jusis snapped, eliciting a satisfied cackle from Morokei.
"Don't you start! I almost forgot you still existed!" Alisa cried, turning to the azure spectre.
"Jusis, what are you talking about?" Gaius asked, still unsure what he was getting at.
"Emma; she's in love with Cyrus," Jusis declared.
As soon as Emma left the room, she found a closet to hide herself in as she cast a teleportation spell to take her to Fyxestroll Garden; the Immortal Dragon's domain. From the moment she arrived, she could tell something wasn't right. The cavern that was situated in the middle of the garden that housed the soul of the Immortal Dragon was gone. In its place was a giant mountain.
"What in the hell…?" Emma breathed as she looked up at the mountain.
A stone staircase had been carved into the side of the giant mountain, with special cleansing gates that purified any soul that passed through it, whilst barring any evil from climbing the mountain.
Sighing, Emma made her way over to the staircase and started the climb. The moment she passed through the first gate, a bright flash of blue light swallowed her whole, forcing her to shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself on the mountain's summit, which provided sweeping views of all of Fyxestroll Garden.
At the centre of the mountaintop, sat the same white phantom that once dwelled in a cave, deep underneath the garden. The spirit knew Emma had arrived, despite having its back to her as she was transported up the mountain.
"I am starting to think the Hexen Clan see me as nothing more than an ancient relic," the Immortal Dragon spoke, his voice booming across the entire garden. "When I summon you, Child of Isola, I expect you to appear in my garden before I am able to take my next breath. Is that understood?"
"Y-Yes, Immortal One. A thousand apologies," Emma bowed, still facing the Immortal Dragon's back.
"I have brought you here because if I didn't you were going to die. I cannot allow that to happen," the Immortal Dragon declared.
"My Lord?" Emma began, before she was silenced by the spectre appearing before her.
"You were warned that seeking out the Crimson Yaksha was going to be dangerous, yet you chose to defy that warning and proceed to seek it out anyway. I don't know if I should admire your bravery and tenacity, or condemn you for your stupidity and recklessness," the Immortal Dragon said, the pale light his spiritual form was emanating covering Emma as she bowed before him.
"I want to know who it was that killed my friend, Immortal One. I want to know if the Crimson Yaksha really is Cyrus," Emma responded.
"Does that mean you have come to terms with what is etched into your soul?" the Immortal Dragon asked.
"Yes, my Lord… I understand now what it was you saw in my soul when I last visited you," Emma answered.
"Then what is it you hope to achieve by killing yourself?" the Immortal Dragon questioned, looking at Emma behind his pale mask.
"In all honesty, Immortal One, I was hoping that if the Crimson Yaksha was Cyrus, that he would refrain from killing me. Yet, if the Crimson Yaksha isn't Cyrus and I do die by its hand… At least I would die knowing I wasn't in love with a monster," Emma responded, keeping her head bowed low.
"FOOL!" the Immortal Dragon exploded, the skies above the garden immediately filling with clouds which turned into a torrential downpour, soaking Emma where she knelt. "I DID NOT WATCH OVER YOUR MOTHER FROM THE MOMENT SHE WAS BORN, AND ENSURE YOU WERE BORN FOR YOU TO THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY SO CARELESSLY!"
"I… You… What?" Emma gasped; her voice being drowned out by the rain that was hammering the mountaintop.
"Listen to me very carefully, Child of Isola… You cannot be allowed to die before the appointed hour in which I have foreseen. You are an integral part of Project Nemesis, and I will not allow you to throw your life away over something so foolish!" the Immortal Dragon decreed.
"Project Nemesis…? Grandmother mentioned that to me a few months ago," Emma said.
"Yes, only because I allowed her to speak those words in your presence. You are not yet ready to learn of your place in the project, but I will not allow you to throw your life away before you have fulfilled your duty to me, the Immortal Lord of the Hexen Clan," the Immortal Dragon responded as he placed a ghostly hand on Emma's head, and covered her in a pale light. "If you wish to continue down this path, then I am left with no choice but to indulge you…"
"Immortal One?" Emma mumbled as the light from the Reignbow Arbiter's hand vanished.
"I have placed a charm of Immortality onto your soul that will last for one day only. I will allow you a small peek behind the curtain. Perhaps, after tonight, you will set down the path that I have woven for you on the tapestry of fate. If not… I can always reclaim your soul and try again later," the Immortal Dragon muttered. "Now go. Remove yourself from my sight."
"Yes, Reignbow Arbiter…" Emma whispered, as she stood up.
"One more thing, Child of Isola… This mountain exists because my power is returning to me. The next time you set foot in my domain, the layout of it will have changed once again, and will continue to do so until my power is fully returned to me," the Immortal Dragon stated, knowing Emma was curious about the change.
Without another word, the Reignbow Arbiter waved a hand and sent Emma back to Heimdallr. When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the closet she had used to teleport to Fyxestroll Garden, and after looking at the time, she realised that not even a second had passed since she had first entered the closet. She could only marvel at the power of the almighty Reignbow Arbiter, who had the ability to bend time and warp space. If he could do that without a physical body and without his full power, Emma didn't even want to think of what her almighty Lord could do at full power.
On the other side of Heimdallr, Cyrus and his ally had finally found a lead on Jenny. As it happened, the mysterious partner of Cyrus had stumbled upon her being escorted into a club on the East Side, and knew what was going to happen. Immediately, he sought out Cyrus, and told him of his discovery.
The pair quickly made their way to the club and were just about ready to bust open the doors before Cyrus pressed pause on the plan. Blinking in confusion, the individual looked at Cyrus.
"You intend to send me away now? What insult is this?!" the individual snapped.
"Calm down. I'm only doing this for Jenny's sake. I don't know how she'd react if she found out I was working with someone like you," Cyrus responded.
"I beg your pardon? 'Someone like me'? Tread lightly, Dragon," the individual hissed.
"You know what I mean. We agreed that this was the deal from the get go. Until such a time that I can work with you freely in the open, you agreed that you would stick to the shadows. Was that not agreed upon in our contract?" Cyrus asked.
"Hrrrgggghhhh, fine. The terms of our contract are absolute, I suppose. Just… Don't forget who it is that's helped you all these years, Dragon," the individual growled.
"Of course I won't. I just wonder how Aurelia will feel when she discovers the truth…" Cyrus smirked, as he looked at his partner.
"Hmph, the General has never let anything shake her foundations. Yet, I am certain that this alliance of ours will cause those foundations to crumble," the individual grinned as he turned and disappeared into the night.
Once his partner had left the scene, Cyrus made his way inside the club to look for Jenny.
After leaving the closet, Emma made her way back out to where Alisa, Gaius, and Jusis were, but overheard them talking and decided to stay put and listen in on their conversation. The only reason she did this was because she had heard both hers and Cyrus' name mentioned.
"That's quite a bold claim, Jusis. How sure are you of that?" Gaius asked.
"Oh, please. It doesn't take a genius to know when someone is bad at hiding their true emotions," Jusis said, rolling his eyes. "Tell me, why is she so desperate to find out the truth about who killed Fie?"
"Fie was her closest friend. You could probably even go as far to suggest that Emma saw Fie as her little sister," Alisa responded.
"Hmph, and? If that was the case, then why did she outright accuse Cyrus of being the Crimson Yaksha?" Jusis asked.
"Well, he is an Assassin. Remember that he did openly admit his identity was Yang," Gaius pointed out.
"Yes, precisely. His alias is Yang. Why would he all of the sudden change his alias and then reveal who it was that killed Fie?" Jusis quizzed. "Wouldn't it be that much easier to lie and say that he doesn't know who did it?"
"How do we know that it wasn't a lie?" Alisa asked. "Don't get me wrong, I hope we're wrong about this and Cyrus isn't the Crimson Yaksha, but we need to explore all angles."
"I agree with your sentiments, Alisa, but answer me this; when has Cyrus ever told a lie?" Gaius countered.
"I suppose he hasn't, really. He's shielded the truth from us at times, but he's never outright lied to us, I don't think," Alisa pondered.
"So, that leads back to my original point; if he was the Crimson Yaksha, he'd have told us about it, right?" Jusis stated.
"Right, but what does this have to do with Emma and her feelings for Cyrus?" Alisa asked.
"Because she knows Cyrus wouldn't lie to her, and she desperately wants to believe that he had nothing to do with Fie's death. How would you feel if the man you're supposed to love was responsible for killing someone you considered to be family?" Jusis responded.
"You feel conflicted. Torn. You think 'surely, there is no way this person could do something so heinous to someone they're supposed to care about'…" Emma said as she entered the room.
"E-Emma…" Alisa gasped, a slight twang of guilt in her chest when she realised Emma had overheard everything.
"I'm sorry, Emma we didn't–" Gaius bowed, before Emma held up a hand to stop him.
"You don't have to apologise, Gaius. Honestly, it took some time and a lot of self-reflection to come to this conclusion myself. From the beginning, something drew me towards Cyrus. I don't know what it was, but I knew it was something I wanted in my life; like a part of me that was missing had been found, cliché as that sounds," Emma began.
"Hmph, you didn't do a very good job in hiding it," Jusis muttered, only to receive a slap on the arm from Alisa.
"When Alisa and Cyrus started getting closer, I had to bury those feelings so I wouldn't become jealous. Now, however, it seems that Alisa wasn't explicitly the one responsible for her advances," Emma said, looking at Morokei.
"Keh, I simply gave the girl a little push. Everything else was just a bonus," Morokei guffawed, much to the annoyance of Alisa.
"So, what happened when you found out Cyrus was an Assassin with orders to kill Fie?" Gaius asked, trying to sound as sensitive as possible.
"I didn't want to believe he was going to do it, at first. Especially when he fought and killed that other Assassin that came for her. Despite what I felt for him, I didn't want Fie to be put in harm's way, which is why I elected to side with those who wanted to see Cyrus sent away from Thors; hoping it'd keep Fie safe," Emma answered.
"Then, what made you think Cyrus was the killer to begin with?" Alisa asked.
"I don't know, rightly… Some part of me just said 'he knows something'. So, I needed to find out if that gut feeling was true. Part of me still thinks he does know something, or has some connection to the Crimson Yaksha. It didn't take me long to figure out that Cyrus is someone who never leaves a task unfinished; our Field Study in Parm was more than proof of that fact. So, whether or not he is the Crimson Yaksha, or he simply gave the Yaksha the task to kill Fie in order to ensure the job got done, I don't know. But I'm going to find out," Emma declared as she picked up her staff and made for the door.
Whether it was Emma's logic, or her conviction in discovering the truth behind the Crimson Yaksha, her words prompted Group B to follow her and make their way to the Golden Hind in order to learn more about the Assassin that was supposed to have murdered Fie.
It was currently quarter to midnight; only fifteen minutes until the secret meeting of the Imperial Liberation Front's leaders started.
A/N; This is the scene here. If you wish to skip it, just scroll down until you reach the next line break thingy and you're good
After his partner had left the scene, Cyrus wasted no time entering the building. He knew he had about fifteen minutes before the meeting at the Golden Hind, and he had to make sure he was present for it. There was no way he was about to let the identity of the Crimson Yaksha be uncovered.
As he made his way through the club, masking his presence from everyone around him, he followed the trail that eventually led him to where Jenny was; a VIP room in the back of the club, with armed bodyguards standing watch outside.
'Hmm, how best to procced? Outright killing them wouldn't be right, given I don't know if they're a part of the dealers' entourage, or if they're just hired muscle…' Cyrus thought, sighing to himself.
In the end, Cyrus simply opted to go with what was objectively the more straightforward option; stand outside the room and slip in when the door opened.
Thanks to his Assassin skills, primarily gained through working with Rixia, he had learned a similar ability to Yin's Moonlight Butterflies; an ability he called 'Shadow Sneak'. By making contact with the shadow, he was able to completely disappear from sight and senses. This ability was how he had been able to unsettle Laura before their fight a couple of months prior; by hiding in her shadow and essentially hiding his existence from her.
The corridor was brightly lit, but where there was bright light, there were strong shadows. By making contact and moving in between the shadows, Cyrus was like a ghost; imperceptible to anyone around him. As he made his way to where the bodyguards were standing, he snuck into their shadows and waited for his opportunity.
It didn't take long for his opportunity to arrive, as within a minute, the door was kicked open and out swaggered a skinny guy in clothes that were two sizes too big for him. To his friends, he was a 'gangsta', and to the general populace, he would be considered a reprobate, or a menace to society. To Cyrus, he was just an idiot.
"Yo, dawg! I gotta go take a leak! Make sure nobody be tryna step in on our deal, yeah?" the guy called out as he sauntered past the bodyguards, who responded with a curt nod.
'Fucking hell, these idiots get more and more ridiculous by the day. At least with Heiyue it was all suits and silent intimidation. These morons would piss themselves if they met real gangsters…' Cyrus sighed, shaking his head as he slipped past the guards and into the room.
Slipping inside the room, Cyrus found a nice dark spot at the back of the room, but with a clear view to see exactly what was going on. At the centre of the room were five guys and one girl. The girl was young and had long brown hair and bright green eyes. No matter how many times Cyrus saw her, he was still astounded by how much she looked exactly like her mother.
"Come on, will you?! I already paid you; now give me what I came here for!" Jenny barked. Despite the striking resemblance to her mother, her attitude was the exact opposite.
"Yeah, yeah, calm yo' shit, bitch. We all good," one of the dealers sighed, waving a dismissive hand as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial full of dark red powder. "One order of Velocity."
Without hesitating, Jenny snatched the vial from the guy's hand and opened it. As Cyrus watched, he felt a mix of anger and sorrow as Jenny tipped a small amount of powder onto the back of her hand and snorted it. The hit was almost instantaneous, and Jenny went from being agitated to euphoric by the time she had taken her hand away from her nose.
"Ahh… Fuck, that's incredible!" Jenny groaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the drug took effect. "How is this stuff so much better than the shit in Ordis?"
"Aww, hell naw! You ain't tryna say you be settlin' for that weak as fuck shit from Ordis?! Damn, girl, you gotta come back to Crossbell with us, and we'll show you what the real good shit is!" the dealer cried.
'Crossbell? That's where this stuff is coming from?' Cyrus thought, noticing the dealer did indeed speak with a strong Southern Crossbell accent.
"Nah, pass. I'm not interested in travelling all the way to Crossbell for my Velocity. I'll just pay to have it shipped to Ordis, I don't care," Jenny shrugged.
'With whose fucking money?!' Cyrus blinked, knowing her family no longer possessed the funds to afford anything other than the most basic necessities, such as food.
"Ahh, you one of them rich Noble bitches, ain't ya?" the dealer smirked.
"Eh, something like that," Jenny muttered. "You guys willing to ship this stuff to my friends in Ordis then?"
"Hmm, we could be persuaded…" the dealer nodded, looking Jenny up and down.
"How much is it going to cost?" Jenny asked, scowling at the dealer as he met her gaze.
"I suppose we could do it for free… If you willing to listen to our proposition," the dealer responded, grinning as he grabbed Jenny's dress and pulled it down, exposing her breasts, much to the enjoyment of his cohorts.
"Whoo, damn! This bitch got some damn fine titties! They gotta be like E's or F's!" one of the thugs cheered.
"Nah, man… Those are G's… My last hoe had titties like that. Ain't no way I'd mistake ones that big," another laughed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jenny screamed, punching the dealer in the mouth, before covering herself up.
"Ooooohhhh! This bitch got a mean right hook!" a third thug laughed as the dealer spat out a tooth.
"You gonna regret that, hoe…" the dealer snarled as he backhanded Jenny across the face, causing her nose to start bleeding.
Cyrus remained silent as he watched the deal before him turn sour and Jenny fall to the floor, crying. Under normal circumstances, the moment the dealer pulled Jenny's dress down, he would have cut the man's hand off before killing him. Yet, for some morbid reason, he chose to remain still and just watch everything unfold. He had known Jenny his whole life, practically growing up with her, being almost three years older than her, and with how close he was to Amelia when they were children. So, why did he not act the moment the dealer put his hands on Jenny?
By this point, the dealer was on top of Jenny, and the other thugs in the room held her down by tying her arms down and forcing something into her mouth to stop her from screaming for help. Jenny was franticly trying to kick the dealer off of her body, but she was unable to do so, as he was sitting just above her knees, resulting in her merely flailing about like a helpless pup.
Due to Jenny being under the influence of Velocity, she was much more aware of everything that was happening to her, as the drug enhanced all her senses to an almost superhuman level. She could feel the weight of the man on top of her, forcing the air out of her lungs despite being nowhere near them, the burn from the ropes his friends had used to hold her arms down, and the warm, sticky sensation of the blood running down her face from her nose. Everything became too much for the poor girl to handle, and as a result, began to go into a state of severe psychological distress.
Despite having something in her mouth to stop her from screaming, Jenny still tried her best to scream out for help, her muffled screams being forced back down her throat by the object in her mouth. By this point, Jenny was hysterical, and sobbing uncontrollably; her tears causing her make-up to run, which made for a truly awful sight.
"Don't you just love when they cry and scream like this?" the fourth member of the group cackled, making it a point to terrify Jenny even further by licking a tear off her cheek, causing her to sob even harder.
"C'mon, man! Get to the good part already!" the fifth man shouted, setting up a recording device which was pointed directly at Jenny and the dealer on the floor.
"Damn, son! Will you just slow ya roll fo' a damn second?! I haven't even taken her panties off yet, and you look like you're about to cum!" the dealer snapped, shaking his head. "Now, listen here, hoe. This'll go much easier if ya just lie back and accept what's about to happen."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hold her legs down, fool! We can't miss a second of this shit!" the fifth man shouted as Jenny started to kick her legs even harder as she felt a pair of hands go up her dress and her underwear start to come down.
By this point, Jenny had almost resigned herself to her fate. She knew no-one was going to save her, as her mother and father had no idea where she was, and her big sister was too busy traipsing about with her fiancée to give a damn about her. In that moment, all she could do was pray to the Sibling Gods, and hope one of them would take mercy on her and kill her before she could be violated.
"Watch closely, fools. I'm gonna–" the dealer began, looking at the recording device with a wicked grin.
"Disappear."
That one, singular word was spoken with so much malice that everyone in the room felt a cold chill run down their spines as soon as they heard it. The thugs had no idea who had said the word, but knew they were about to pay for their sins.
The moment the word was uttered, a clicking sound was heard, followed immediately by a thunderous gunshot, which echoed throughout the entire building; frightening both the thugs in the VIP room, and all the patrons in the main area of the club.
After the gunshot, the thugs in the VIP room cried out in horror as they watched the dealer collapse to the floor, a huge portion of his head missing and his blood and brain matter splattered all over the far wall and floor in a fine mist. The other men in the room stared in horror at the creature stood before them, towering over the corpse of the dealer, and the now blood-soaked Jenny.
The creature was tall. Far taller than any of the people in the room with it. In one long hand, was a black sword, and in the other was the still smoking black firearm that had shot and killed the dealer. The creature's body was littered with scars from previous conflicts it had been in, and on its back was a tattoo of a massive crimson dragon.
Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of the creature's appearance was the mask that was covering its face. The mask was white as bone on one half, whilst the other half was stained crimson; whether it was part of the mask's design, or simply stained with blood, the thugs did not know. Nor did they care, as they were too busy looking at the two massive horns that sat atop the mask, pointing directly at the creature's next victim.
"Dragon?! What happened?! I sensed a dark presence and rushed over here as quickly as I could!" the individual shouted as he smashed through the doors to the room, covered in blood himself as he had dispatched both the bodyguards at the door, and the other member of the group who had left the room prior to everything that had happened. As he stormed into the room, the individual stopped in his tracks and absorbed the sight before him, blinking in disbelief at what he had walked into. "Dragon… What have you done…?"
"S-Stay away from me!" one of the thugs screamed as he crawled backwards on his hands and feet, grabbing a lampshade and threw it at the creature, watching in horror as the heavy object smashed into the creature's chest and broke into pieces, but doing seemingly no damage to the creature itself.
A thin wisp of black miasma wafted from behind the fanged mask the creature was wearing as it let out a shallow, rasping breath and slowly walked towards the fleeing man. Each step its bare foot took sounded like a volcano erupting in the man's ears.
As the creature reached the man, it slammed a foot down on his chest, impaling the man, causing a small fountain of blood to erupt up the monster's leg, soaking it and staining it a deep shade of crimson. Behind the two slits in the mask that allowed the creature to see, the man – his life force quickly fading – saw two bright, azure eyes, blazing with rage and hatred.
Not satisfied with stomping a hole through the man's chest, the creature pointed its horned mask down at the quickly dying thug and proceeded to finish the man off in the most gruesome way possible. Using the horns on its mask, the creature gored the man on the ground, completely destroying the man's face, making sure no-one would ever be able to identify his remains.
After finishing off the last of its prey, the creature snapped its head towards the mysterious individual, a flash in its eyes showing signs of recognition.
"You…"the Crimson Yaksha rasped, more black mist escaping from behind the mask as it spoke.
"DRAGON! That's enough, Dragon! I warned you this would happen!" the individual roared.
"Do not speak to me as if you know me…"the Crimson Yaksha hissed as it stood up straight and tore the mask off its face, revealing Cyrus behind it. "I have full control over the Yaksha."
"You damn fool! Look at the mess you've made!" the individual barked, looking at the gory scene before him.
Looking around, Cyrus could see the damage the Crimson Yaksha had done. All the men in the room who tried to violate Jenny had been killed in the most ruthless of manners. By all rights, the dealer who had been shot got off easy. If the murder scene had been left the way it currently was, it wouldn't have taken forensic experts to determine that the other men in the room had been killed by a single pair of bare hands.
"You… You worry too much, you know that?" Cyrus sighed, swaying on his feet slightly. "They got what they deserved. Are you telling me you would not deliver such punishment to those who tried to rape a sixteen year old girl?"
"Get a hold of yourself, Dragon," the individual snapped. "This wasn't punishment; it was torture."
"You know that the Crimson Yaksha sees no difference," Cyrus shrugged as he knelt down next to Jenny to check on her.
"I knew this was a bad idea the moment you told me about it… You cannot do this to yourself any longer. If you do, all our work will have been for naught!" the individual shouted.
"I will be fine… Everything I do is for the sake of our agreement. This was… Nothing more than a slight deviation," Cyrus muttered as he scooped Jenny up into his arms.
"You try my patience some days, Dragon… Go on. Return the poor brat to her parents; she's seen enough horror for one lifetime," the individual stated, a sense of sadness in his voice.
"What about you? What will you do?" Cyrus asked.
"I will clean up the mess you made here and make sure no-one ever finds out what happened this night. I would be quick about returning the child, though… It seems like your friends are intent on defying your orders," the individual said as he approached the blood mess on the floor and began preparations to clean up.
"Of course they are… They were never going to let this go; I knew that the moment Tengri told them about the Crimson Yaksha being in Heimdallr. Looks like I have no choice now," Cyrus muttered, turning his back to his ally.
"What are you planning, Dragon?" the individual asked, narrowing his eyes at Cyrus.
"To give them what they want; the Crimson Yaksha," Cyrus responded before vanishing.
"I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, you damnable fool," the individual muttered, shaking his head.
It was five minutes to midnight when Emma and the rest of Group B arrived at the Golden Hind. Fortunately for them, the Golden Hind was situated just a few blocks away from the Bracer HQ, so it only took them ten minutes to run there.
As they were running through the streets of West Heimdallr, Alisa had commented on how strange she thought it that no-one seemed to care that a quartet of heavily armed teenagers were charging through the streets in the middle of the night. This, of course, was because Emma had silently cast an invisibility spell on the group before they had left the Bracer HQ.
Still under the cloak of Emma's invisibility spell, Group B snuck into the Golden Hind from a rear service entrance at the back of the building. They knew they were in the right place, as Group B had watched dozens of identically unformed men and women all making their way into the building; their faces all obscured by masks, leaving only their mouths exposed.
Once inside, the Class VII members snuck up to the first floor of the building and hid on the landing, peeking over the balustrade and down on the meeting in the room below them. In the centre of the room was a small wooden stage and all the masked, uniformed people were gathering around it, looking at the three people currently standing on it.
Of the three people, two were men. One was a large, muscular man, with short, spiky blue hair and a large scar on his face. The other man was thin and weedy in comparison to the first man. He was short and had grey-bluish hair, and a pair of glasses framed his violet eyes. He was dwarfed by the size of the first man, who looked like he was about three times the size.
"Wait a second… Isn't that the guy we fought in Nord last month?" Alisa whispered, looking at the bespectacled man.
"Indeed… I believe he goes by the codename of 'G'?" Jusis responded.
"Hmm, then we're definitely in the right place," Gaius muttered.
"I'm kinda surprised; I never expected one of the leaders of the ILF to be a woman," Alisa pointed out as she looked at the third person on the stage.
The third person was indeed a woman. She had long, orange hair and a bright green eye, with the other being covered by an eyepatch. Whether this was for a reason, or just a part of her outfit, Group B were uncertain. In her hand next to her was a massive Templar Sword, which only scaled up the intimidation factor of the trio on the stage.
"So, which one do you think is C?" Alisa asked.
"Hmm, given there's three of them there, and we know one is called 'G', and the fact that C has been constantly referred to as being a male, I'd say it's the Incredible Hulk standing behind the other two," Jusis reasoned.
It was a fair assumption to make, given no-one had actually seen C in person, it wasn't a stretch to assume the large man was indeed the leader of the Imperial Liberation Front. Given he was now considered to be amongst allies, there was no real reason for him to hide his identity, which only lent further credence to the assumption.
"Alright, ya bastards! Shut the hell up!" the large man bellowed, silencing the crowd, before they all looked directly at him and all saluted him.
"GREETINGS, COMRADE V!" the crowd roared in response.
"Hmph, well, there goes that theory…" Jusis scowled after learning the man he thought was C was actually called V.
"The boss-man has called this meeting so that he can go over all the details for tomorrow's attack with ya, so shut the hell up and fuckin' listen!" V shouted.
"YES, COMRADE V!" the crowd yelled.
"Are they going to do that every time one of them speaks?" Alisa asked, looking at the scene down below and cringing slightly.
"Hush, woman! Look!" Jusis shushed as he pointed to movement on the far side of the room.
As the crowd acknowledged V's order, a set of doors swung open and out walked two figures. The first was someone wearing a black outfit and a full faced helmet. Thanks to the briefing Class VII had received from both Carl and Claire back at the RMP office, Group B knew this had to be the leader of the Imperial Liberation Front, C.
It wasn't C that drew the most attention, from both Group B and the foot soldiers of the terrorist organisation that had gathered for the meeting; it was the figure walking next to C that everyone was looking at.
The figure looked like it had been ripped straight out of a horror story. It was a tall figure with filthy, ashy skin that looked like it had been bathed in plaster and then stained with blood on its hands and chest. The blackened, dirty feet left a trail of footprints that were muddied by blood and dirt, and the longsword in its right hand was stained brown from all the blood it had drained from the people it had slaughtered, and the blade's edge was chipped and cracked, whilst the hilt was stained red with a combination of blood and sweat.
What made the figure truly frightening was the black mask it wore; a set of bright yellow eyes hiding behind it, with a pair of demonic horns pointing down the mask, similar to a pair of horns on a giant bull.
"Is… Is that the Crimson Yaksha?" Jusis whispered, a cold sweat starting to form on his brow.
"It has to be… Just looking at it, I can understand why Cyrus said he was afraid of it… I can feel the malevolence of it from here, and the stench of death is so overpowering, even the most powerful Wind won't go near it," Gaius responded, swallowing hard as he looked at the monster before him.
"Emma, are you sure you want to do this? Seeing it now… I can understand why Cyrus told us not to search for it," Alisa whispered, her entire body starting to tremble.
"I have to know… I won't be satisfied until I see the face behind the mask…" Emma responded.
Of course, Emma was only saying that because she knew she had been granted temporary immortality by her lord, the Immortal Dragon. For the next twenty-four hours, she could not die. However, that did not extend to the rest of Group B, and whilst Emma didn't consider it, there was another concern to address; a twenty-four hour barrier against death meant she was only protected for that one day. What would happen to her after the twenty-four hours were up and she were to suffer from a mortal wound?
As Group B were so fixated on the beast they assumed to be the Crimson Yaksha, they hadn't realised that C had started speaking several minutes ago.
"Comrades, as you know, tomorrow we launch our plan. We will not fail, and we shall achieve our goal of toppling the corrupt government that is run by Chancellor Giliath Osborne. Thanks to the backing of several benefactors, and underworld connections that have similar goals to us, we cannot be stopped," C declared before turning to V. "Comrade V?"
At C's behest, V grabbed a long briefcase that was behind him on the stage and opened it. The sounds of clicking locks echoed throughout the Golden Hind, and when V had removed the object that was inside the case, he lifted it up into the air in front of him.
"This little beauty is codenamed 'Project Emerald Sentinel'. It's a weapon designed by our number one 'Special War Potential', that has been given to us by their chief researcher," V smirked, holding the object in one hand.
The 'Emerald Sentinel' was a sniper rifle. It didn't look particularly special, as it was simply a black rifle with a long barrel, a tactical scope, and a bipod. From their position on the floor above, Group B looked on in curiosity. They could see that V was clearly impressed with the weapon he was holding, but why? There must have been something special about it for the Imperial Liberation Front to be showing it off as some kind of show piece.
'Project Emerald Sentinel…? Could this possibly be linked to that Project Anzu and Project Blackstone Cyrus and I were looking into months ago?' Alisa thought, trying to analyse the rifle.
"Perhaps instead of waving it around like a toy, you should tell everyone how it works, V," the woman spoke, a dark grin appearing on her face.
"I was just gettin' to that, S…" V smirked as he shoved his free hand into his pocket and dug out two bullets; one with a red shell casing, and one with a copper shell casing.
Looking on, Group B watched as V chambered the red bullet and loaded the rifle. With a shout from V, a large target fell from the ceiling and without hesitating, he shot it.
As he pulled the trigger, a massive explosion occurred as the bullet hit the target, setting it ablaze with a monstrous inferno. Shouts and cries of astonishment could be heard from the foot soldiers, as they all marvelled at a technology that shouldn't even exist.
Not finished with the demonstration, V chambered the copper bullet and primed the rifle to fire. Aiming at the still blazing target, V fired the second shot, and grinned as he watched the target turn to stone, before crumbling into a pile of smouldering rocks on the floor.
"What the hell was that?" Jusis gasped.
"What kind of weapon can turn an object to stone like that?" Gaius whispered.
"This is the true power of Project Emerald Sentinel; elemental bullets. By loading the weapon with one of five special rounds, you can fire an elemental shot that deals incredible damage, and can inflict the target with burn, paralysis, freeze, petrification, or wind shear, based on the kind of bullet you use," V explained as he pulled out five more bullets; red, gold, blue, copper, and green.
"Wait, a moment please, Comrade V," a man in the crowd spoke. "You said this weapon was created by a 'Special War Potential', was it? What is that, and who are they?"
"A fair question indeed, comrade," C began, answering the question. "A Special War Potential is someone we have deemed as being a force strong enough that their power would be a benefit to us, and our goals."
"So, who is it? It must be someone affiliated with the Reinford Group, if they can create a weapon like this," another foot soldier spoke.
As C was about to respond, he paused for a second and remained silent. After a few moments, he nodded, and let out a small chuckle.
"It seems that we have some very special guests with us tonight. Most unexpected indeed," C muttered, turning to the masked creature next to him and nodding.
Without a word, the monster vanished and barely a second later, Group B felt a cold chill running down their spines as they saw a shadow looming over them. Turning, they all came face to face with the black mask and golden eyes of the monster.
A shrill cry was emitted by the monster as it lifted up a manky, bloody foot and swiped it at Group B, hitting each one of them in a sweeping motion. One by one, each member of the group was sent flying in a different direction, but the result was still the same; they had all been smashed across the room by the terrifying creature.
Immediately upon impact with a wall, Alisa passed out; the force of the kick and the collision with the wall she had been sent flying in to was too much for her, and she collapsed.
Jusis had tried to dodge the kick, and it was good thing he did; he was the first one in the firing line, and the beast was aiming for his head. Had it connected, the sheer force of the kick would have decapitated him. Instead, Jusis had manage to twist his body to the point where the kick had made contact with his shoulder, smashing it on impact, but at least he was still alive.
Gaius had had his back to the creature when it kicked him, so he was sent flying forwards across the room, and impacted with a table stomach first, knocking the wind out of him and making him pass out from the collision too.
The only one who was relatively unharmed from the strike was Emma, and that was only because she had the Reignbow Arbiter's protection. Shaking her head, she climbed out of the crater her body had made in the wall and as she looked up, she found herself staring at the dead, golden eyes of the monster that Group B had believed was the Crimson Yaksha.
The beast was clearly intrigued by the fact that Emma could still move, so it immediately made its way over to her, to understand how its kick hadn't killed or seriously harmed her. With a wailing shriek, the monster lifted up the chipped, jagged sword and prepared to cut her in half. Even with her Lord's blessing, Emma knew there was no way she could survive being sliced in two. With no way to escape her fate, Emma closed her eyes and waited for death, hoping that she would finally be reunited with Fie.
As the strike landed, everything went silent. Emma felt a punching impact in her chest, then nothing when the blade cleaved through her flesh. She had at least assumed she'd feel the ripping sensation as her skin and muscle got caught on the jagged edge of the monster's sword.
After what felt like an age, Emma finally saw a light begin to shine, which was followed by a dull thud and another roaring wail from the monster. That wail shocked Emma and made her open her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the floor of the Golden Hind, a large figure standing over her.
Rubbing her eyes, she gasped slightly when she found herself looking at the image of a massive crimson dragon; the Calvardian character for 'Thunder' etched into an orb in the dragon's claws. It didn't take Emma long to realise the dragon she was looking at was a tattoo; one that she had seen before.
"This is no time for a nap, you idiot!" Cyrus' voice shouted, completely snapping Emma out of her daze.
Her eyes properly adjusting, Emma found herself looking at the back of Cyrus; no shirt and barefoot again, with his foot planted firmly on the fractured sword of the monster that had tried to kill her. At that point, she realised the punching sensation she had felt was from Cyrus, who had shoved her out of the way of the monster's attack, before pinning the bloodstained blade under his foot.
"Damn it! What the fuck is he doing here?!" V roared as he chambered a blue bullet and aimed it at Cyrus.
"Calm yourself, V. Now is not the time," C stated coolly, raising a hand in front of the rifle V was holding. "Let the Yaksha deal with him."
"Hmph, fine…" V muttered, lowering the weapon. "Alright, ya maggots! Everyone get the hell outta here!"
"YES, COMRADE V!" the crowd shouted as the all made a break for the exits and fled into the night.
During the madness, Emma watched as C, G, S, and V all left through a door in the back, and for a split second, she was sure she had seen Vita as the door swung open. She couldn't tell if delirium was setting in because, for a split second, Emma was sure she had saw Vita waving at her, before disappearing in a flash of blue light with C and the others.
Emma's focus quickly returned to the two beings before her, as the creature screeched in anger, trying to free its sword from under Cyrus' foot, but seemed to be struggling. The jagged blade was completely anchored under Cyrus' foot, barely even moving as the monster tugged and pulled on the bloodstained hilt.
"Emma, go round up the others and make sure they're ok… I'll deal with this thing," Cyrus said, removing his foot from the blade and releasing it.
"R-Right…" Emma stammered, still trying to process everything that was unfolding before her eyes.
From the sight of the terrifying monster that had tried to kill her, to seeing Vita seemingly ally with C and the Imperial Liberation Front, to seeing Cyrus standing before her. In spite of all the confusion, there was now one thing she was certain of. Cyrus wasn't the Crimson Yaksha.
As soon as the beast had control over it's blade again, it attacked Cyrus without hesitation. The chipped, bloodied weapon clattered with Black Emperor, causing sparks to fly as the two made contact. The strike was immense. It contained so much power and malevolence. Even Cyrus was surprised by the monster's strength.
The two continued to trade blows as Emma crawled across the battleground, and made her way over to Jusis. He had managed to prop himself up against the wall he had been sent careening into; his right arm hanging limply at his side.
"Damn it all…" Jusis growled through gritted teeth.
"Jusis, are you ok?" Emma called out as she made her way over to him.
"Hmph, what a foolish thing to ask. Does it look like I'm alright?" Jusis snapped, directing Emma's attention to his destroyed shoulder.
"Ah, hold on…" Emma mumbled, as she dug into her bag and pulled out some herbs. "Here, put these in your mouth."
"Did the Yaksha's kick knock any sense you had out of your head? Why in Aidios' name would I eat weeds?" Jusis scoffed.
"Damn it, Jusis! Just listen to her!" Cyrus shouted, dodging the monster's strike before kicking it in the ribs.
"Tch, fine…" Jusis huffed, reluctantly taking the herbs and ate them.
Almost immediately, Jusis felt the pain in his shoulder subside. His eyes widened in shock as he found he could now move his shattered shoulder as if it had never been damaged to begin with. Of course, what Jusis didn't realise was that the herbs were just a misdirect. While they were cultivated to be a natural painkiller, the reason he was able to move his shoulder again was because Emma had cast a very potent healing spell on Jusis, completely fixing his broken shoulder.
"Come on, we need to check on Alisa and Gaius!" Emma shouted as the creature started wailing again; this time because Cyrus had managed to slash it across the chest.
"Eighth Form; Bladebreaker!" Cyrus shouted, swiping his blade towards the monster, who raised its own blade to counter the strike, the result being a shattered blade sending fragments everywhere.
Emma and Jusis looked on in horror as the shattered blade wasn't the monster's blade, but Cyrus'. Pieces of forged meteorite flew through the air, sparkling with a deep azure hue from the trillium ore the blade was galvanised with. As they watched helplessly whilst Cyrus stood before the monster with nothing more than a hilt and a two or three inch stub of a sword, they could only wonder just how powerful the beast must have been, to completely counter a weapon breaking attack with a such a poorly maintained weapon.
The monster stood before Cyrus, growling lowly as it took a few seconds to comprehend what had happened. As it concluded that it's next victim was unarmed, it screeched and lunged at Cyrus, intent on finishing him off.
"Cyrus! Look out!" Emma cried, completely unaware that she had even called out to him.
Her worry turned to confusion as she saw a smile appear on Cyrus' face as he lifted his broken blade up at the creature, and swiped two fingers down along where the blade should have been.
"Magnet Style; Rearmament!" Cyrus shouted.
The broken blade in Cyrus' hand began to glow a dull white, which outlined the entire blade, even the part that had been destroyed by the monster. Blinking in utter disbelief, Emma and Jusis watched as the broken blade fragments started to glow before they were pulled by an unseen force, all flying back towards the hilt in Cyrus' hand.
What made the move more astounding was the fact the blade fragments didn't stop until they had returned to their rightful place within Black Emperor. This meant that the monster which was mere inches from cutting Cyrus down, got bombarded by the razor-sharp blade fragments, tearing though its ashy skin, and ripped through its entire body, causing a large cascade of blood to pour from the wounds in the beast's body.
'Magnet Style? That… That's a highly advanced Art Style that combines Earth, Fire, and Lightning elements together. These ARCUS Units shouldn't have the capability to cast even Dual Elemental Arts, let alone Triple Elemental Arts… How in the Goddess' name was he able to develop an ARCUS Unit that has such capabilities?' Emma thought, as she and Jusis sat there, looking at each other, hoping one of them would have an answer.
A wounded screech from the monster broke the two students out of their daze as they both turned and looked at the creature, which was now awash with its own blood, which was quickly pooling around it on the floor. With the amount of blood it had lost, the monster had collapsed to one knee, panting like a dog.
Knowing the creature was close to death, Cyrus approached it and raised his fully repaired sword, intent on cutting the monster's head off with one strike… A strike that never came, as the monster let out another roar and fled, leaving a trail of blood behind as it made its escape.
Grunting in frustration, Cyrus dropped his sword, turned around and walked over to Emma. As he made his way over to her, Emma got to her feet, happy to see Cyrus, and relieved that her fears of him being the Crimson Yaksha were unfounded.
"Cyrus, I'm–" Emma began, before she was immediately silenced by Cyrus, who slapped her across the face. Even Jusis was so stunned that he could only sit there, mouth agape.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Cyrus roared. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SEEK OUT THE CRIMSON YAKSHA, AND YET YOU CHOSE TO DEFY ME!"
Due to how loud the monster had been after sustaining severe damage, Alisa and Gaius had started to come to, before being immediately awakened by Cyrus shouting.
"Owowow… What the hell happened?" Alisa groaned, cricking her neck to make sure it wasn't broken.
"What's with all the shouting?" Gaius murmured, sitting up and rubbing his head.
"Cyrus, wha–" Emma began, tearing up.
"DO NOT FUCKING SPEAK!" Cyrus exploded, slamming his fist into the wall next to him, destroying it. "Don't you dare try and take me for a fool, Emma! I watched you offer yourself up to that monster, and were it not for me, you would have died! What the hell is the matter with you?!"
For the longest time, no-one said anything. Alisa and Gaius sat on the ground, looking from Cyrus, who was incensed, to Emma, who was on the verge of bursting into tears, and finally to Jusis, who looked flabbergasted.
"Gaius… What's going on?" Alisa whispered.
"I… I don't know… But it seems that Cyrus is furious at us for going after the Crimson Yaksha," Gaius responded quietly.
"Remove yourself from my sight," Cyrus commanded, turning from Emma and walking back to his sword that was lying on the floor.
The room had grown eerily silent after Cyrus spoke his command. Alisa and Gaius had finally made it to their feet, and regrouped with Jusis, who had been watching the interaction between Cyrus and Emma.
Emma had been staring at Cyrus' back since he had turned from her, the image of the crimson dragon on his back now burned into her mind as she tried to hold herself together, but the slap, paired with both the harsh words and the command to remove herself from his presence became too much for her, as she began to sob silently, running out of the room.
"That was the most–" Jusis began, ready to tear into Cyrus for his harsh treatment.
"I believe I gave you an order," Cyrus responded coldly. "I will not repeat myself."
"Err, let's… Let's just go, you guys," Alisa whispered, knowing that when Cyrus was in this sort of mood, only the most foolish of people would dare to ignore him.
Alisa took the lead and made her way across the room to a door on the opposite side of the room and opened the door. As she turned the handle, there was a near-silent click. Only Cyrus had the ability to hear it, and the sound was unmistakable; it was the sound of a grenade pin being pulled.
"ALISA, STOP!" Cyrus shouted as the door opened.
Immediately, a hissing sound could be heard as a large cloud of white smoke hit Alisa in the face, choking her. Fortunately for Gaius and Jusis, they weren't close enough to the smoke to have inhaled any of it.
"What in the hell?" Jusis gasped, taking a step back and pulling his jacket up to cover his mouth.
"Wind Style; Air Strike!" Cyrus shouted, punching the air in front of him and firing a large bullet of air at Alisa, blowing the smoke away and into the next room.
"What the hell…? What the hell was that?" Alisa spluttered, dropping to her knees.
Now that the smoke had dissipated, Cyrus walked over to the door and looked inside. Above the door frame was a small metal canister, which he pulled down and proceeded to show everyone.
"I had expected the ILF to lay booby traps, but not with this," Cyrus stated, dropping the canister, which hit the floor with a loud clank.
"Is… Is that what I think it is?" Jusis muttered.
"It looks exactly like that canister Governor Regnitz and Captain Claire showed us," Gaius gasped, realising what was in the metal container.
Ether.
"M-Maybe it doesn't take immediate effect?" Gaius suggested sheepishly.
"Immediate or not, I still got a face full of it! What do I do?!" Alisa cried.
After Alisa had been sprayed with Ether, Group B beat a hasty retreat back to the Bracer HQ on Vesta Street. Emma was already there (thanks to a teleportation spell), and the moment she heard about Alisa's accident, immediately changed from a crying mess to a confident young Witch, eager to find a way to discreetly help Alisa without giving away her secret.
"Quit your whining; you'll be fine," Cyrus growled as he stormed into the room.
"I'm sorry, were you listening when we were told this toxin wiped out an entire settlement in North Ambria?" Jusis snapped.
"Tch, were you listening when I told you that Aurelia and I were exposed to the gas and survived? Alisa has nothing to worry about," Cyrus retorted, picking up his sword before walking over to the door.
"Wh-Where are you going?" Emma croaked. She was still upset about what happened at the Golden Hind, but tried her best to hide it.
"Out."
Without giving anyone time to respond, Cyrus opened the door before slamming it behind him. All of Group B knew that as soon as he left the building, he would have vanished, so chasing after him was a waste of time.
"I don't understand why he's so mad," Gaius said, hoping someone would fill him in.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter. Right now, we need to focus on her," Jusis scoffed, looking at Alisa.
"I… I don't know, Jusis… I mean, I feel fine. If Ether was as lethal as Captain Claire and Governor Regnitz said, wouldn't I be dead already?" Alisa responded.
"We don't know how the chemical composition works, Alisa. I don't think any of us here are skilled enough to examine you blood and body's cells, and trying to seek medical aid would be pointless, given that nobody outside of us, the Governor, and the RMP even know this poison exists. You could be fine for now, but we should still keep a watchful eye on you, and see if we notice any changes," Emma stated.
"Hmm, I guess so… But, seriously, guys, I feel fine. Maybe I've built up an immunity to poisons after what happened in Saint-Arkh," Alisa responded, laughing dryly which didn't go over well with anyone.
"So, how did it go?" the individual asked.
"Everything went exactly as I anticipated it would," Cyrus stated, looking at the figure before him.
"I'm impressed, Dragon. Not only did you manage to save the child from a truly awful fate, you also managed to successfully hide the truth from the brats," the individual remarked. "But, uh… What are you going to do about him?"
The 'him' in which Cyrus' shadowy ally was referring to was a creature with ashy white skin that was bloodstained, and had a demonic black mask covering its face. It was the other 'Crimson Yaksha' that had nearly killed Group B back at the Golden Hind.
"You have done exceptional work for me… Who knew that Walter would provide such an excellent body-double?" Cyrus mused as he looked at the beast standing before him growling lowly.
One week ago – Club Himinbjörg, Heimdallr
The sound of a dull thud echoed throughout the arena, followed by the squelching sound of blood underneath a pair of bare feet. A bell rung somewhere in the distance, which gave way to raucous celebration and agonising cries of despair.
"Annnnnd, that's the match!" Walter yelled through his microphone, hie voice being transmitted all around the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion! Give it up for… THEEEEEEEE CRIIIIIIIIMSON YAAAAAAAKSHAAAAAAA!"
The Crimson Yaksha remained motionless as Walter entered the pit and raised its hand, which was still soaked in blood from killing its last foe. The Crimson Yaksha did not care for victory and celebration. All it cared for was punishing sinners.
Tugging its hand away from Walter, the Crimson Yaksha turned and left the pit, leaving a trail of bloody footsteps behind as it went. After leaving the pit, the Crimson Yaksha ascended a flight of stairs and opened the door to the preparation area, where it found half a dozen of Walter's men waiting for it.
Removing the mask with a slightly shaky hand, Cyrus looked at the six men and sighed before putting the mask away.
"Is this a joke? Do I have to fight you lot now as well?" Cyrus muttered.
"No, no, no… Not at all, my bloody Champion!" Walter laughed as he entered the room from another door. "They're just waiting for me."
"So, can I leave now? I'm pretty sure all your other fighters are dead anyway," Cyrus shrugged.
"Bah! Don't give it another thought, kid! I'll be able to find plenty more scum in the underworld," Walter grinned. "But, for you, your prize!"
"Forget it. I have no need of money, and I have no desire to join your little clique. There's nothing else you can offer me," Cyrus stated as he pushed his way through Walter's men.
"Alright, alright, wait a second!" Walter shouted. "How about this; I'll forego giving you money or the chance to join me, and instead I'll grant you one favour."
"What kind of favour?" Cyrus asked, stopping in his tracks.
"Anything you can think of. I have some very powerful connections. You tell me what you want, and I will see it happen," Walter claimed.
For several moments, Cyrus stood still and pondered Walter's offer. Was the man really telling the truth?
"A stand-in," Cyrus finally said.
"Excuse me?" Walter blinked, looking at Cyrus from behind his sunglasses.
"You heard me. I want a stand-in," Cyrus repeated.
"Yes, I heard you, but I don't understand what you mean," Walter replied.
"The exploits of the Crimson Yaksha have become too infamous. As of now, I cannot allow those around me to figure out he and I are one and the same. So, I want you to find someone to act as the Crimson Yaksha in my stead, until this matter has been put to bed," Cyrus explained.
A dark grin spread across Walter's face as the man realised what it was that Cyrus was asking for.
"Well, well… You're a very sharp one… As much as I'd love to recruit you, and I'll probably cop a lot of flack from my superiors for not trying to do so, I'll instead grant you this request," Walter nodded.
"Good. When you have found my double, seek out a man known as C of the Imperial Liberation Front, and offer the 'Yaksha's' services to him," Cyrus commanded.
"Hehehe, this is going to be very interesting indeed. You've got yourself a deal, kid," Walter grinned.
"Yes, it was quite the ploy; using a fake to hide the Crimson Yaksha's true identity, thus keeping your hand hidden. Though, that doesn't answer what it is you intend to do with him," the individual stated.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cyrus turned to look at his ally. "I'm going to kill him."
Without breaking eye contact with the individual, Cyrus summoned Mercy and fired three shots into the creature's chest, dropping it like a sack of bricks. After hearing the dull thud and the creature's ragged breathing, Cyrus sent Mercy away and walked over to the dying beast.
"Was that really necessary?" the individual asked.
"Yes, I'd say so. This person is a Sinner as well. While some sins can be forgiven, his cannot. Not after what he did to Master Cassius and Estelle," Cyrus said, kneeling down next to the ashy creature. "You are a disappointment. You were given an out, yet you refused to take it. Was the lure of the Society too strong for you? Or was it simply that you never truly left, and were nothing more than a sleeper agent?"
The individual watched on in silence as the dying person on the floor grabbed Cyrus' arm and pulled him down towards his mouth.
"Löwe is… Going to kill you for this," the person rasped, which only elicited a small laugh from Cyrus as the person breathed his last breath, and died in a pool of his own blood.
"He is welcome to try, Joshua Bright."