Let's go!
Arc 2 – Chapter 17:
The night air was cool, especially up on the newly installed airship platform from which Ozpin was standing overlooking the city.
The platform itself was oval shaped, built of a mixture of ceramic tiles, concrete and stone pillars.
There was a misconception that Beacon academy was inside of Vale City. Instead, it was two parts. An administrative complex, which itself was quite large, a preparatory academy which trained potential applicants to meet Hunter standards, Sanctum Academy, and then a barracks centre for licensed Hunters garrisoned inside Vale City. Sure, there were more garrisons throughout the city, especially considering the size of Vale City, but having one administrative focal centre did wonders for organising, training and deploying these brave men and women to combat Grimm and domestic threats.
That was only one part of Beacon, and really, Beacon's faculties were, again, small and mostly administrative. Sure, Ozpin had an office in the tallest building spire, but even then it was only symbolic and relevant for niche and light administrative work. And meetings. Oh how he loathed the meetings sometimes.
The second part of Beacon, the actually academy itself, was actually located outside of Vale City and situated on a cliff that overlooked the Emerald Forest; a large swathe of untamed trees that housed numerous dangers. Including, most notably, Grimm.
That was the real academy, and it was where successful Huntsman and Huntress applicants went to train and study to become fully licenced professional Grimm-slayers. A very dangerous job.
The academy spires were visible from his Vale office, just faintly in the distance, and briefly, he found himself reminiscing on Beacon academy's history.
Over a century ago, the administrative complex within the city was the Huntsman academy. But, as Huntsmen and Huntresses fought against Grimm, having to arrange costly excursions into a forest so far away became troublesome. Add into the risk of housing live Grimm specimens on-site for practical, theoretical and training purposes, especially in a civilian population, and it was a recipe for trouble. And so, the ancient Headmaster of the time, with the support of the crown, had the Huntsman portion of the academy established far outside of Vale's walls and closer to the Grimm-infested Emerald forest.
"You wanted to see me, Oz?"
Qrow's gravelly voice broke the headmaster out of his musings and he shifted his gaze over to the wiry man.
The darkness of the night sky almost perfectly hid the both of them. Only the faint amber glow of the thousands, if not millions, of lanterns, torches and the like far below them wafting up gave the faintest illumination of the older man's silhouette.
It was taking a long time, but progress was being made to modernise Vale. Dust powered applications were becoming more prevalent. Most commonly, light sources. Though only the upper districts had it fully implemented. The middling districts were still having them rolled out. Had been for the past decade, but alas money had to be budgeted for other things. Namely defense. It was a shame most of the city guard and Hunters were equipped with medieval armaments. Hopefully that would change in the near future.
"Yes, I did."
The sound of footsteps followed by a stumble caught Ozpins ear, as well as the accompanying curse that followed it.
"Geez, Oz, you couldn't have chosen a spot with some actual light."
Ozpin chuckled good-naturedly at Qrow's grumbling. "Forgive me. I was enjoying the sunset before it went fully dark. Allow me to fix that for you."
Ozpin made a strange gesture with his hand, and suddenly a pale blue light materialised out of nowhere.
"Argh! Dammit Oz! Now it's too bright!"
Ozpin merely chuckled, and with another flourish, he willed the intensity of the light to tone down so the entire platform wasn't bathing in light as if the moon was perched above Ozpin's shoulder. The Arcane was such a useful thing to utilise.
"To be fair, I did tell you I would be waiting for you after six this afternoon. It's hardly my fault you chose to be late."
Qrow strode forward with a grumble, his eyes adjusted to the light and his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, well, the Hunter garrison was giving me grief downtown. Winchester's men. Bein' a bunch of dicks."
"Hmm?" Ozpin cocked an eyebrow. "I know Mr. Winchester's men are a little more rowdy, and perhaps heavy-handed, but they do work to keep the peace and only intervene if a ruckus is caused."
"Yeah well, they sure wouldn't lay off me down at the tap."
It was barely noticeable, even with the light Ozpin had cast, but he caught the way Qrow's eyes averted.
"At the tap?" That was when he caught the smell. A faint whiff of it.
"Qrow, have you been drinking?"
"It's none of your business, Oz. I'll be fine."
"Qrow!" Ozpin's voice lost its mirth and was serious.
"I need you now. That means having your wits about you."
"I said I'll be fine!" Qrow's eyes took an edge as they met Ozpins.
They held each-other's gaze, and Ozpin searched. There was no cloudiness to them, nor dilated pupils, or any other signs of impairment.
"Fine," relented Ozpin, and Qrow backed down. Feeling more comfortable, Ozpin probed.
"Why are you drinking anyway?"
"I… don't wanna talk about it. Let's just get what you wanted to say over and done with, 'kay?"
Ozpin regarded the man before him before deciding to cave.
"Very well. So long as your little escapades and indulgences won't interfere."
"They won't," grit out Qrow, clenching his fists. Ozpin got the feeling that his anger wasn't directed at him, but internally. So he let the matter go. For now.
"I spoke to the council today. There should be little interference when it comes to assigning Huntsmen to the frontier now."
"But? I'm sensing a but here, Oz," Qrow grunted, arms crossed.
"No buts. At least for now. The council will not interfere now. I've removed Councilman Powderman from the Democratic Council and insisted the King give my endeavours the support of the Crown to see them through. Though, I wouldn't put it past for Powderman's allies to try and persuade the more naïve amongst the Democratic Council to obstruct me at a later date."
Qrow stared at Ozpin sceptically, trying to discern if there was something being held back. Unfortunately, Ozpin was nearly impossible to get a read of, even at the best of times.
"...I get where you're coming from, but removing the Councillor so brazenly probably makes them feel threatened, Oz. You pretty much vetoed any power they had and told 'em it doesn't matter. That their role is purely tokenism at best."
"Please," scoffed the white-haired man with a derisive snort.
"Politics does not suit you Qrow. They hold much power and authority when it comes to the administration of the city and the army. I hold no jurisdiction over them. I can make suggestions and adise them on those matters. But. I will refuse them absolute control of the Huntsmen, however. Not when they demonstrated they lack an intrinsic understanding of what such responsibilities entail."
Qrow raised his hands to placate his boss. "Hey, now. Wasn't trying to say anything. Just pointing out how it looks, is all. You've got my support all the way. What happened to Saint had no excuse to happen at all. Not without the council's meddling, anyhow."
"I know, Qrow. And I appreciate your support and efforts." He offered Qrow an understanding smile that made the black-haired young man feel more at ease.
"Which is why I called for you. I've spoken to Nicholas, and he has agreed to lead several Huntsman teams to reinforce the remaining frontier towns and clear the settlements that have fallen."
"Arc? Damn. Pulling out the mighty hammer already."
"Hardly. Nicholas is much more precise than a mere hammer." Ozpin pursed his lips in thought as he replied.
"Wasn't saying that. Just he's someone rather thorough and precise with his work…" Qrow trailed of and his eyes narrowed suspiciously in realisation.
"This isn't just about protecting the remaining frontier towns. You want him investigating, don't you."
Ozpin frowned as he cast his gaze back out onto the city below.
"Over seven frontier settlements have fallen over the past two months. There was a pattern. They weren't random Grimm attacks overrunning them. Your reports confirmed that."
Qrow's lips felt uncomfortably dry as he licked them, letting out a quiet 'yeah' as Ozpin took a deep breath.
"Check in on the other frontier settlements and assess if they are in immediate need of aid. Mark out which ones are priority for Nicholas to stop by on the way until he reaches the destroyed settlements. I'll mobilise several more teams to depart and reinforce the other settlements near the frontier."
"So… Arc's role isn't to secure the settlements then?"
Ozpinn assuaged his subordinate's concerns.
"He will. If they need it. His priority, however, is to start investigating these attacks and determine if another one will happen, and if so, where. If this is her…" he trailed off forebodingly, and Qrow suppressed a shudder.
"We'll deal with it if it is, Oz. One a side note, though. Does this mean Nicholas is in the know?" He'd admit he was curious. Very few knew how bad the threat was. Not even the Council. Only the King was aware, and that was more so he wouldn't impede Ozpin's work in keeping back such destructive forces. As far as the Huntsmen families went, none of them knew sepcifics. Oh they certainly were aware of much more than the others and even the Hunters, but that was because many produced Huntsmen and Huntresses for Beacon, or were Huntsmen or Huntresses prior to taking over their respective families.
"I've made him aware of what he needs to know," replied Ozpin, and Qrow frowned at that, even if he understood why Ozpin sometimes kept things close to his chest. It wasn't just Grimm he had to worry about. Human spies were very real, and the risk of compromise, regardless of one's history and station, were also very real.
"Anything else I should be aware of?"
"No. Just keep an eye and ear out for anything out of the ordinary or that catches your attention. Nicholas departed not long after the meeting, so time is of the essence. Report back your findings once you are done. Hopefully, by then, more Huntsmen will arrive, Qrow."
He turned to face the man he had summoned, only to find a lone black feather wafting down back and forth as gravity struggled to push it down. The silhouette of a black bird could be seen flying away over the city and out towards the Western Road, which was the most direct route to the frontier.
Alone on the platform now, he extinguished the pale blue light and was instantly cast into darkness once again.
He cast one last glance at the city below him before deciding to retire for the night. Heaven's above knew he had his work cut out for tomorrow.
"Thank you for coming," grinned a heavily scarred henchman with a theatrical bow as he ushered Hei and his accompanying entourage into the tavern run by Carter.
The place reeked of cigarette smoke, old beer, and the musk of generations of filthy men who refused to ever clean. It was a putrid smell as far as Melanie was concerned, and she didn't hold back wrinkling her nose as she regarded the place with a look of disgust.
Miltia, who was normally much more reserved, was the exact same. And upon noticing the mocking leer one of Carter's cloaked men sent her, she directed her disdain right back.
DJ and Tony clung to the back of the group, partially to remain as unnoticed as possible, partially to watch over the twins in case any of the goons became too impulsive.
As the doors shut behind them and they entered the main bar room, the oppressive atmosphere settled in.
The group navigated between a maze of empty tables and chairs towards where Carter was lazily seated on the other side of the counter, the sparse lighting making the journey perilous as they sidestepped booze stains and bits of broken glass.
"Hei!" greeted Carter warmly with open arms, standing up from behind the counter and strolling around to gesture to a nearby table.
"Please, take a seat with me," he patted the small circular tabletop.
Hei reluctantly went to take a seat but stopped suddenly when Carter put a hand up.
"Joel."
"Uh, yes boss?"
"You check 'em for weapons?"
"Ah, n-not really boss."
Carter inhaled slowly.
"Not really," he enunciated slowly, "is not an answer. Either you did check them. Or you didn't. Which is it? What do I pay you for?"
"T-to provide security for the place. Boss," added the henchman quickly.
Carter shot him an exasperated look. "Then check them for weapons."
Visibly chastised, the henchman turned to Hei, but the man already pulled a club out from his jacket, placing it down on the table for all to see.
"Don't bother," said Hei, gesturing to his own people to do the same.
"We're not here seeking trouble."
The twins revealed a pair of kitchen knives that they had on their persons, and promptly surrendered them onto a nearby table. DJ and Tony did the exact same, pulling a club and knife respectively and setting them for the gang-members to see.
Carter smiled.
"All the same…." He snapped his fingers and the thug he chastised approached Melanie to search her, only to suddenly lose bravado as she glared at him.
"Yeah, how about you fuck off, creep. You touch me and I'll use your teeth to peel your dick like a banana."
Miltia offered him the same glare promising violent retribution. Tony and DJ stiffened as he approached, only for Hei to call out.
"Carter. We offered our weapons to you in good faith. How about a little reciprocation in return, yeah?"
Carter frowned, and the henchman watched him uncertainly.
Until he relented.
Carter regarded him with an indiscernible expression before breaking away his gaze. "Very well."
He waited until Hei sat down before doing the same. The twins moved in closer to flank Hei while Tony and DJ took to spreading out through the room and leaning up against furniture whilst still being within earshot. The handful of Carters men in the room regarded them once, before promptly dismissing them as irrelevant and focusing on Hei.
"As mentioned during our last meeting, I also produce my own alcohol. Cheaper that way," he said as if that was the only explanation needed with simple wave of his hand.
"Now, it's easier to move this during the day normally. Put it on some caravans, have a fake permit written up and bribe one or two guards, and I can move it wherever I want to and charge full price without paying any of those nasty Liquor Taxes."
He spat the last two words out with disdain before his expression turned forlorn and he cast a sad gaze towards the bar, the very place where most of his on-site booze was stored to be sold to law-abiding patrons.
"Unfortunately, there was a stuff-up recently and my brewery got busted by the Garrison the other week, and so I've had to store all of the good stuff right here, on site. Underneath those very floor boards, as a matter of fact. Most of the stuff got confiscated, but I managed to salvage what I could before it was… destroyed. The bad news to this sad tale here is I have too much on hand to legally sell, and the local garrison is after any alcohol vendors that seem to be making too much or have too much on hand without a permit. Add to the insanely crazy patrols during the day, and it's too much a mere couple bribes can handle. Which means I'm left with no choice but to partition my goods out to the good citizens of Vale during the night like some damned rat!"
A furious snarl was etched across his face by now, but it vanished after a couple seconds to collect his composure.
"Tonight's business is simple. You will be accompanying my men to an undisclosed location using the sewers, where you will trade off the alcohol for its equivalent in raw Dust and Lien."
Hei must have looked somewhat surprised, and he voiced his confusion.
"That's it? A simple meet and greet? There has to be more to that than this?"
Hei was on edge and sceptical, and for good reason.
There were too many things that didn't make sense, and too many things that could seemingly go wrong.
Carter leaned back casually with a look that teased him knowing a secret.
"What can I say? It is what it is."
"Details, Carter. You want me to perform, you need to give exact details," he pressed.
"Ah, no, actually. All you need to perform is to understand the stakes."
A snap of his fingers and several seconds later the Employee's Only door burst open, revealing another thug in a trenchcoat holding a struggling Roman hostage, forcing him towards the table with Carter and Hei.
Hei felt his heart sink.
No…. Did Neo fail?
As if sensing his thoughts, Carter spoke up with a confident smirk.
"Remember our little arrangement? Your boy Roman here is my captive. You fuck me around, and I fuck up his pretty little face."
Roman let loose some pained grunts and wheezes as the guard held him, his face sporting dried blood and bruises. "Hah… awfully kind… of you… to admit my face… is pretty… hrngh."
Hei's blood boiled, but he had taken a gamble that Neo would pull through. Did it not work? That made him worried as she was one of the few amongst his people that had a latent activated Aura, and one of the only ones that knew how to use it. The twins were still learning.
"Now. Do as I say, and follow my men down to the sewers. I'll use your other people to help shift the old stock and for manual labour."
What? That was in no way consistent with what Carter was saying earlier?
"Carter…" began Hei cautiously.
"What is this really about?"
The man in question let loose a resigned sigh.
"Look, just do as I say. It's easier for us all that way. And don't pray on your little lady friend to come in saving the day."
It all started to come together what Carter was really doing.
"This… this isn't about trafficking contraband. Is it!"
Carter's expression changed to that of contrivance and he gave a micro-shake of his head before suddenly standing up and reaching for Roman.
The thug holding him picked up on what he wanted and acted quicker, slamming Roman face-first onto the table and drawing a stiletto up against his throat. Neo's stiletto,
"Ow! Fuck, do you have to be so rough?!" bit out Roman, not in the least concerned.
Hei didn't pay attention. All he saw was red, and he pushed himself off the table with equal vigour to Carter.
"This is a god-damned execution!" he roared.
"God damn it, Hei. I don't want to kill you, but you are making it very god-damned tempting! Your value is more useful alive than dead. Which is why I've made a deal," growled Carter, and instantly everyone in the room was tense.
DJ and Tony pushed themselves off of their respective tables, and the twins withdrew closer to themselves, their hands covering their chests as a single hand reached into their jacket protectively, eying everyone around them warily.
There was a pregnant pause in the room, threatening to explode at any second. Until Carter exhaled, sitting down slowly.
"Yes, Hei," he relented. "It is about trafficking. You got that part right. It's just you and your people are the contraband. You're too goddamned quick and dangerous for your own good. All the more reason why I have to do this."
Hei went wide-eyed.
"What the fuck, Carter! We're here as you requested, and we've done nothing but comply so far!" he yelled.
Carter's lips pursed as he fished inside his jacket's pocket for a smoke, finally finding what he was after and producing a small Dust lighter.
"You see, that's the reason. So far," he repeated Hei's words. "But I know, just taking one look at you, your loyalty isn't to me, nor is it ever going to be. That's dangerous. It's bad for business. And it's not profitable."
He lit the cigar nonchalantly and gestured for Hei to sit back down. When he refused to, a crossbow being pointed at the back of his head made him comply.
"So, I had to make a choice. Take you on board, and risk getting stabbed in the back one day? Or nip you and your little problem crew in the bud. The choice is rather easy, you see. Now that I have what I want."
Hei's eyes widened.
"Ruby! You bastard! You went ahead and sold her?!"
Carter took a slow drag from his cigar, blowing the smoke in Hei's face.
"Like I said, Hei. I'm after the most profitable venture. And yours wasn't going to be, plain and simple. Plus, like I said, it comes with too many risks. The girl, though? She's profitable. And so is selling you. That's all there is to it."
Hei glanced furiously at the guard holding Roman, who almost seemed bored despite having a blade pressed against his throat.
Actually, now that he paid attention, the guard was looking right at Hei.
"And Neo," began Hei slowly, never taking his eyes off the thug holding Roman. "What did you do with her?"
Carter seemed lost for a second until he realised who he was talking about.
"Oh, the girl? The one that took down Kane's little group singlehandedly? Yeah, I figured she was probably your strongest, so I had my boys deal with her. I'd have normally chained her up to sell, but I know a killer when I see one. And considering the mess she made of Kane's crew? Well, I'm not chancing that hot mess. I'd assume her body is feeding the rats. Well, unless some street-rat wants to lose their virginity, eh?" He chuckled at his morbid joke.
The thug maintained eye contact with Hei the whole time, and then winked knowingly at him, the eye swirling into a myriad of brown and pink before returning to a dull hazel.
Hei felt relief soar through his chest. Neo wasn't dead. She was here this whole time!
"So you figured it was better to kill me and my people before we became some sort of threat? Is that it?" queried Hei, struggling to calm his voice down.
Carter nodded slowly, taking another drag of his cigar.
"That's pretty much it, yeah?"
He leaned forward to Hei, exhaling another waft of smoke into his face.
"Sorry it had to come to this, Hei." The apology didn't meet his eyes.
"If it's any consideration, I wasn't intending on this to be so distressing. I mean, I can be compassionate at times, after all. Especially considering your two girls you got there," he glanced over Hei's shoulders to Miltia and Melanie who glowered back spitefully.
Hei was silent as Carter leaned back, eying him with disinterest.
He leaned back slowly, taking a deep, shaky breath.
"Can I at least have a smoke before you do this?" he pleaded softly.
Carter's silence was telling, and just when it seemed there was going to be no response, he nodded his head slowly, exhaling to the side this time instead of in his face.
"Sure. Why not. One last smoke. Two gentlemen, having one last smoke together before the other retires. It reads like a fairy-tale. Doesn't it?"
Hei reached into his jacket as if feigning to grab a smoke or a lighter. Carter leaned back in his seat lazily, all but certain of his victory.
Hei paused his rummaging suddenly to look Carter in the eyes. Carter took as if he were asking for a light, and obliged. He extended an arm to him with the Dust-lighter, and Hei accepted, taking note of the golden Beowolf engraved on it, the finer details long worn down and eroded from years of constant use.
"So that story about needing to traffic alcohol that you have stored underground? That was all a lie too?" he asked.
Carter shook his head slowly.
"No-no. That was the truth. I did get raided by the Garrison. Heh. It was fucking bullshit, my friend."
"Hmm," nodded Hei with a grimace, not sharing the same feelings as Carter over his loss.
"And where'd you sell Ruby, then? The Westenders?"
Carter's head leaned back as he laughed.
"Oh, I did say that, didn't I. Yes. She's long gone, my friend."
"Hmmm," nodded Hei slowly, his grip tightening within his jacket.
"Carter!" he growled loudly, catching the man's attention whose laughter trailed off as he looked at him.
"Heh?" What was Hei holding, and why was he pointing it at him….?
Carter felt his eyes widen in realisation.
"Don't ever call me your friend."
With that, Hei pulled the trigger of the flintlock. The bar erupted into chaos.
Smoke from the ignited gunpowder instantly expanded at the table, hiding Hei and the twins in it.
Carter let loose a pained grunt of surprise as pain exploded throughout his chest and he was sent flying backwards, crashing onto the back of his upended chair and flipping the table over in the process.
Blood soared out his back and splattered across the bar like a brush-stroke from an abstract artist. Meanwhile, everyone jolted in surprise, and a cacophony of screams escaped the handful of thugs lips as they desperately tried to figure out what was happening. They received no such chance.
The twins sprang into action, the hands that seemed to protectively cover their modesty revealing small blades that had been concealed within instead.
The nearest thugs to them both had their throats slashed open, blood spurting everywhere as their pained screams came out as wet gurgles. They collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain and fear as they clutched their throats.
With everyone's attention focused on the sudden excitement near the bar, the remaining thugs forgot about DJ and Tony. A mistake that proved fatal as the pair hadn't wandered off aimlessly. Instead, they set themselves up in between Carter's men to hit them from behind, and the first victim felt his vision go black as DJ grabbed a nearby glass bottle and swung with all of his might onto the back of the poor bastard's head.
The man went down like a sack of potatoes, and before a nearby crossbow wielding thug could react in time, Tony revealed a small knife he had hidden on his person, driving the blade down with as much force as he could muster into the shocked man's neck. Right into where the jugular likely should have been.
The thug pinning Roman down suddenly released him and spun around with such grace and speed that the thug nearest to Carter had no time to suspect anything was out of the ordinary sans for the sudden surprise attack. Well, that was until the stiletto buried itself to the hilt inside the man's eye, rupturing his entire eye and impaling his brain.
The man didn't scream so much as let out a surprised wheeze of air before he went limp.
That left only three goons left, all wielding crossbows. And all three of them aimed them at where Hei Hei was last seen seated, the smoke and darkness obscuring much of their aim.
The twang of the crossbows being fired was just as loud as the gunshot not but five seconds ago, and the bolts soared across the room with record speed, one just skimming by Hei's scalp, another impacting the corpse that had been impaled in the eye by the stiletto, and the third impacting Miltia.
She let out a pained grunt, and Melanie cried out her name in panic.
"I'm alright, Mel! Argh! Just a scratch!" she hissed.
Melanie refused to believe that for a second. With fury abandon, she reversed her grip on the knife she was holding and charged forth to the trio of thugs who were quickly reloading. They wouldn't have time, however, as she was closing the distance too quickly.
One of the thugs must have realised that as he threw the crossbow at her in an attempt to throw her off balance. She merely brought her arms up to block the impact as she barrelled forward, allowing her fledgling Aura to offer the protection she needed.
She reached forward with her knife, intent on killing the first man she could reach. That was until she got blindsided by the sudden kick from another thug.
She stumbled to the side, her momentum lost and the wind knocked from her.
Miltia's warning scream forced her to look up, right into the towering visage of another goon wielding a kitchen cleaver overhead.
She had no time to dodge it, and her eyes widened in realisation that her Aura might not be enough.
Tony barged right through the thug with no compunctions, using his shoulder as a battering ram. It wasn't enough to send the man flying, but it did cause him to stumble, and the cleaver was knocked from his hands where it clattered to the ground away from Melanie.
"Keep your head in the game!" shouted Tony as he wrestled with the man, bringing his knife overhead to stab the man to death. Hands shot forth and grabbed Tony's own, locking the blade overhead where the two struggled for control while Tony straddled the man.
Melanie nodded firmly, bouncing back into action where she lunged forward and tackled another crossbow wielding thug, a kid more in line with Tony's age. One whose expression betrayed panic and fear as he struggled to reload the crossbow. She showed him no mercy, batting aside his crossbow and sticking the knife into his stomach, feeling no resistance as he jerked.
She didn't stop there, as she pulled the knife out and thrust back in again. Over. And over. And over. Again. And again. Until he had so many holes in his stomach that blood was practically pouring out like a waterfall onto the dirty floorboards below.
DJ kicked the remaining thug in the knee as he waved the busted glass bottle like a maniac, screaming a banshee war-cry as the man tried, and failed, to avoid getting cut. All the while he kept pleading with DJ to calm down.
DJ didn't, and on one swing he scored lucky, slashing the man's eyebrow open, blood gushing down his eyes and blinding him.
He slipped on the blood-soaked floor from the man Melanie was gutting and tumbled onto his rear.
With a fierce scream, Tony thrust the bottle straight into the man's face, piercing flesh and rupturing one eye, shattering more of the glass and cutting up his own hand in the process. The man screamed in agony, but DJ didn't care, the adrenaline coursing through his veins like fire as his breathing intensified. Much like Melanie, he brought the sharpened glass into the wounded man's face. Over and over.
Meanwhile, Tony struggled with the man underneath him. With teeth gritted and blood building in his reddening face, he desperately gave the muscles in his arms suspending the knife above the thugs face his all. So did the thug, for his life was on the line. Being older and bigger than Tony, he was slowly winning, pushing the knife away. All while Tony's grip weakened.
Tony did not feel optimistic about killing the man before him now, and his worry must have shown as the man grinned at him viciously, all teeth.
"Give up, kid. I'm stronger than you!"
Those were his last words as Neo, still in the form of one of Carter's thugs, delivered a vicious kick to his head, stunning him momentarily. It was the only reprieve Tony needed, and he brought the knife down with all his might. Straight into the man's face.
The man stilled, eye's reflexively widening as the knife lodged itself into his brain, and Tony jumped off of him.
A million thoughts raced through the man's mind as he felt the knife buried in his face, but his brain refused to register the damage done. That was until Neo stomped down on the hilt with all her weight, driving the blade all the way down. The sound of bone splintering, and possibly the knife breaking, was the last thing the thug heard before death suddenly claimed him.
As the smoke settled and the sound of violence died down, Hei stood up fully, holding Miltia's arm to inspect the shallow gash through it and the material, a thin trace of blood seeping through.
"I reckon that's everyone," stated Roman as he strode over to where Hei was, nursing his neck tenderly.
A cursory glance around the room revealed that he was correct, and only Hei's people stood standing. A feat which on one hand impressed him, but on the other also worried him nonetheless.
He tightened his grip on Miltia's arm as she flinched and tried to jerk it away.
"Hold still dammit!"
"Gah! It stings, Hei!" she countered hotly.
"Yeah, well, be thankful you had Aura in the first place. It took the brunt of the injury. Otherwise you'd have a bolt currently lodged through your arm." His gaze trailed off to where Miltia's Aura had deflected the bolt, lodging it deep into the upturned table-top.
Miltia shook her head painfully. "Yeah, I don't think… argh… that I have any Aura left, Hei."
It was to be expected. Latent Aura wasn't something people had a lot of, nor was it something a lot of people had to begin with. From his understanding, it took years of training to build it up, and even then, it didn't take much to expire quickly. That's why Aura Shards were so handy. They acted as a battery reserve for when one's Aura diminished, instantly topping it up and allowing a person to push further.
Sadly he didn't have any Aura shards any more, having used them all when they fled Saint. And judging by the way Neo collapsed tiredly, her illusion shattering as she leaned over a nearby table, it didn't take a genius to realise that she had spent all her Aura.
It was fortunate, then, that everyone else was indeed dead. Otherwise Hei might have started to worry a little.
"It's alright," he assured Miltia as Melanie hurried over to tend to her sister.
"It did its job, and that's all that matters."
A pained groan emanated from the behind the upturned table, catching his attention.
"Speaking of jobs, it looks like I need to finish this one."
Steadily reloading the flintlock, he strode around the table. So did Roman.
Carter lay on his back, a bloody hole just under his right collar bone. Blood soaked through, and a small puddle could be seen pooling underneath him.
He coughed weakly, blood bubbling out of his nostrils and dribbling down his lips as he cast a delirious gaze towards Hei.
Roman wasted no time in delivering a vicious kick to the man's ribs. He reflexively cried out in pain and curled in on himself in a feeble attempt to protect his body.
"You know, I can't even believe we got forced into this situation to begin with when it turns out these assholes don't even have Aura?! Like, what ludicrous horseshit is that!" exclaimed an exasperated Roman.
It was true. Carter and his thugs went down way easier than Hei thought they would have. Still, he wasn't one to look a gift-horse in the mouth.
He levelled the flintlock squarely at Carter's head.
"Wait! Waitwaitwait!" Carter's eyes nearly bulged out of his face as he desperately wheezed out a feeble plea. He didn't know what the object Hei had even was, but it certainly was effective, and he did not fancy having another experience with it again. His wound was already critical enough as it was.
Hei pulled the hammer back, not listening.
"I can get the girl back!"
Hei stopped briefly, tilting his head ever so slightly. The motion was barely perceptible, but to someone desperate to live, they clung to the signs of hesitation like a starving wolf to a lamb.
"That's right! Without me, you won't get the girl back in time before the Westenders do!"
"And why should I believe you?" spat Hei, spittle flying angrily. Roman was of the same mind, cruelly placing his foot down on Carter's injury for emphasis.
"ARGH! Because!"
"Because why," snarled Hei slowly, his visage looming over Carter like an oppressive mountain.
"Because I know shortcuts around the city! I can take you there and get you the girl back without anyone being the wiser, meaning you don't need to fight the Westenders! I-if we're fast enough, we might be able to beat them to the deal! Yeah!?"
Carter stared at him desperately, hoping his offer would be enticing enough to spare his life.
"But I can only help you if you let me live. Alright? T-there's no need to be enemies. Argh…"
Hei remained impassive, glowering at Carter. The silence was palpable, and after several tense seconds of Carter being hopeful, he began to worry.
"I tortured people for a living back in Mistral. For information. Retribution against my old boss' enemies. You know what I learnt?"
Carter's eyes widened slowly in fear.
"People are fuckin' liars. And so are you. No deal!" He levelled the flintlock, and Carter's eyes widened in realisation that Hei was really about to murder him.
"THE SEWERS! I HAD HER SENT THROUGH THE SEWERS!"
Hei stopped from pulling the trigger.
"You better talk truth, and you better talk fast."
Carter gulped, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth as he eyed him warily.
"Alright, but I need your word –ARGH FUCK!"
He screamed in pain as Roman knelt down and shoved a finger into his gaping wound.
"If your next words aren't what I want to hear, you're dead," intoned Hei menacingly.
"Argh. Fuckin' bitch! Urgh. The sewers. There's a makeshift manhole in the back room under the floor boards. A trapdoor if you will. Argh."
Roman wiggled his finger inside the wound and Carter writhed and screamed.
"I'm helping you, ya fucking psycho!"
"Which way did you send her," demanded Hei.
"To the City West with some of my men! FUCK! It's literally a straight shot to the west as long as you follow the main channel!"
"Then we're done here," stated Hei, gesturing at Roman to step off of Carter.
"You'll need my help! My men won't hand her over unless I tell them, and that's if the Westenders haven't already made the deal with them already," groaned Carter with a pained expression.
Hei flicked the flintlock back squarely at his face.
"I'll take my chances, thank you very much." He pulled the trigger without any hesitation.
Everyone startled at the gunshot, and Roman flinched as the remnants of Carter's head exploded across the floor in a giant bloody streak.
"Not that I blame you," he began cautiously, "but you don't think that could have waited until after we got Ruby back?"
Hei began to reload the flintlock again.
"And let that slimy fuck try and stab us in the back again? Nah. I'll take my chances on my own."
"Still," Roman frowned. "How can we trust his words?"
"I trust that as a businessman he saw the value in using the sewers as a quick, easy and discrete smuggling lane."
"Besides, it's our best lead that we have. And we'll need to act fast…"
Ruby blearily opened her eyes, her entire body feeling stiff and sore. A horrible stench entered her nose, so she curled her nose up in disgust. A dark silhouette of a person could be seen looming over her in her cloudy vision as she rubbed her eyes, holding something near her face. She paid them no heed, however, instead groggily speaking.
"Ugh. Where… am I?"
"Well, well. Looks like you were right. Now weren't you. She does have silver eyes."
The voice was distorted and scratchy, and did NOT sound at all like Hei, Roman or the twins.
Eyes opened fully, she snapped her head to take in the source of the voice, and instantly she felt her breath stop as fear coursed through her veins.
Looming over was a person dressed in black wrappings from head to toe, an equally black robe complete with hood wrapped around them. What was most startling however was the bone-mask of some antlered animal covering their face, the soulless eye sockets devoid of any light or signs of life.
Her eyes darted around frightfully, and that was when she took in her surroundings.
There were several more figures dressed in near identical attire, complete with bone-masks of various animals. In the odd ones, she even found what looked like human skulls.
Most of the figures were wielding various sharp and serrated saws and cleavers, crude and ugly as they were they certainly looked intimidating.
And on the ground to her immediate right were two people dressed in trenchcoats, laying still and covered in blood as guts and bloodied entrails leaked from them.
Her breath audibly hitched and her gaze darted back to the figure before her.
"Hello darling." The jovial tone with which the entity spoke did not at all seem friendly or warm, and she retreated ever so slightly into herself, shoulders hunching and arms tensing.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you. We have a lot of work to do!"
Next Chapter: Monday 22nd July