"Ghira! Kag! Gh-kagh-ra!" Kali hacked, her world swaying and dancing around her, her ears filled with an almost deafening ringing. Using the wall for support, the Belladonna matriarch stumbled to her feet. A figure stumbled into the corner of her eyes an amber glow accompanying their form "G-Ghira!" She called to her husband, tilting her head in the direction of the figure her eyes widened in horror.

"Stay back" Her husband called out to her, the bear of a man stumbling back from her as he clawed at the silver clasp holding his coat in place as the flames clinging to its tails licked further up his back. His aura flared around him in an attempt to shield him from the flames, Kali glanced around the hall desperately searching for something, anything that she could use to help her husband, her eyes landed on a bouquet of flowers, more importantly, the decorative vase they reside in resting on the windowsill at the end of the hall.

Steadying herself, Kali dashed down the hall tossing the flowers aside and hefted the vase into her arms, turning on her heels she darted back towards the growing ball of flames that was her Ghira. Having abandoned his efforts to free the clasp holding the flaming garment in place, the panther Faunus had doubled over and collapsed onto his side.

His aura flickered slightly, the constant barrage of heat and fire chipping away at the barrier around him, rolling onto his back Ghira attempt to smother the flames between his body and the floor, his efforts made all the more difficult by the small fragments of fire dust still embedded in his clothing, courtesy of their attackers choice of arms. "Ghira!" His head flicked to the side, his wife raced down the hall towards him vase in hand, its contents sloshing around the rim.

Gritting his teeth Ghira rolled onto his stomach exposing his back her. Seconds later the water inside was doused over his back extinguishing the largest of the flames that clung to his body, casting the vase aside Kali fell to her knees beside him and began hastily patting out the few flames that still clung to his body. Ghira shuddered as the last of the flames were extinguished, while his aura may have held up against the brunt of the damage he doubted he had escaped unscathed.

"Slowly, slowly dear." His wife spoke up a slight tremor in her tone, she slipped his arm around her shoulder for added support and lifted him up onto one knee.

Tilting his head towards her, Ghira's amber eyes roamed over Kali's form searching for any signs she had been injured. "Are you alright?" He asked drawing a shuddering breath from his wife, Kali's glistening golden orbs looking up at him in disbelief.

"Am I... I, Ghira you..." She trailed off, slapping his chest Kali leaned into his embrace pushing her head into the crook of his neck, his left arm trailed down and wrapped around the small of her back while he reached out with his free hand to cup her cheek. She didn't know why she was even surprised, of course after everything that just happened he'd be the first one to ask that, before giving any thought towards his own wellbeing.

Closing her eyes Kali reached up to cup his cheek in a similar fashion. "I'm fine." She whispered back to him, her husband's hold on her tightening ever so slightly his relief palpable.

"Sir, Ma'am!" Saber's voice echoed from down the hall, pulling away from one another Ghira and Kali shared a small nod. Ghira winced as he rose back to his full height, the bear of a man turned to greet the new arrival while simultaneously granting his wife an unobstructed view of his back, his coat- if one could even call it that anymore- was in tatters, but what drew her eyes the most was the mix of bright red and pink skin underneath, her husband's aura seemed to have protected him from the worst, but it seemed his decision to shield her from the blast hadn't gone unpunished.

Saber rounded the end of the hall a small squad of Menagerie Guard trailing behind him, his eyes immediately zeroed in on the small inferno blocking the entranceway into his chiefs study. "You three" He snapped to his companions "Get that fire out, now!" Breaking away from their commander two fo the guardsmen moved towards the small blaze moving the furniture that surrounded the doorway out of the reach of the flames, while the third retreated back down the hall in search of a fire-extinguisher.

Saber turned his attention towards the Belladonnas. "We heard the blast and came soon as we could, Chief... What the hell happened?"

"An uninvited guest." Ghira replied a slight edge to his tone as his thoughts drifted back to the hooded assassin.

"Damn it." Saber cursed under his breath, they'd had guards stationed around the manners perimeter and at every entrance, it should have been impossible for even a lone fighter to sneak in unnoticed. Seconds later the guard captains scroll buzzed, he glanced towards Ghira receiving a curt nod in response, stepping away from the Belladonnas Saber pulled his scroll from one of the pouches on his belt, unfolding the device he immediately recognized the number and swiped to 'Accept' on the incoming call.

"Captain" Linsey spoke over the call "I've got two squads in pursuit of a figure spotted fleeing from the Manner grounds and into the city..." The dog Faunus paused for a moment "Sir, it's possible he may be trying to link up with the bombers."

"Maybe, keep on that bastard we can't let him slip away." If they could get their hands on one of the insurgents, any information they might be able to get out of them would be invaluable. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something about the situation was off, they'd made preparations for bombings alongside the possibility of an attempt on the chiefs life, but they'd been expecting far more of the former but apart from the incendiary device detonated in the industrial district, things had been quiet.

Where were the rest of the insurgents? From the report Yuma had given them he suspected at least a dozen or more in numbers, but so far only a third of the estimated numbers had made themselves known and had fled the scene with a large number of their forces in pursuit... just like they did with White fang back in the jungle.

It wasn't long before realization dawned on him "Linsey, contact Yuma and your men, instruct them to maintain their pursuit of the insurgents but to keep their distance, it's possible they may be being led into an ambush." It was a stretch, but after seeing what such a minuscule group had both come close to and already achieved on their own, well, he wasn't about to make the same mistake the White Fang had by underestimating them. "Once we have things under control here, we'll make our way to you."

"As will I." Ghira spoke up

"No, you won't." Kali jumped in gripping his arm tightly. "You're not going anywhere, at least not until we see to those burns." She reaffirmed, even if he wasn't injured she never would have let him go, not with the assassins so fresh on his mind. While her Ghira was never one to resort to violence, there were times where his temper could get the better of him, the look in his eyes only making it worse... she wasn't about to let him chase after the man sent here to kill him.

In the split second her eyes had locked with the intruder she hadn't missed the surprise and frustration that flashed in his gaze, he could have fired and killed her then and there, but he hadn't, and looking back on it now there was only one reason why she was still alive.

That bolt hadn't been meant for her.

While she may have exchanged her role as a freedom fighter for that of a humble housewife, that didn't mean her combat senses had dulled over those years, her husband may not have seen it, but she had. Seconds before the intruder had fired, his aim had shifted to her left and towards the doorway behind her, an inexperienced fighter might have chalked it up to luck, or the intruder having panicked and fumbled his shot.

But they'd be wrong, his aim had been as accurate as it could be, especially with her obstructing the view of his target, more importantly, the man standing in the doorway behind her. Had her Ghira been first through that door... she didn't want to think about what might have been, they were both alive, that was what mattered.

"Kali, I'm fine." He tried to assure her as if that would be enough to change her mind. An assassin had managed to break into their home without alerting the manners sentries and come so close to taking both their lives. She wasn't about to let her husband's temper give them a chance to rectify that.

"You're not." Kali she shot back, her hand ghosted up his back her fingers tracing the edge of one of his burn, earning a visible wince from her husband, an action that did not go unnoticed by the guard captain. "Ghira, you're in no condition to go out there, if you did you'd only hinder the operation and make yourself a target." He wanted to argue, someone had broken into their home and openly attacked them, someone had almost taken her from him, such an act couldn't go unpunished.

Though, the almost pleading look in his wife's eyes made him hesitate.

"Your Grace" Saber spoke up. "I have to agree with your wife" Even if lord Ghira had been well enough to join them, he would have been forced to refuse. "It's clear the insurgents are targeting you specifically, for your own safety I have to insist you remain within the manner." Kali watched with no small amount of relief as the fire in her husband's eyes dimmed, a small sigh leaving him as he glanced off to the side clearly disgruntled by his wife's decision, although seemingly unwilling to argue against it.

"...Fine." Ghira said

The Gerbil Faunus nodded to the Belladonna Matriarch, who smiled back at him, grateful for his support in the matter. Stepping away from the Belladonnas the Menagerie guard captain turned his attention back to his scroll call "Have the fire department and a medical team dispatched to the manner, Lord Ghira's been injured." He relayed back to Linsey.

"Understood." The dog Faunus replied, a hint of worry in her tone. "The blaze in the industrial district is keeping most of the E.M.T's occupied, but I'll see if I can divert a squad to the manner, although going by the earlier reports there may be some delay."

Saber furrowed his brown. "How long?"

"15 minutes" Linsey replied.

Saber cursed under his breath, his eyes darting back towards the inferno raging inside lord Ghira's study. His men had managed to stop the fire from spreading deeper into the manner, though that could change at any given moments. "Just get them here." Saber sighed and ended the call there. If the response time Linsey had given them was accurate that seemed more and more likely.

"Is something wrong?" Kali inquired worry flashing across her features.

"There's going to be a small delay on the E.M.T's. My men and I are going to do what we can up here to keep this under control. "He tilted his head in the direction of the blaze " I suggest the two of you make you way down to the foyer."

Ghira lips twitched down into a small frown, while he wasn't a fan of having an armed contingent watching over his every move, after everything he and his wife had been through tonight he'd appreciate a few extra eyes keeping watch on them, if not for his own wellbeing then for Kali's. "We'll be out of your way then." Ghira nodded back to the guard captain as he stepped past, a small wince leaving him, Kali moved to his side to support him as they made their way down the hall.

"Take your time dear." Kali was quick to remind him, earning an empty chuckle from the bear of a man as he slowed his pace to match her own. Even after everything they'd been through she still insisted on fussing over his wellbeing without a thought for her own, the patches of bright red skin dotting her palms evidence of that.

Ghira sighed "Kali...I-"

"Don't... I'm not upset with you Ghira if anything you have every right to want to go after them." Kali assured him; she could hardly blame him for wanting to act on what they were both feeling at that moment. While she'd managed to maintain her calm outside demeanor in Sabers presence, on the inside, she wanted nothing more than to throttle the ones behind all this. "But we can't afford to take the risk, what if you went out there and something happened what then?" Kali sighed, her grip around her husband tightening.

"The Buildings can be rebuilt, roads repaved, but the one thing we can't replace is the people." She looked up at Ghira, brushing a hand across his chest. "Or their leader, the same man they'll look to when this is finally over."

She was right, in more ways than one, if it wasn't for her calming presence he would have already stormed off to join the hunt for the assassin and his cohorts, consequences be damned... it was a fool's endeavor he could see that now, especially for someone in his current state. Had he charged off into the fray and confronted them... he would have died, leaving Kali to bare the backlash that would no doubt ensue in the aftermath of the attack...alone.

Ghira smiled weakly "Sometimes I wonder if I'm the right man for the job." The bear of a man slipping his arm around his wife's waist "Or if another might be better suited for the role, they certainly seem to have the right mindset." he added giving her a gentle squeeze

"No" Kali tittered "I doubt they'd have the patience for it, not as you do. "The two shared a small laugh over the joke. Kali smiled up at her husband and leaned into his embrace although her smile wasn't as wide as he'd hoped, much like his own. There was little that could stop their minds from wandering back towards what was taking place outside the walls of their manner, with that in mind Ghira's thoughts trailed off towards the Albion brother.

The two had departed shortly after the briefing had concluded to deliver an update on the situation to the high council, more importantly, high leader Kahn. There was no doubt in his mind once word of the attack reached Sienna- something his successor would never let go unanswered- they'd start to see a steady rise in the White Fangs presence on Menagerie.

However, whether that would serve as an asset or detriment to their island was still up in the air. True the added manpower and security the White Fang's presence provided would be vital during the rebuilding process... however, it was no secret the White Fangs reputation had taken a sharp fall in the eyes of the public over the years. And it was because of that growing fear and mistrust towards them where problems would begin to arise.

Following Sienna's rise to power and the drastic shift from the organizations once peaceful tactics, both he and Sienna had taken the necessary steps to distance Menagerie's involvement with the White Fang, to show the world the once peaceful organization now acted independently from their island nation, if only to ensure no blame... or arms, were levelled towards their homeland because of the actions of a select few, and that the -if recently shaky- peace they had between the four kingdoms remained strong.

If Sienna was to reach out, offering them further aid and were he to accept, the transport of any manpower or resources she may send their way would need to be handled tactfully. It would be far too easy for any of the kingdom representatives he'd -if reluctantly at times- played host to in the past to take one look at the situation and jump to the worst possible conclusion.

A long sigh left him, yet another item added to the almost endless pile of problems he'd be dealing with once this was over and he prayed that would be soon and if what he overheard from Sabers conversation with his lieutenant, that outcome seemed to be growing closer by the minute.

/

"To the left Cat man!" Cicero called out to his companion, dancing out of the path of his attacker spear, grabbing he stepped into the masked Faunus, driving his knee into the young man's groin as his ebony dagger was thrust into the side of his chest. Dragging the blade to the side and his latest playmates with it, their strangled cry was cut short by the bullets peppering his back, courtesy of the gunmen manning the rooftops above.

Lightning arced through the air eviscerating the rooftop beneath them, raining debris and the gunmen crashing down to the street below, a manic grin spreading across his lips, throwing his improvised shield aside Cicero spread his arms wide. "Glorious!" The mad jester cackled, although his companion did not share in his awe.

Stepping back out of the path of a red machete, the lightning that crackled within his palm was replaced by waves of bright green energy, clenching his fist the energy dancing between his fingertips flowed into his palm forming a small orb, ducking to the right J'zargo thrust his arm forward launching a small green orb into his attacker's chest.

A startled gasp left the Faunus as their body seized up and toppled to the ground beside a few of his comrades that had attempted to rush the Khajiit mage, each trapped in a similar state of paralysis, a bright green aura surrounding their body. J'zargo spared them a small glance shaking his head in disappointment he'd tried to warn them. Turning his attention back to the fool barring the two gunmen that had attempted to ambush them from the rooftop he'd managed to keep his body count to a minimum although the same could not be said for his companion.

"Must you be so ruthless?" J'zargo sighed eyeing the bodies -members of a patrol unfortunate enough to come across them after they'd fled into the allies- surround Cicero sadly, trying to dissuade the mad fool from taking lives had become a pointless endeavor and after their previous 'discussion' he lacked the courage to intervene any further, much to his shame.

The assassin giggled, twirling on his heels to face the Khajiit mage "Come now cat-man, stiff up a lip. "A low growl echoed from one of the downed guards drawing the assassins eye, a grin spread across the madman's face. "We were not the ones to cause this." He began, stepping past the Khajiit Cicero knelt beside the downed guard, twirling his ebony dagger between his fingers as the Faunus beneath him breathing quickened.

"If they are looking for someone to blame, they need only look to their brethren in the masks. Were they not so eager to kill us back in that jungle, then perhaps this could have all been avoided, sadly-"Cicero delivered a swift jab to the side of the downed Faunus head silencing any further interruptions."- these Mongrels seem to lack such restraint"

"Leave them be." The Khajiit hissed back, did the fool not understand the gravity of their situation or was his mind so lost to the darkness he simply didn't care beyond sating his bloodlust. "The guard closes in on us on all side, we must go!" The Kahjiit growled, he was tempted to leave him, to let the Master Assassin face the guardsmen alone and- hopefully - perish at their hands.

But were he to do so and the fool somehow survived the encounter, he may just find mad jesters blade across his throat in the days to come. "Fine" Cicero sighed, twirling on his heels to face the Khajiit mage "But prey-tell, where are we to go, Catman?" A good question one he did not have the answer for, though he was certain the fool knew that already.

J'zargo scowled back at the assassin, they were in this mess because of him and whatever heartless wretch watched on through the fools amulet. Any chance they might have had at leaving the island without bloodshed was lost and surrendering was not an option, dragging his hand down his face an exhausted sigh left the Khajiit.

What was there to do?

While they could fight off or -preferably- sneak around any patrols they came across, it was only a matter of time until their luck ran out and they were either captured or killed, J'zargo's gaze flicked back towards the Manor, more importantly, the thick smoke billowing from the structure, if one of them hadn't been already... No, now was not the time to lose hope, for all they knew Brynjolf may have lit that fire to cover his escape.

If so then their companion held the key to their survival. J'zargo hummed to himself, trying to find one another in this mess would be almost impossible, their best chance was to make for the docks while they still had the chance, if they were lucky Brynjolf was already be making his way there, once they joined him it would be a simple task of Commandeering a vessel.

Given recent events, no doubt a few of the ships docked in port would be eager to depart and the document they would have in their possession might give them the excuse they'd be looking for.

"This way." J'zargo flicked his head in the direction of an alleyway across the square Cicero following close behind as they went, a curious glint in the mad jester's eyes. It would be best he explained along the way less the guardsmen- or at least those of them still left among the living- overheard and attempted to give chase once they were free from the paralysis.

Stepping into the darkness of the alleyway J'zargo's nose twitched his ears flicking back and forth searching for any eavesdroppers. "Well?" Cicero inquired waiting on the Kahjiits answer.

"We make for the docks." J'zargo began "This one knows trying to find one another in the middle of this mess will be the death fo us, as do you." Cicero nodded in response, while he was enjoying his latest toys, the islanders growing interference in their noble quest was beginning to grow quiet... Vexing. "Brynjolf carries our means to freedom, if the documents are good they may allow us to commandeer a vessel."

"And should they refuse us?" Cicero inquired a toothy grin spreading across his features. J'zargo's face fell, if the vessel's captain were to refuse them... his eyes drifted towards Cicero an action that did not go unnoticed by the mad jester "Ahh, fear not Cat man~" The mad fool sang wrapping an arm around the Kahjiits shoulders and pulling him close. "Should such a terrible event come to pass, dear Cicero will gladly deal with them." Pushing him away the mad jester skipping past his companion and around the corner into one of the back streets.

Righting himself J'zargo gave chase, rounding the corner into a seemingly empty street "No, No, No, No." The Kahjiit stammered under his breath his eyes darting around in search of his companion.

"But first" Cicero hissed dropping down in front of the Khajiit mage, J'zargo stumbled back out of the mad jester's path swallowing the startled yelp that threatened to squeak past his lips.

Scowling down at the mad fool J'zargo hissed out "What are you-"

"Shhhh~" Cicero shushed him, throwing a small bundle of cloths over his shoulder. The mad Jester pointed to the buildings above, the washing line hanging above them highlighted by the lights shining from within the windows above. "While your appearance may allow you to move among them without notice cat-man, dear cicero lacks such good fortune." The mad jester waxed on, strolling past the Kahjiit mage and back into the shadowed alleyway, J'zargo looked away granting the fool some small privacy, but remained ready to resume the chase should the fool try to break away once more.

"His glorious attire draws to many unwanted eyes." Cicero added his voice followed by the faint shuffle of cloth, J'zargo sighed, it seems they'd be adding theft to the seemingly ever-growing list of crimes he and his companions had committed in the past twenty-four hours.

"Be swift, we cannot afford to make Brynjolf wait." As cruel as it may sound, were J'zargo in the master thief's position stuck hiding away at the docks waiting for either his comrades or the guardsmen to stumble across him, the obvious choice would be to take the documents and leave while he was still able.

"Must you be so critical, Cat man." Cicero called back to him, his voice accompanied by the slight shuffle of cloth, a few moments later Cicero emerged from the darkened alleyway. His court jester attire had been replaced by dark-brown robe over a pale cream shirt and pants, a matching dark brown sash crossed over from his left shoulder to his waist. "There now" He hummed adjusting the sleeve of his robe, pulling his pack over his shoulder Cicero smirked at the Kahjiit mage, giving a small bow the mad jester threw his arms out towards the opposite alleyway "Shall we continue on our way."

J'zargo rolled his eyes at Cicero, while he would not act on his annoyance towards the fool, for once he wished the mad man would act with the severity of their situation in mind. Sighing he took the mad fool by the arm and dragged him off in the direction of the docks. No more detours, no more distractions, they kept to alleys and stayed out of sight the sooner they were out of harm's way the better.

The sound of gunfire a few streets over encouraging them to pick up the pace.

/

Brynjolf cursed under his breath as he pulled himself up over the gutter and onto the rooftop, the guardsmen had been hot on his heels since the manor, their seemingly relentless determination to see him brought down coming close to guardsmen that watched over Skyrim's nine holds, unfortunately for him, unlike their counterparts on Nirn he doubted they'd be willing to end their little pursuit because of a few honied words or if threw some coin their way.

Two shots rang out behind him the projectiles impact the ledge beneath him "Team 3, He went over the rooftops cut him off on the next street over." A voice barked through the device strapped to his belt, said device- that he'd thought as little more than a small trinket he could fence for some extra coin at the time - had begun buzzing soon after his escape from the manor.

It had only taken a few moments of him fiddling with the 'Broach' for it to suddenly unfold in his grasp and for it to start speaking aloud, though he quickly began to realize- the group of guardsmen he'd just barely managed to evade only helping to confirm it- that the voices he'd been hearing from the device were his pursuers from the manor attempting to both coordinate his capture and from what he could gather from their conversation summon a healer for the residence.

Little wonder they hunted him so fiercely, breaking out into a sprint he raced across the tiled rooftop and into the next street over, the gap across being far too wide for him to make the next rooftop even with a running start, the balcony stretching along the side of the building below that on the other hand? Casting one of the few protective spells he knew to soften the landing Brynjolf pushed off the ledge Brynjolf leapt across the gap, tucking his head in as he landed the master thief rolled across the wooden balcony and back into a sprint.

Vaulting over the balcony and into the back alleyway, he needed to put as much distance as he could between him and his pursuers, from there he could start making his way to the port. Any plan they might have managed to cook up earlier that night was all but done in at this point, and so would they if they tried to stick around, hopefully, those idiots had managed to realize that as well and started making their way to the docks.

He was already known by one of the captains who seemed to have mistaken them for one of those so-called huntsmen and given their current situation and the content of the documents in his possession, he might just be able to spin this whole debacle in their favo-

"Found you!" A voice cried out as a shadow descended on him from above, Brynjolf threw himself aside narrowly avoiding a wad of webbing aimed at his back its owner skidding across the path as they landed a blade flashing out in the moonlight, Chillrend was torn from its sheath and parried two slashes from his attacker's blade.

Knocking their weapon off to the side Brynjolf stepped into his attacker's guard, thrusting his elbow into their chest driving the air from her lungs, the master thief followed up with kick sending his attacker stumbling back out of the shadows of the alleyway and into the moonlight. Young, that was the first thing that came to mind as his attack twisted her hip to the side and rolled up onto one knee, a series of dark grey veins spread up from her similarly discolored hands across her arms and upper chest stopping just below her neck, a pair of sharp dark blue eyes stared back at him from behind her matching dark blue locks that covered the right side of her face.

"Bastard" She wheezed, snatching her knife up off the dirt path as she staggered back to her feet. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

Brynjolf shook his head in disbelief a tired sigh leaving the master thief "Don't try it lass" he warned glaring down at the girl in front of him, of all the things he could have run into tonight it had to be some cocksure brat with an apparent chip on their shoulder. "Look this doesn't have to end bloody, just step aside and will be on my w-"

She didn't give him the chance to finish, thrusting her free hand forward she sent a surge of webbing from the spinneret inside her palm, the master thief's eyes widened as the mass of webbing spread out in front of him, acting quickly he thrust Chillrend forward, as the pale-blue blade made contact with the webbing its primary enchantment kicked in, frost spread across its surface and into the webbing travelling across it and down the tether connecting it to its owner.

Trifa gasped as what felt like a blizzard washed over her left hand, the cold travelling up her arm caking it in a thin layer of frost, hissing she yanked her arm back breaking off the web line as her attempt at restraining her opponent shattered against his sword, her eyes snapped back up to the insurgent a snarl stretching across her lips.

"What in the seven hells." Brynjolf muttered glancing down at the chunks of frozen webbing scattered across the alleyway before his eyes flicked back up to the girl clutching her frost-covered appendage to her chest as she rushed towards him in reckless abandonment, slashing her long knife at him the master thief effortlessly parried her blade off to the side and whipping the flat side of his blade back towards her head, he may not have wanted to kill the little brat but that didn't mean he'd be taking her lightly either.

The grey-haired girl dropped under the blade and onto her side before attempting to sweep his legs out from under him with Brynjolf hopped back out of range of the leg sweep. Snarling Trifa rolled back into a crouch narrowly avoiding the boot that stomped down where her head had once been, pausing Trifa watched the master thief reach down to his belt he pulled his sword's sheath free, slipping it over his blade and tying it off at the hilt he'd effectively turned his weapon into a makeshift club, why would he...

Trifa's eyes narrowed, he was on the run, most likely trying to link up with the rest of the insurgents and a captive would make that all the easier and it seemed bastard had decided she'd be perfect for the role. The Menagerie guard- for all they were good for -wouldn't take the risk if it meant sacrificing what they assumed to be an innocent, and with the Belladonnas so heavily involved in the operation as they were the fang would be forced to comply or risk vilifying themselves in front of them and the islands populous.

She couldn't let that happen, but she wouldn't let this bastard slip away either, the smart thing to do would have been to pull back and signal the closest patrol for support. Clenching her free hand, Trifa had other ideas in the works, she could feel the frost coating the limb beginning to give way accompanied by the returning feeling in her hand.

If she could just hold him here a little longer, she might be able to turn the tide of this fight back in her favor.

Brynjolf hurried in and cut at the girl's chest, Trifa stepped back narrowly avoiding what would have normally been a killing stroke and thrust her own blade forward, the larger man moved to lean out of the path of her knife and kicked out at her, Trifa endured the flaring pain in her knee and twisted her blade to the side.

The serrated edge of her long knife biting into his leather armor but failing to harm the tender flesh beneath, a small and short-lived victory, seconds later Chillrend's pommel struck her below the ribs the force driving the air from her lungs, her body folding over the sword, Trifa hacked bile rising up in her throat as stinging tears welled up in her eyes her opponent pushed his weight forward shoving her back off his weapon and into the dirt path, her knife slipping from her grasp and clattering down onto the dirt path beside her.

Wheezing Trifa pushed herself up onto her hands and knees desperately grasping for her weapon, a swift kick to her face courtesy of the resident master thief sent her back down into the dirt path, a broken nose accompanying the large bruise she'd have come morning "Nngh" Trifa growled back as she struggled to push herself back up, the action drawing a sigh from Brynjolf as he kicked her weapon away.

Honestly, it was like the girl didn't know when to quit, brushing his hand down over his side, his fingers tracing the small gouge she'd left in his armor as he moved in on her downed form, nothing serious but more of a reason to finish this before she had the chance to do it again, he rose his boot over her head ready to stomp down and put an end to their spat.

Trifa smirked, rolling onto her back the spider Faunus aimed both her palms upward, aiming her spinnerets at the man above her and fired. At such a close range doing was impossible "Ah!" Brynjolf cried the barrage of webbing binding his arms across his chest and sending him stumbling back into a wall, ceasing her assault Trifa winced the nerves in her right hand lighting up like a forest fire, glancing down at her palm the skin surrounding her spinneret cracked and bleeding, she'd need to check in with one of the medics when she got back, but first.

Trifa looked up at the bound master thief, a small smirk spreading across her features as he struggled against her webbing, his bindings stretched and flexed in response to his movement before dragging him back against the wall "Don't bother struggling" She said, wiping away the blood coating her upper lip on the back of her arm as she made her way towards the bound Nightingale scooping up her long knife as she went "You're not getting away, not this time."

Brynjolf paid the girl no mind and thrust his body forward in an attempt to tear himself free of the wall, he wasn't about to let it end like this, he'd come too far to end up being pinched and dragged off to the gallows because of some brat, his struggles were halted when Trifa stabbed her long knife into his side

"Grrrhh!" Brynjolf growled out as the serrated blade punched through his armor and dug a good inch into his side... then again the gallows may have been the least of his worries.

"Does it hurt?" The spider Faunus asked as she twisted the blade in another inch, her captive biting back a pained yelp as he suffered under her wrath "Good." Trifa spat, the guard would most likely want her to take him alive so he could stand trial or his crimes unfortunately for them, she had other ideas in mind and by the time his pursuers managed to loop around the work would be done and she'd be in the wind.

Brynjolf grit his teeth and lashed out with his leg delivering a swift kick to her side, Trifa hissed in response her eyes snapping up to meet the Master Thief's glare as she pushed the knife in deeper. She'd kill him the look in her eye was all he needed to be sure of that and any chance of them making off this island would die with him, all because of that bloody idiot Cicero.

If J'zargo was as smart as he looked he'd ditch him the first chance he got, at least then one of them might have a chance of getting off this godforsaken island. Slamming his head back with her free hand the tip of Trifa's long knife grazed Brynjolfs throat drawing a thin line of blood "Look at me, I said look at me!" She spat, pulling his head forward before cracking his skull back against the wall.

"Nnghh~" Brynjolf hissed back at the grey and black blob that made up the girl in front of him.

A small smile stretched across Trifa's lips, the tip of her long knife trailing down his throat and past his collarbone and settled over his heart, his death would serve as a symbol of Menageries victory against the insurgency, but more importantly -perhaps not in the eyes of the Belladonnas - it would be just retribution for the lives of the brothers and sisters he and his comrades had snuffed out tonight.

Gripping her weapon in both hands Trifa let out a calming breath through her nose and raised her long knife high "For Ronin" She whispered and with a wordless roar stabbed down.

...

...

...

...

At least... she tried to.

Trifa gasped as something struck her in the center of the back, her body immediately enveloped in a pale green aura. Pale blue eyes trembled in panic as she desperately tried to move yet her body refused to obey her commands. "Where the hell have you two been." Trifa's eyes snapped down to Brynjolf his brown eyes looking back up at her or more accurately past her.

"Little Bird!" A shrill voice cried out in alarm, Trifa could do nothing as she was unceremoniously shoved aside, toppling like a falling domino. Her arms, still raised up in front of her, still clutching her long knife tightly did little to aid her. "No!, No!. Little bird what have they done to you!?" A pained wheeze slipped past her teeth as her back hit the ground, and there she stayed, watching out the corner of her eye as another figure stepped into view alongside the other.

Trifa's eyes zeroed in on them, though his face remained hidden behind his hood the distinct robes and tail were all she needed to see. It was him, the traitor, the one she'd seen standing at the other end of the tunnel as the jungle itself came alive and attacked them, the one that had crippled Ronin.

"You are fortunate we found you." J'zargo said, Gripping the master thief by the collar J'zargo pulled him forward and the webbing holding him in place taught, Cicero stepped around them and began cutting the webbing holding him in place. "We were beginning to fear the worst."

"Aye." Brynjolf groaned "Things got a little heated back at the manner, they've been on my tail since.," He replied casting a small glance back towards Trifa. Finishing his work with some of the larger strands of webbing the mad jester stepped back allowing J'zargo to pull their companion free.

Stumbling into the Kahjiits arms Brynjolf hissed out a curse from between his teeth, the throbbing in his side growing more prominent as the adrenalin faded, the cut wasn't too deep thankfully, still left as it was he wouldn't make it far.

Fortunately, he wouldn't have to worry about that long "Do you mind?" Brynjolf asked tilting his head down, drawing the Kahjiit mages eyes to the red patch of webbing covering his side, the Kahjiit mage gave a silent nod and placed his hand over the wound. Brynjolf breathed a slow sigh of relief as a familiar golden light washed over his body the pain in his side slowly subsiding.

Dissipating the spell J'zargo turned his attention back towards the webbing restraining his companion's arms "Hold still." He said extending his claw, the Kahjiit mage drew a line down the center of Brynjolfs chest slicing through the webbing holding his arms at bay. Retracting his claws J'zargo and Cicero began peeling the webbing back and away from his companion's body and tossing it aside.

Rolling his shoulders Brynjolf nodded to the two fo them "How did you even find me?" he asked, not that he wasn't grateful, but given the circumstances -even with one of Nocturnal's more passive blessing, aiding him throughout their journey- he doubted the two had just stumbled across him by chance.

J'zargo's gaze flicked back towards Cicero's chest the jewel in his neckless giving off a small flicker of light, some form of mockery or perhaps a warning from the being watching them from within, he was certain of it. "Questions for another time, we should make haste while there is still a chance" The Kahjiit mage replied before turning his gaze back towards Trifa "What are we to do with her." the spider Faunus glared back at him to of the corner of her eye, a burning hatred rising up inside her evident by the almost animalistic growl rumbling in her throat.

Brynjolf stared down at the girl for a moment before coming to a decision "Leave her" He said, given her state, there'd be little she could do to stop them until the spell wore off, plenty of time for them to make their escape. Digging into his pack the master thief held out the documents towards J'zargo "Snagged these from the lord's study, from the looks of it they should be enough to get us off the island." The Kahjiit mage hummed in response, taking the document in hand his eyes glided across its contents, a small spark of hope igniting inside him.

These would serve their needs quite nicely and then some, nevertheless, there was still the matter of convincing one for the captains to ferry them to what they could only hope was the mainland. "You have a plan for these, yes?" he said holding the papers back out towards the Master Thief

"Something along those lines" Brynjolf replied, slipping the documents back into his satchel as he went on "We won't have time to sneak aboard so we'll have to improvise a bit, I'll explain more on the way."

"Hmmm" Hummed in some small contempt, while he would have preferred Brynjolf explained his plan in more detail before they once again risked their necks in a daring escape, -his eyes shifted back to Trifa- he understood too much had been said already "Verry well then settled then."

"Awwww~" The mad jester sagged, and he'd been so looking forward to repaying the little wretch for the trouble she'd caused them, blood cried for blood after all. "...Hmm" Cicero's eyes shifted from the girl's hate-filled gaze to the serrated knife still clasped tightly in her hands, a fine blade by the look of it one she'd obviously taken pride in maintaining... if there was no time for righteous bloodshed, perhaps there'd still be time for some... humiliation.

"Cicero, I said leave her." Brynjolf called out to the Assassin as he approached Trifa, the spider Faunus hissed and growled up at the mad jester as he knelt beside her, so close that she could end him with a quick slash to his throat were she able.

Waving off the Nightingales warning Cicero turned his attention back to the girl. "Such a pretty blade." He mused running a finger along the flat of Trifa's long-knife and across the back of her hand up to her fingertips. Trifa's hiss in response to the contact made Cicero's grin widen, leaning in he whispered. "A shame it potential is wasted on one such as you." One by one he peeled her fingers back off the hilt, all the while watching the anger and indignation flare up inside her pale blue eyes.

Her grip on her weapon now non-existent, Trifa could do little more than watch as the mad jester gripped the blade of her long knife and slid it out from between her palms, smirking Cicero dangled his prize in front of her eyes mockingly. Bastards, as if leaving her in such a helpless state wasn't humiliating enough they had to take it a step further and rob her of her weapon as well.

"Toddles" Cicero waved down at the girl, pocketing the knife as he made his way back over to his comrades Cicero offered a small smile to the duo "Now we may leave." The mad jester replied, folding his hand behind his back, and humming a merry tune as he passed them by. Brynjolf and J'zargo shared a small glance, sighing thew master thief and Kahjiit mage followed behind the mad jester disappearing into the darkened alleys.

"...Ngh!"

Trifa hissed and spat towards the group, she couldn't let them escape not after everything they'd done. She wanted to give chase, she wanted to find them, she wanted to them suffer, more than anything she wanted to kill them!. But no matter what she did, no matter how small or big the movement may have been, her body refused to obey.

And with every passing moment, their footsteps drifted further and further off into the night, until an almost deafening silence remained. "Hnnnnnghhhhh! ~" Trifa cried out into the night, her voice a mix of hatred and anguish. She roared, snarled, and spat into the empty night until her throat burned, her voice grew hoarse and angry tears stung the edge of her eyes a whimper slipping past her clenched teeth.

Trifa's eyes drifted from the alley to the dark sky above, plumes of black smoke stretching high into the sky over the rooftop to her right, their presence accompanied by a dim amber glow, the smell of smoke and burning cinders carried by the breeze lingered in the air.

She'd failed them.

Ronin

Yuma

The Albains

The Belladonnas

The White Fang

...Menagerie

She'd come so close, so close to putting an end to this nightmare once and for all and what had she done at that crucial moment when one of her enemies had fallen into her lap? She'd let her anger take hold, she'd let the chance of learning their numbers, their plans, the chance of stopping this slip between her fingers, and now here she was trapped inside her own body, discarded and forgotten by the insurgents as they made their escape.

All the while Kuo Kuana burned.

AN: Well that got dark near the end, the people fo Menagerie have defiantly been put through the wringer in this one with their worst fears coming to light. I'll admit this story arc has been one of the most interesting parts I've had the pleasure of writing and helps pave the way for the future, with the next chapter marking the climactic end to our merry lad's adventure across the Faunus homeland. Thank you for reading and sticking with me on this wild ride, I'll see you all in the next one.