Shade's New Blood - Chapter 22
The streets of Mantle were clear and Maron ran down the snow-covered roads all alone. The strangely empty surroundings were unnerving, but Maron was quick to excuse it with the late hour of the night as she had more important matters to attend to. A light sense of déjà vu suddenly struck her during her chase for Cole and the assassin. They were always just out of sight, ducking between buildings and rounding corners before Maron could get a good view of them. Part of her felt an urge of caution, telling her to let the two go and find another way. However, she refused to relent just yet.
Many minutes of sprinting later, Maron halted at the edge of a construction site which was surrounded by a high, chain-linked fence. Within was half-built tower with a single vigilant crane hovering over its exposed top. At her feet, she noticed two pairs of footsteps heading inside which told her this was the right place to be. She went in.
Maron's surroundings didn't paint a good picture. The place appeared abandoned by its workers rather recently, but she couldn't tell for how long. A week? A month? She wasn't sure, but what she could see was that the place had visitors sometime between now and then. Shipping containers were open, their contents all but emptied out. Some crates of building supplies remained, though those were scattered about without care. Pipes, rebar, stacked planks, cinderblocks, and any number of other things looked to still be around, but their covers had started to wear away or had already been torn off.
At the foot of the tower's makeshift doors, Maron stopped and listened in to its insides. She had hoped to catch a least a whisper from either Cole or the assassin but nothing reached her ear. More unsettling was the lack of any sound she felt she was supposed to hear. There were no distant crowds, no car or airbus making their rounds, and not even a howl or caw. It was as if the whole city block around her had been put to rest, or perhaps she may even be in an empty, abandoned part of Mantle. Either way, there was only a simple breeze she felt and the rattling of left-over covers. Above her, she counted eight floors she had to search through while a heavy weight of doubt fell upon her shoulders.
With a little sigh, Maron stepped inside the tower and into what was supposed to be a main foyer, except that there was little to see but bare walls and darkness. A single paper rested on a reception desk—at least what she presumed to be a reception desk as it was instead a dusty foldout table. It read as an advertisement, informing her about all manner of features and services it would provide once completed, a 'New Light for Mantle'. Maron couldn't help but think back to Viri's own resort to compare. Whatever dream the unfinished project sought to offer had apparently been cut short. Of course, there was also one name that proudly stood out at the bottom of the ad: 'Cole Cassavot', founder and owner.
Maron smacked the paper back down on the table with an annoyed roll of her eyes. She wasn't surprised, but found it a little too convenient for her tastes. The first thought that came to mind was 'competition'. She wasn't much knowledgeable about Atlas, but rarely had she ever heard anything good about it. Regardless of who, how, or why, she pressed on in search of Cole and the assailant after him.
The ground floor was a bust, so she searched for a way up and eventually made her way to the next floor. Unfortunately, it wasn't much better. Plenty of construction equipment and materials laid abandoned. Dormant work-lights which hadn't been touched in some time, occasional stacks of building materials left to rot, half-emptied bags of powder, it was a wonder why no one bother to return to pick them up or store them away.
Maron found the stairs to the third floor which wasn't much different than the previous two. Neither was the one after that, nor the one after that. Each stairwell she climbed was slowly stripped clean of any construction progress until there was little more than concrete and exposed wiring. That was until she reached the eighth floor which was worst of them all. Gone was most of the ceiling, leaving nothing but the cold, open, nighttime sky above. Maron looked above. Starless.
A light metallic 'bang' caught her attention and Maron rushed for cover behind a concrete pillar. It was quiet again, but she kept her guard up and ears open for anything new that may have lurked. She then felt a strange sense of unease. Even with most of the floor being open to her, she couldn't pinpoint where it was that sound came from. When Maron emerged from behind her cover, she ensured her steps were quiet and diligently scanned every wall and corner for whatever it was that hid itself somewhere on that floor.
Maron stopped when she stumbled across one of the rare, unfinished rooms on this floor. She poked her head inside but there wasn't a person nor trace of one in sight. At its center was a single wooden crate that looked… new. At least compared to everything else. She entered to investigate when she spotted a pair of paint cans where one was tipped over and started to leak red with its subtle sway. She kneeled close and tapped the liquid with her finger. It was still wet. Still fresh. A little odd that it hadn't dried out yet if it was open, but she noticed it started to pool toward the opposite wall. There were chains there. Chains and a shackle. Above it: an image of a palm-sized, five-pointed star carved into the concrete at an angle barely noticed had Maron not gave it her full attention.
From behind, Maron felt a gaze staring through her back, but when she turned, she saw nonother than Cole Cassavot. He was shaken, bleeding, and out of breath. Yet, the man hadn't seemed to notice her, nor was he the presence she felt. A second later, after their eyes met, a shadow pounced on the man. A dagger and tail reminded Maron of her mission. She acted fast, charging at the two with all her speed but was spotted by the Faunus
The assassin did not hesitate to forgo her target to defend herself. She threw a quick kick toward Maron's stomach who blocked it with her staff. Maron shifted her feet and leveraged her staff against the other girl's leg before she threw the Faunus off balance. She then followed up with a spin of her weapon, letting her dominant hand take it in whole and struck her foe in the chest, flinging her away. They had swapped places.
Maron, staff still in one hand, aimed it at the slender girl almost as a veiled threat that she was prepared for this fight. The two shared hostile glares before the assassin readied her twin daggers and dashed at her. Both their weapons sung of with metal against metal and the rare spark coming off of each hit. Their match was even, but barely. The assassin pressured Maron and drove her back against a pillar. With Maron's guard broken, the assassin, spun to deliver a powerful kick. Fortunately, Maron had side-stepped it just as the kick cracked the pillar in half. Now at the Faunus's flank, Maron retaliated with a swing of her staff and threw the Fanus to the other side of the floor where she landed at the foot of that unfinished room from earlier.
A sickly cough alerted Maron. She turned to see Cole sat against a pillar, clutching at his chest to catch his breath. He looked over to Maron, and spoke in a rough voice, "You," he said between heavy breaths, "You have—to kill her. Here, and now."
Maron was taken aback at the order. "W-What? Why? I have to bring her—"
Cole reached up and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her down, meeting her with bloodshot eyes, "Listen to me!" he exclaimed in an assertive, but still wounded, voice, "The things she's learned—the things she and her ilk will do. Worse than—" he coughed, unable to finish his sentence. He pointed to the fallen assassin without changing his gaze, "Threat to Atlas," he forced out.
Maron looked over to the woman and froze, her eyes fixed with horror at a new sight. Her view fell upon a dark figure; a Grimm which sat atop the very crate in the room she had explored. A Vulzera. One that stared back at her with those blank, crimson eyes. Meanwhile, the assassin slowly picked herself up, half-limp before she straightened herself out. Her slow-rising figure hid the monster that sat behind her whose presence had gone unnoticed by all but Maron. Soon enough, its empty gaze was replaced with that of the Faunus's, her eyes burning with a deep-rooted hatred.
"If you—If you don't," Cole wheezed, "Then all of Atlas will burn!" he finished as the Faunus grabbed her two weapons with hands trembling in rage.
The Faunus rushed Maron who only barely put up her guard in time. Her daggers' edges scraped against Maron's staff time and again with some cuts breaking through the robust defender. Maron retaliated with quick jab of her staff and pushed the assassin back. Now with distance between them, a trio of kunai came Maron's way. The first was deflected as was the second, but the third slipped past and grazed Maron's cheek before zooming past her. Maron only caught a glimpse of its Dust-tipped point before a cold gust of wind rushed from behind her. She glanced over to see a wall of ice sealing off the only stairway down. Unfortunately, that momentary distraction was all it took to break her guard.
With every second that passed, the assassin grew faster or perhaps Maron grew slower. She wasn't sure which was worse. Either way, Maron couldn't keep up. One last kick was blocked by Maron putting up her staff, but a quick twist of the other girl's hips and it was pried from Maron's grasp. Then, out of breath, Maron was on the receiving end of a flurry of slices.
But she wasn't out of the fight yet.
With a second wind granting her mercy, Maron suddenly grabbed the Faunus and lifted her off her feet with all the remaining strength she could muster. She charged several meters before slamming the Faunus through the wooden crate from the nearby room which smashed it to pieces. Exhausted and trying to catch her breath, Maron was quick to fall to her hands and knees. Her Aura wasn't depleted just yet, but she was certainly starting to feel the pain linger longer than it should.
A silver shine caught Maron's eye. From inside the now destroyed crate sat something she'd seen before. It was case. A small case. Just like the one back in Vacuo. Maron instinctively grabbed the thing a picked herself up, walking away from the sight of her narrow victory and back to Cole who still sat by a supporting pillar, resting his eyes.
Behind Maron was something metallic that scraped against the concrete floor. Right when she turned, a chain painfully whipped her across the jaw. Maron stumbled back and fell into a defensive stance, but all she had on hand to defend herself was the small case. A second swing of the chain came and wrapped itself around Maron's arm. She pulled off her feet and thrown to the ground with the case escaping her grip. It tumbled a few feet, its latches coming undone and spilling out its insides until it fell still. Organized papers made up the bulk, but, of the escaped contents, one photo was hidden among them.
Maron took a few papers in hand. They were financial receipts about transactions of sorts, their wordings were plain, boring even, but Maron had the instinctual feeling that something was hidden among them. Unfortunately, she hadn't the clue on how to interpret them. However, what spoke clearer than any of the business jargon was the one photo that fell out with them. Captivated by it, Maron almost felt sick to her stomach upon taking in the image. It was like a prison—worse than a prison. At the foreground stood two figures who held themselves highly, confident in their positions. One had a white flower tattooed on their bare shoulder; their back turned. The other was a certain face she easily recognized who was dressed in a clean business suit with an arrogant smirk. Then there was a third figure, one half-hidden from view, dressed in rags, and kept on her knees and restrained via chain. While Maron couldn't see her face, she did spot a rather distinct feature: the tail of a snow-leopard. The one in the business suit? The face she recognized?
One 'Cole Cassavot'.
The assassin approached with the chain dragged behind her again. This time, Maron couldn't was left helpless, her eyes unable to escape the photo that landed beneath her. From the corner of her sight, she saw the Faunus stop beside her and glance down. Without even meeting the woman's face, Maron felt her judgmental gaze weigh heavy upon her, like she was being scorned. The assassin then continued on her way, and Maron couldn't stop her. More accurately, she didn't stop her.
"Y-Young Huntress, up! On your feet, now!" he commanded with a rising panic in his voice as the Faunus drew closer, "You're a Huntress, d-do your job as one!"
Anger boiled up from within. Her sight was fixed upon the photo and she grit her teeth, barely able to compose herself. Now she remembered. She remembered why she hated them so. They were liars. They were murderers. To let such an evil go unpunished, she'd be no different than that Huntsman from all those years ago, wouldn't she? Finally, Maron took a ragged breath and stood once more.
A pained gasp reached her ears. "Get over here and—" Maron heard Cole wheeze out. She glanced over with a narrowed gaze, frown and all, and watched a winded Cole try to crawl away from the Faunus who was stood over him. They were a silhouette against the floating city of Atlas with the moon peeking barely over its top. Like a silhouette, the two figures were barely distinguishable under its humble light. Then came the chain. Around Cole's neck it went and, with a heavy foot against his back, the Faunus yanked it back. Maron could see the woman's feverish breath against the cold Atlesian air. Each was filled with a rush of adrenaline that hid nothing about her frenzied state. From the tremble of her hands, to those eyes which were filled with an indescribable fury that Maron understood only too well.
Struggling for breath and with a desperate face, Cole reached out for Maron, but she stood by and looked down on him with contempt. Soon enough, the man's flailing and desperate attempts for freedom fell silent. The assassin abruptly dropped the chain, her hands unable to sit still as she stood over the body to take in her victory. A minute passed, then two, but eventually she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning her attention to Maron who shared with her a simple look.
Now lost, Maron stood with uncertainty of what she should do next, but then came the slow clap from up high that startled the pair. The Faunus was first to spot it and froze, letting out a terrified gasp as she stepped back. Confused, Maron looked over to find the sources of the noise as well. There, sat atop one of the pillars was a small woman, a Faunus with small, sweet smile, crimson eyes, and a grey fennec tail that swayed behind her.
"Well done, Maron! She's cornered," said Tania in a gentle tone, "A shame about that man though." She hopped down from her spot up high. As she did, Maron noticed that the assassin behind her carefully tried to step back only to have tripped to the ground. Both Faunus kept their eyes firmly locked on each other, one with an unsettling adoration, the other in fear for what loomed over her.
Metal claws unsheathed and stretched along Tania's fingers; their ends freshly sharpened. Maron's eyes darted from one to the other with growing concern. Every second was precious and she had to do something. Anything. Her body moved on its own and Maron put herself in front of the fallen assassin. She stopped Tania with a hand to the woman's chest, "Tania, wait."
"Hmm? Have you grown a little soft?" Tania asked playfully. She gave a small chuckle before she continued, "Maron, she killed a man right in front of us. We should do something about that, right?"
Despite being forced to avoid Tania's eyes, Maron persisted with her defense of the other Faunus, "And do you know why she did it?" she questioned. Maron showed off the evidence to the Huntress. It may not be what they were tasked to do, but with any luck, it would help put into question those that ordered them around, "This," Maron waved the photo in front of Tania, "Something is wrong definitely wrong here. Can you imagine what the feeling must be like for her? She—"
"Of course."
Maron froze after Tania's response.
The Huntress clasped her hands together, "That kind of catharsis is a delightful feeling. It's strong, addicting," Her small smile dripped, "It's hard to put down once you've had a taste," Tania explained, pushing aside Maron. "I know it well, which is why I'm not going to kill her. I'm just going to ask a few questions," she said with a sinister look and smile. Tania walked by and traced one finger and claw gently under Maron's chin as if to draw her gaze toward her own. For that brief moment, Maron caught the glimpse of fire, sand, and ruins sitting at the corners of her vision. Once gone, Tania grabbed the other Faunus by her collar, "Besides, I'm not here to judge her actions," she grinned, her face hovered inches from the assassin's face, one set of her claws poised to slash the woman's face, "I'm here looking for a certain prize."
The Huntress loomed threateningly over the other Faunus while all Maron could do was watch. Each precious second seemed to stretch longer and longer as her thoughts were split with indecision. She wanted to be done with this trip, but she wouldn't turn a blind eye to this, would she? She wouldn't let another Huntsman do as they pleased, would she? Maron too wanted her own taste at revenge, so she couldn't blame the leopard-tailed Faunus for what she did, could she?
Maron bore her clenched teeth. This was her punishment for getting too comfortable with them, for giving them even the slightest benefit of the doubt. The photo escaped just before it could be crumpled within a clenched fist. She was supposed to be different, to do better than them, yet here she was. If she did nothing… Maron took the first step forward. She picked up her staff, her eyes fixed on the vulpine Faunus. She leaped forward, her footsteps faster and her weapon raised up high. She was supposed to be different. She had to be.
Tania was struck with the end of Maron's staff like it was a bat. The woman was forced to let go of the petrified assassin and was flung a good distance from either her or Maron who had taken her by surprise. Tania, agile as she was, easily caught herself. Her claws dug into the concrete floor, tearing it up with gaping marks as she slid to a halt on her hands and feet. She let out a chuckle which devolved into an amused laugh, "How naïve, Maron." Tania's eyes shot open once again, her dark-grey, white-tipped tail swishing eagerly while in the air. This time, Maron had the misfortune of meeting the woman's eyes in full. Now, she understood what she was facing.
Maron couldn't move, only watch as the edges of her vision darkened. Embers rained around her which grew into fires. The concrete had been replaced with splintered wood and sand with blood splattered among them. Tania's figure slowly shifted into something closer to a vulpine Grimm with a familiar shadow behind it. A light laughter echoed all around Maron, the crackling of burning wood reached her ears which started to ring. Behind the shadow emerged a large, bat-like wing that twisted into shape, as if the creature was trying to pull itself free. Then came another. Soon, the skull-like head of a Ravager pulled free. Pitch-black, leathery flesh stretched and grew and, after its horrendous teeth-lined jaw snapped into place, a pair of crimson orbs sprung to life before they turned toward Maron. Maron fell to her knees as the Grimm let out a deafening, animalistic screech. Another figure appeared, a near featureless shadow of a person. She knew its shape well. Her staff slipped from her fingers, the Ravager frantically clawed its way toward her, and the narrowed gaze of that Huntsman faced Maron once more.