Chapter 5:
Connections
Code: SIN
Present Day…
Sleeping Wolves Territory. On the inside of a massive building, Zayne and Nikolai stood at the entrance, just now being permitted inside. A black SUV would pull into the driveway of what looked like a massive casino from the outside. The vehicle stopped in front of the doorway, letting Zayne and Nikolai out. The two looked around while they ascended the steps into the doorway of the facility, noting the surrounding blocks all contributed to the “Wealthy Casino” Vibe.
“Whoooa”
Nikolai said with excitement in his voice as the two now stood on a red carpet stretching further into the venue, the surroundings looking fashionably expensive, yet there were men and women throughout the room, they were in, all in casual clothing, contradicting the fancy surroundings.
“So this is the Den of a Pillar? I can’t say I'm surprised, but I’m pretty impressed right now.”
Zayne said, smirking as he joined Nikolai in his gawking of their surroundings
“Dude, this is awesome! To think we get caught up in some shit and boom, we get to meet a Pillar!”
“Don’t get too excited, it could be bad. Nobody meets a Pillar unless you are a Pillar or work for them personally. Other than, chances are it’s all probably bad.”
“Hm? But we’re neither, so why….Oooooh. Aw man, this could be bad!”
“Well, we have no choice, not like we can run away…”
“Yeah, true. Aw man, I was so hyped for this, now we might just die!”
Nikolai gripped his hair in distress, running through how the situation might play out from this point on. Zayne took a hand and patted Nikolai on his shoulder, letting out a chuckle towards his friend's humorous reaction.
“Let’s just hope not. You think it might have to do with last night?”
“Oh yeah! That could be it. That whole attack was weird as hell.”
“I wonder who those masked guys were. It was pretty bold of them, but they should know after what they did, there’s no way they’re going to be able to rest easy.”
Masculine Voice: “Agreed”
The sudden voice behind the two startled both Zayne and Nikolai, prompting them to flinch and turn to face the speaker. Revealing him to be a male who one could tell was older than both of them. His clothes gave him the demeanor of a casual member of The Sleeping Wolves, but his watch, rings, shoes, and clothes he wore portrayed that he did not struggle with money.
Nikolai Vera: “Ah! Geez, man!”
Wolf Thug:“Ha! My bad, but the boss sent me to escort you two to his office.”
Zayne Mayvin: “Do you know why we were called here by any chance?”
“Honestly, I haven’t a clue. The boss’s business is his own. From the records, you two have been wolves for several years now. I can only guess you two might be familiar with what happens when people poke their noses into a boss’s business.”
The two did not speak a word, only glancing at each other due to both knowing what the answer was to that, the man’s question being more rhetorical than anything.
“Let’s go.”
The man said, leading Zayne and Nikolai further into the building, walking along the red carpet. The trio approached a door of and the Sleeping Wolf Member proceeded to knock on the door before opening. Stepping to the side and gesturing for the two young men to enter.
“A bit of advice…remember your place and you two will be leaving here alright, you know, instead of a bag haha!”
“W-what?”
“Um…Thank you?”
Zayne responded, thanking the smiling man. Zayne and Nikolai looked at him with a strange expression while they walked past him and into the room. The door quickly closing behind them, Nikolai became nervous, sweat dripping down his forehead as they now faced a muscular man sitting at his desk at the center of the room. Although having the elaborate decor of the room, its appearance was similar to that of an office.
Sleeping Wolves South Pillar: “Zayne and Nikolai. Besides last night, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time your names have come back to me for somethin. Nikolai, surprisingly decent product sales, you’ve lost several trades to muggings…and not much else worth noticing. I could say you’ve lost me some money with those keys…But I gotta say, Kid, you’ve picked it back up and got almost twice the money flowing in whenever it dropped. Word is, you not only sell your own weight, but with the word on you about other people, it just makes the overall business better. You got a good head on you.”
Nikolai looked lost, his heart almost dropping from hearing about his failures, but he let out a sigh of relief to hear he had redeemed those failures.
“Zayne. Poor sales records…but it looks like throughout your years with us, you’ve been in more than a few fights, which normally gets you jobs with us dealing with shipment or protection. From the numbers, it looks like you do a decent job, enough to get our people where they need to be. What I find most interesting is, you’ve never been caught by the cops. No jail time, and each one of those jobs went off without a hitch. I’ve been in the game for a long time, and I know most of my boys get injured at least. They also wouldn’t be able to do the kind of damage you’ve done with no strap. But it makes sense; you can’t afford to get caught. It would mean you would have to register with the government if you get my drift.”
Zayne and Nikolai’s eyes widened from the shock of what the Pillar had hinted he had known.
“With all respect, I can’t say I clearly understand what you mea-“
“You’re an alpha kid, no point in trying to hide it. You see, some of us higher-ups value power. There are alpha’s in this building as we speak. We supply them with work, and they join our gang just as we do regular people. With their heightened abilities and senses, it only makes sense to give them more…important tasks, such as protecting important people like me. The one who led you hear, however, has a certain ability.”
“Ability?”
Nikolai questioned curiously.“Yeah, but there will be more talk about that after I tell you two about your current job. You see us, Pillars of the Sleeping Wolves-“
The south pillar said, pointing his finger at the two young men.
“You ever meet a Pillar before boys?”
Zayne and Nikolai looked at each other briefly before returning their gaze to the pillar.
“Unfortunately, not. We, of course, know of the Pillar of our area. Don Nayo, South Pillar of the Sleeping Wolves, also known as The Green King.”
Zayne finished, his gaze locked onto the Pillar sitting behind his desk with a smirk on his face as Zayne presented his name and title to his satisfaction.
“Ah, well at least you boys know who’s in charge around here, Hahaha! You two might do well in this business. Now I’m sure you want to talk about the job.”
Don Nayo snapped his fingers once, a silence falling upon the room briefly before a man entered the room. Zayne and Nikolai looked over their shoulder, seeing the man who had guided them to the room enter, walking past them, and making his way to the side of the Pillar.
Don Nayo: “You see, today I got word of a little catastrophe you two had last night. So did the East Pillar, and according to his right-hand man, you two did well to turn the tables of last night’s events. That situation being handled with so few people gave us the chance to notice it was a distraction.”
Zayne and Nikolai looked surprised, thinking it was just another gang trying to build a name for themselves in a shootout with one of the larger names in the city.
“They were stealing from our warehouses; they were only able to get away with a little of our shit. But back to this job, we found out where the leak came from, how they knew about those warehouses. As soon as we found out, he ran into another territory. I’ll need you two to attend a meeting with a proxy chosen by three of us pillars. A secret meeting between leaders of the other territories.”
The duo’s faces expressed their sudden shock. Meeting with territory heads?!”
Don Nayo nodded his head, confirming the question Zayne had asked him.
“You see, we Pillars work together to keep things rolling as a whole. Those masked guys you ran into last night haven’t just hit us. They’ve been an issue for a while now, and they have caused problems with other Gangs as well, so we’re having a meeting to discuss the issue peacefully. It will be the first time in years that leaders have met like this.”
“Sir, if I may, for something so important, why choose us? I mean, logically speaking, you would have people you could trust more than us for something so important.”
Don remained silent in response to Nikolai, waving his hand, prompting the member standing next to him to speak up.
“The East King, whose right hand you helped last night, urged our Pillar to assign you two to the task. Of course, it could be denied, but it’s trickier than that. Our Gang has vast numbers, notably more than any other. With so much to control, the task is split under the control of the four pillars, one for each cardinal direction. But in truth, they are the representation of the True Leader, the Central Pillar. His identity is unknown, but his influence is boundless and unquestioned. Yet the only person ever to meet the man is the East Pillar.”
Zayne Mayvin: “Who’s the right hand we saved?”
Sleeping Wolf: “Correct, the revealing of your actions had reached the Central Pillar as a result, and for a reason undisclosed, he insisted the duty would be given specifically to you two.”
Nikolai Vera: “What?! We were picked personally?!”
Don Nayo: “Yeah, and the reason is even above my status. Since it came from the Central Pillar, there’s no way around it. The guy you’re looking for should be at the meeting; he must die by the CP’s orders…just try not to start a war. Do it nice, do it clean, hell, he’s a hothead, so if they put enough pressure on him, he may start something himself. Now go, Kainu, get these boys a setup. You two! Go out, get yourselves a change of clothes, and prepare….Tonight, you very well may die if your cards aren’t played right.”
Zayne Mayvin: “I can’t help but wonder, if we’re being trusted with something this important, I assume those Elite Alpha you trust more than two guys like us.”
Don Nayo:“….Listen…Kid. You might see me again, you might not. A bit of advice, don’t poke your nose in places they shouldn’t. It’ll get you killed. Now get out of my sight and keep your heads low, or you’ll get your heads taken off.”
The Duo looked at each other with concern as Don waved them off, also prompting Kainu to show them the way out.
Kainu: “Your ride waits outside. The driver will take you back home for you two to get ready.”
Outside the facility, Nikolai seemed the most excited for the free ride again, Zayne shaking his head silently at his friends as the two hopped in.
Elsewhere….
The Calicio Manor. Reina and Eleanor would be seen in one of the building's studies. The room's appearance was similar to a small library as the two sat side by side at a table. Eleanor’s eyes scanned pages of the book given to them the day prior, while Reina, however, scanned scattered papers with her own eyes.
“I can’t believe this…this city. So many secrets…so many lies.”
Eleanor spoke, seeming slightly upset over what she had learned from the pages of the book intended for her to gain by her grandfather.
“Are you alright El?”
Reina said to comfort her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder, earning Eleanor’s gaze. The touch calmed her down, allowing her to present a slight smile towards Reina.
“Heh, I’m not even sure right now. I feel like I know why my grandfather had this book there. He’s entrusting me to lead one day, and we’re not even halfway through it. Look here! The Sleeping Wolves have the largest territory, but a large corner in their area is in ruin. Those who fall under the bar by being Alpha or as a human, you fall under the bar to live in the Utopia Central District. Normal Humans live in Central, and they become part of the system. Money is easy to gain, and jobs, living expenses become minor due to the privilege. The ruined area is filled with broken homes, damaged streets, and more. Yet if an Alpha isn’t registered, it’s the only place in the city they are allowed to live without being harassed by the law; only by registering in the government's system can they gain permission to live in one of the territories.”
“The government allows them to moderate the lives of humans and Alpha in their territories. The Wolves and their large numbers, along with their reckless tendencies, allow for the Police to surpass quota, making the public feel safe. Grandel’s contribute funds and medical science to Hospitals throughout the city, but it allows them to manipulate horrible drug abuse to the young and old to keep underground money coming in. The Veil family, who are noted to dislike Alpha-kind and the Calicio, seem to be clear…”
Eleanor noted her friend's statement with a glance towards her.
“I can hear it in your voice, and I’m thinking the same thing…”
She admitted, sighing at the thought as she leaned onto the table.
“It must be why he wanted us to find this book…If the other families have only risen with awful tactics and manipulation of the system, and then the lives of the people…”
“Then the Veils and the Calicio…”
“…Yeah. Must have some skeletons under our feet as well.”
Eleanor’s sadness was easily portrayed by her saddened expression at the thought. Suddenly, Reina began bringing the scattered papers together and placing them inside Eleanor’s book before closing it.
“Let’s stop, for now, we can always continue later.”
“Mm, you’re right, I was up earlier than you did today.”
She said with a nod before taking the book between her arm and torso. Reina nodded back as the two stood and made their way out of the study.
Moments Later…
Reina’s bedroom door would be seen, with Reina and Eleanor’s voices barely being heard through the door in the empty hallway.
“What about this one?”
“That one looks perfect on you.”
“Really? For a first meeting, I don’t want to look childish.”
“Honestly, El, you look fine and mature!”
Inside the room, Eleanor stood looking herself over in a mirror, a smirk appearing on her face from her friend’s mature comment. Looking at herself in the mirror, her black leggings coupled with a short dress, having a fashionable belt around her waist. Looking away from the mirror, she began to look down to look herself over.
“I just wish some clothes weren’t so ill-fitting. Is it mandatory in nice fashion to absolutely refuse to make a line that just adds a little more fabric to make the chest area more breathable?! I shouldn’t have to overheat and be killed by my clothes just to look nice!”
Eleanor heard Reina speak as she continued to look herself over, down to her boots.
“Lewd, huh?”
She said, suddenly a cry from Reina caught her attention, turning her head towards Reina, only to see Reina and her outfit. Catching Eleanor off guard at how the dress fitted her body. With a look of defeat, Eleanor’s main attention was staring at her friend’s chest, which neared spilling out of her dress due to their well-endowed size.
Suddenly, a button on Reina’s outfit, which she had sewn on to reduce the display of cleavage, flew at high speeds past her head before seeing Reina drop to a sitting position on the floor. Reina held her arm to her chest as the dress tore, and it began to slide off in some areas. Looking at Reina made Eleanor look down at her own chest, only able to see herself wiggle her feet. Letting out a sigh of disappointment before turning her gaze back to her friend.
“Lewd…Huh? I don’t think the dress measurements are the ones you’re not accounting for.”
Reina’s face turned red as she looked to her friend, still covering herself in what remained of the last dress.
“I don’t see how my chest has anything to do with it! Shouldn’t they make cute clothes for girls with more…growth like mine?!”
Reina said, turning her head and puffing her cheeks to pout. Her eyes quickly opened, however, to feeling something.
“What do you gotta do to get some like these? They’re huge! You could distract a feral Alpha with those!”
A slight whimper came from Reina’s mouth before she could speak, using her arms to cross her chest.
“El don’t be lewd. It’s embarrassing!”
“It’s fine. We’re like a dynamic duo. Body opposites, but we're pretty either way.”
She said before striking a pose, displaying her outfit, and typically boasting of how well her clothes fit on her.
“A good thing about my body type is that great outfits fit all the time.”
Eleanor said confidently in jest about Reina. Moments later, Reina finished adjusting her new outfit, which fit much better. Adjusting around her to ensure everything was as she liked.
“What else is on the schedule for the day?”
“In that book of pages, it mentioned a few places I want to check out. There were lists of places in there, but only one had a name by it. Whatever those places are, I feel as though they’re important places for grandpa since those girls said it’s all stuff arranged from what he wanted us to learn.”
“Hm. I remember most of those places, including the one with the name in other affiliation domains. The one with the name being in the Grandel area.”
“Yeah. Makes me wonder what these places have to do with grandpa and Freya.”
“Let’s start with step one and go from there.”
“Yeah. First, let’s check the one that’s in our area. With grandpa’s sudden announcement at that last meeting, I feel like I should walk around in the city. It’s all Calicio's domain, but our house is pretty isolated and far from the actual city part.”
“Yes, it’s the weekend, so a lot of the house staff are off duty, enjoying their day as well. We can piece it together since we have the great tactician Eleanor.”
Eleanor leaped to her feet, standing proudly with a large grin on her face, hands proudly on her hips
“Heehee! I am pretty great, huh?”
She said, bringing the two to share a laugh as Reina adjusted a sword onto her waist, held by a slim band around her waist, allowing her blade to hang freely from her hip. The two walked down the hallway, being on the third floor of the manor, at its corner, turning and descending the stairs to the second floor. Passing by several open room spaces, yet with each room passed, Reina’s eyes shifted and glanced into the room. Eleanor began humming a tune, but the look in Reina’s eyes grew more focused on something.
“Hey El”
“Huh?”
“Sir Vergil always keeps moderate guards on duty on everyone’s off day. So far, I’ve only been able to see a few. Did he have something special going on today?”
“Huh? I think grandpa said he had an important thing to take part in. He might have taken extra guards. Although if he took enough for you to worry about it might be something business-related.”
Reina stopped in place, leading Eleanor to stop as well before looking at Reina, the two making eye contact
“I was lost in thought, but now that you mention it, I don’t think there’s ever been anything so important he’d leave the house with so little security. Where could Nigel, Claudette, Lance, and Shira. They’re always around somewhere.”
Eleanor noticed Reina’s serious expression, seeing her focused look.
(She’s Focusing…)
Eleanor looked as Reina seemed to be more focused, staring at Eleanor still.
“Those…”
Suddenly, a sound caught Eleanor’s attention: an armored truck and several cars lining up in front of the manor. Eleanor looked at Reina before moving closer to the hallway window. Peering outside to see armed men exiting the vehicles and moving towards the building.
“Didn’t Grampa take- ”
“We gotta get out of here!”
The two looked at each other with concern; fear was in their eyes as well as the desperation to survive.
“We have to let everyone know!”
An explosion quickly blew the front door and its surrounding frame into pieces, the sound reaching the girl's ears from the lower level and shaking the house.
“…..Forever and Always”
She said, smiling through the fear, leading Eleanor to return a smile through her fear
“Forever and Always…”
Eleanor & Reina: “And forevermore.”
The two finalized, linking their pinky finger together. As their fingers linked, their visage would shift back to the rainy day Reina brought Eleanor back after her kidnapping. The two linked fingers on a promise the day she was accepted into Eleanor’s home.
Seconds Later…With the entrance gone, several of the guards arrived on the scene only to be greeted by a storm of bullets released into the Calicio home, with bodies of servants and guests already under debris from the explosion, the bullet storm made sure to kill any remaining at the entrance. Several feet raced through the former doorway and onto the carpet floor. Armed men looking forward and up to see a set of stairs leading to the second level of the building, with the path splitting into two separate sets of stairs going left and right, respectively. Entering after they were three men, one having short hair and a patch covering a single eye. After putting on a pair of black gloves, he made a single gesture with his hand. From the movement alone, groups of men in suits entered the building one after another, making their way throughout the silent building. They were notably distinct compared to the rest, obvious by their alternate clothing from the group. Two wore more casual clothing, while the one with the eye patch wore a suit. Looking at their boss while smirking, the entry squad stood as the boss signaled the rest of the men to proceed.
They ran up to the next floor, beginning to kick in doors systematically. Arriving at a large double door, the group busted in, finding the room larger. One who seemed to be in command within the smaller group signaled for the group to split, sending them further into the manor. They looked around the room, lowering their guard and taking in the luxury scene of the encased jeweled necklace resting on the desk on the far end of the room, for what they could take. Yet just as they moved further into the room, the chair behind the desk spun around. Giving no time to acknowledge any further, the group began unleashing a storm of bullets into the chair. It took a few seconds for them to cease fire, now acknowledging. Just as they relaxed their arms, under the desk was Eleanor, a small submachine gun in hand, lying on her side. It was then her eye looked through a small hole, watching as they walked closer to the desk. She watched, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead, as they got closer.
Suddenly, she released a flurry of bullets through the front of the desk. Sending bullets into the group, her rain of bullets struck some in their legs and others on their torso or another limb. She continued holding the trigger, but from her expression, it was apparent she wasn’t a killer. As she released fire, some maneuvered out of the path of the bullet with what injuries they had or may avoid and aimed their guns at the desk. Before they were able to fully raise their arms, a sound above them would catch their attention, looking up only to see Reina descending on one of them with her blade drawn. With a swift swing, she cut off the man’s arms before spinning after she landed to swiftly deliver a fatal cut across his torso. At this time, all who had fallen during Eleanor’s barrage lay on the ground, having more rounds fired into their body from the blind fire.
Sleeping Wolves Territory. On the inside of a massive building, Zayne and Nikolai stood at the entrance, just now being permitted inside. A black SUV would pull into the driveway of what looked like a massive casino from the outside. The vehicle stopped in front of the doorway, letting Zayne and Nikolai out. The two looked around while they ascended the steps into the doorway of the facility, noting the surrounding blocks all contributed to the “Wealthy Casino” Vibe.
“Whoooa”
Nikolai said with excitement in his voice as the two now stood on a red carpet stretching further into the venue, the surroundings looking fashionably expensive, yet there were men and women throughout the room, they were in, all in casual clothing, contradicting the fancy surroundings.
“So this is the Den of a Pillar? I can’t say I'm surprised, but I’m pretty impressed right now.”
Zayne said, smirking as he joined Nikolai in his gawking of their surroundings
“Dude, this is awesome! To think we get caught up in some shit and boom, we get to meet a Pillar!”
“Don’t get too excited, it could be bad. Nobody meets a Pillar unless you are a Pillar or work for them personally. Other than, chances are it’s all probably bad.”
“Hm? But we’re neither, so why….Oooooh. Aw man, this could be bad!”
“Well, we have no choice, not like we can run away…”
“Yeah, true. Aw man, I was so hyped for this, now we might just die!”
Nikolai gripped his hair in distress, running through how the situation might play out from this point on. Zayne took a hand and patted Nikolai on his shoulder, letting out a chuckle towards his friend's humorous reaction.
“Let’s just hope not. You think it might have to do with last night?”
“Oh yeah! That could be it. That whole attack was weird as hell.”
“I wonder who those masked guys were. It was pretty bold of them, but they should know after what they did, there’s no way they’re going to be able to rest easy.”
Masculine Voice: “Agreed”
The sudden voice behind the two startled both Zayne and Nikolai, prompting them to flinch and turn to face the speaker. Revealing him to be a male who one could tell was older than both of them. His clothes gave him the demeanor of a casual member of The Sleeping Wolves, but his watch, rings, shoes, and clothes he wore portrayed that he did not struggle with money.
Nikolai Vera: “Ah! Geez, man!”
Wolf Thug:“Ha! My bad, but the boss sent me to escort you two to his office.”
Zayne Mayvin: “Do you know why we were called here by any chance?”
“Honestly, I haven’t a clue. The boss’s business is his own. From the records, you two have been wolves for several years now. I can only guess you two might be familiar with what happens when people poke their noses into a boss’s business.”
The two did not speak a word, only glancing at each other due to both knowing what the answer was to that, the man’s question being more rhetorical than anything.
“Let’s go.”
The man said, leading Zayne and Nikolai further into the building, walking along the red carpet. The trio approached a door of and the Sleeping Wolf Member proceeded to knock on the door before opening. Stepping to the side and gesturing for the two young men to enter.
“A bit of advice…remember your place and you two will be leaving here alright, you know, instead of a bag haha!”
“W-what?”
“Um…Thank you?”
Zayne responded, thanking the smiling man. Zayne and Nikolai looked at him with a strange expression while they walked past him and into the room. The door quickly closing behind them, Nikolai became nervous, sweat dripping down his forehead as they now faced a muscular man sitting at his desk at the center of the room. Although having the elaborate decor of the room, its appearance was similar to that of an office.
Sleeping Wolves South Pillar: “Zayne and Nikolai. Besides last night, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time your names have come back to me for somethin. Nikolai, surprisingly decent product sales, you’ve lost several trades to muggings…and not much else worth noticing. I could say you’ve lost me some money with those keys…But I gotta say, Kid, you’ve picked it back up and got almost twice the money flowing in whenever it dropped. Word is, you not only sell your own weight, but with the word on you about other people, it just makes the overall business better. You got a good head on you.”
Nikolai looked lost, his heart almost dropping from hearing about his failures, but he let out a sigh of relief to hear he had redeemed those failures.
“Zayne. Poor sales records…but it looks like throughout your years with us, you’ve been in more than a few fights, which normally gets you jobs with us dealing with shipment or protection. From the numbers, it looks like you do a decent job, enough to get our people where they need to be. What I find most interesting is, you’ve never been caught by the cops. No jail time, and each one of those jobs went off without a hitch. I’ve been in the game for a long time, and I know most of my boys get injured at least. They also wouldn’t be able to do the kind of damage you’ve done with no strap. But it makes sense; you can’t afford to get caught. It would mean you would have to register with the government if you get my drift.”
Zayne and Nikolai’s eyes widened from the shock of what the Pillar had hinted he had known.
“With all respect, I can’t say I clearly understand what you mea-“
“You’re an alpha kid, no point in trying to hide it. You see, some of us higher-ups value power. There are alpha’s in this building as we speak. We supply them with work, and they join our gang just as we do regular people. With their heightened abilities and senses, it only makes sense to give them more…important tasks, such as protecting important people like me. The one who led you hear, however, has a certain ability.”
“Ability?”
Nikolai questioned curiously.“Yeah, but there will be more talk about that after I tell you two about your current job. You see us, Pillars of the Sleeping Wolves-“
The south pillar said, pointing his finger at the two young men.
“You ever meet a Pillar before boys?”
Zayne and Nikolai looked at each other briefly before returning their gaze to the pillar.
“Unfortunately, not. We, of course, know of the Pillar of our area. Don Nayo, South Pillar of the Sleeping Wolves, also known as The Green King.”
Zayne finished, his gaze locked onto the Pillar sitting behind his desk with a smirk on his face as Zayne presented his name and title to his satisfaction.
“Ah, well at least you boys know who’s in charge around here, Hahaha! You two might do well in this business. Now I’m sure you want to talk about the job.”
Don Nayo snapped his fingers once, a silence falling upon the room briefly before a man entered the room. Zayne and Nikolai looked over their shoulder, seeing the man who had guided them to the room enter, walking past them, and making his way to the side of the Pillar.
Don Nayo: “You see, today I got word of a little catastrophe you two had last night. So did the East Pillar, and according to his right-hand man, you two did well to turn the tables of last night’s events. That situation being handled with so few people gave us the chance to notice it was a distraction.”
Zayne and Nikolai looked surprised, thinking it was just another gang trying to build a name for themselves in a shootout with one of the larger names in the city.
“They were stealing from our warehouses; they were only able to get away with a little of our shit. But back to this job, we found out where the leak came from, how they knew about those warehouses. As soon as we found out, he ran into another territory. I’ll need you two to attend a meeting with a proxy chosen by three of us pillars. A secret meeting between leaders of the other territories.”
The duo’s faces expressed their sudden shock. Meeting with territory heads?!”
Don Nayo nodded his head, confirming the question Zayne had asked him.
“You see, we Pillars work together to keep things rolling as a whole. Those masked guys you ran into last night haven’t just hit us. They’ve been an issue for a while now, and they have caused problems with other Gangs as well, so we’re having a meeting to discuss the issue peacefully. It will be the first time in years that leaders have met like this.”
“Sir, if I may, for something so important, why choose us? I mean, logically speaking, you would have people you could trust more than us for something so important.”
Don remained silent in response to Nikolai, waving his hand, prompting the member standing next to him to speak up.
“The East King, whose right hand you helped last night, urged our Pillar to assign you two to the task. Of course, it could be denied, but it’s trickier than that. Our Gang has vast numbers, notably more than any other. With so much to control, the task is split under the control of the four pillars, one for each cardinal direction. But in truth, they are the representation of the True Leader, the Central Pillar. His identity is unknown, but his influence is boundless and unquestioned. Yet the only person ever to meet the man is the East Pillar.”
Zayne Mayvin: “Who’s the right hand we saved?”
Sleeping Wolf: “Correct, the revealing of your actions had reached the Central Pillar as a result, and for a reason undisclosed, he insisted the duty would be given specifically to you two.”
Nikolai Vera: “What?! We were picked personally?!”
Don Nayo: “Yeah, and the reason is even above my status. Since it came from the Central Pillar, there’s no way around it. The guy you’re looking for should be at the meeting; he must die by the CP’s orders…just try not to start a war. Do it nice, do it clean, hell, he’s a hothead, so if they put enough pressure on him, he may start something himself. Now go, Kainu, get these boys a setup. You two! Go out, get yourselves a change of clothes, and prepare….Tonight, you very well may die if your cards aren’t played right.”
Zayne Mayvin: “I can’t help but wonder, if we’re being trusted with something this important, I assume those Elite Alpha you trust more than two guys like us.”
Don Nayo:“….Listen…Kid. You might see me again, you might not. A bit of advice, don’t poke your nose in places they shouldn’t. It’ll get you killed. Now get out of my sight and keep your heads low, or you’ll get your heads taken off.”
The Duo looked at each other with concern as Don waved them off, also prompting Kainu to show them the way out.
Kainu: “Your ride waits outside. The driver will take you back home for you two to get ready.”
Outside the facility, Nikolai seemed the most excited for the free ride again, Zayne shaking his head silently at his friends as the two hopped in.
Elsewhere….
The Calicio Manor. Reina and Eleanor would be seen in one of the building's studies. The room's appearance was similar to a small library as the two sat side by side at a table. Eleanor’s eyes scanned pages of the book given to them the day prior, while Reina, however, scanned scattered papers with her own eyes.
“I can’t believe this…this city. So many secrets…so many lies.”
Eleanor spoke, seeming slightly upset over what she had learned from the pages of the book intended for her to gain by her grandfather.
“Are you alright El?”
Reina said to comfort her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder, earning Eleanor’s gaze. The touch calmed her down, allowing her to present a slight smile towards Reina.
“Heh, I’m not even sure right now. I feel like I know why my grandfather had this book there. He’s entrusting me to lead one day, and we’re not even halfway through it. Look here! The Sleeping Wolves have the largest territory, but a large corner in their area is in ruin. Those who fall under the bar by being Alpha or as a human, you fall under the bar to live in the Utopia Central District. Normal Humans live in Central, and they become part of the system. Money is easy to gain, and jobs, living expenses become minor due to the privilege. The ruined area is filled with broken homes, damaged streets, and more. Yet if an Alpha isn’t registered, it’s the only place in the city they are allowed to live without being harassed by the law; only by registering in the government's system can they gain permission to live in one of the territories.”
“The government allows them to moderate the lives of humans and Alpha in their territories. The Wolves and their large numbers, along with their reckless tendencies, allow for the Police to surpass quota, making the public feel safe. Grandel’s contribute funds and medical science to Hospitals throughout the city, but it allows them to manipulate horrible drug abuse to the young and old to keep underground money coming in. The Veil family, who are noted to dislike Alpha-kind and the Calicio, seem to be clear…”
Eleanor noted her friend's statement with a glance towards her.
“I can hear it in your voice, and I’m thinking the same thing…”
She admitted, sighing at the thought as she leaned onto the table.
“It must be why he wanted us to find this book…If the other families have only risen with awful tactics and manipulation of the system, and then the lives of the people…”
“Then the Veils and the Calicio…”
“…Yeah. Must have some skeletons under our feet as well.”
Eleanor’s sadness was easily portrayed by her saddened expression at the thought. Suddenly, Reina began bringing the scattered papers together and placing them inside Eleanor’s book before closing it.
“Let’s stop, for now, we can always continue later.”
“Mm, you’re right, I was up earlier than you did today.”
She said with a nod before taking the book between her arm and torso. Reina nodded back as the two stood and made their way out of the study.
Moments Later…
Reina’s bedroom door would be seen, with Reina and Eleanor’s voices barely being heard through the door in the empty hallway.
“What about this one?”
“That one looks perfect on you.”
“Really? For a first meeting, I don’t want to look childish.”
“Honestly, El, you look fine and mature!”
Inside the room, Eleanor stood looking herself over in a mirror, a smirk appearing on her face from her friend’s mature comment. Looking at herself in the mirror, her black leggings coupled with a short dress, having a fashionable belt around her waist. Looking away from the mirror, she began to look down to look herself over.
“I just wish some clothes weren’t so ill-fitting. Is it mandatory in nice fashion to absolutely refuse to make a line that just adds a little more fabric to make the chest area more breathable?! I shouldn’t have to overheat and be killed by my clothes just to look nice!”
Eleanor heard Reina speak as she continued to look herself over, down to her boots.
“Lewd, huh?”
She said, suddenly a cry from Reina caught her attention, turning her head towards Reina, only to see Reina and her outfit. Catching Eleanor off guard at how the dress fitted her body. With a look of defeat, Eleanor’s main attention was staring at her friend’s chest, which neared spilling out of her dress due to their well-endowed size.
Suddenly, a button on Reina’s outfit, which she had sewn on to reduce the display of cleavage, flew at high speeds past her head before seeing Reina drop to a sitting position on the floor. Reina held her arm to her chest as the dress tore, and it began to slide off in some areas. Looking at Reina made Eleanor look down at her own chest, only able to see herself wiggle her feet. Letting out a sigh of disappointment before turning her gaze back to her friend.
“Lewd…Huh? I don’t think the dress measurements are the ones you’re not accounting for.”
Reina’s face turned red as she looked to her friend, still covering herself in what remained of the last dress.
“I don’t see how my chest has anything to do with it! Shouldn’t they make cute clothes for girls with more…growth like mine?!”
Reina said, turning her head and puffing her cheeks to pout. Her eyes quickly opened, however, to feeling something.
“What do you gotta do to get some like these? They’re huge! You could distract a feral Alpha with those!”
A slight whimper came from Reina’s mouth before she could speak, using her arms to cross her chest.
“El don’t be lewd. It’s embarrassing!”
“It’s fine. We’re like a dynamic duo. Body opposites, but we're pretty either way.”
She said before striking a pose, displaying her outfit, and typically boasting of how well her clothes fit on her.
“A good thing about my body type is that great outfits fit all the time.”
Eleanor said confidently in jest about Reina. Moments later, Reina finished adjusting her new outfit, which fit much better. Adjusting around her to ensure everything was as she liked.
“What else is on the schedule for the day?”
“In that book of pages, it mentioned a few places I want to check out. There were lists of places in there, but only one had a name by it. Whatever those places are, I feel as though they’re important places for grandpa since those girls said it’s all stuff arranged from what he wanted us to learn.”
“Hm. I remember most of those places, including the one with the name in other affiliation domains. The one with the name being in the Grandel area.”
“Yeah. Makes me wonder what these places have to do with grandpa and Freya.”
“Let’s start with step one and go from there.”
“Yeah. First, let’s check the one that’s in our area. With grandpa’s sudden announcement at that last meeting, I feel like I should walk around in the city. It’s all Calicio's domain, but our house is pretty isolated and far from the actual city part.”
“Yes, it’s the weekend, so a lot of the house staff are off duty, enjoying their day as well. We can piece it together since we have the great tactician Eleanor.”
Eleanor leaped to her feet, standing proudly with a large grin on her face, hands proudly on her hips
“Heehee! I am pretty great, huh?”
She said, bringing the two to share a laugh as Reina adjusted a sword onto her waist, held by a slim band around her waist, allowing her blade to hang freely from her hip. The two walked down the hallway, being on the third floor of the manor, at its corner, turning and descending the stairs to the second floor. Passing by several open room spaces, yet with each room passed, Reina’s eyes shifted and glanced into the room. Eleanor began humming a tune, but the look in Reina’s eyes grew more focused on something.
“Hey El”
“Huh?”
“Sir Vergil always keeps moderate guards on duty on everyone’s off day. So far, I’ve only been able to see a few. Did he have something special going on today?”
“Huh? I think grandpa said he had an important thing to take part in. He might have taken extra guards. Although if he took enough for you to worry about it might be something business-related.”
Reina stopped in place, leading Eleanor to stop as well before looking at Reina, the two making eye contact
“I was lost in thought, but now that you mention it, I don’t think there’s ever been anything so important he’d leave the house with so little security. Where could Nigel, Claudette, Lance, and Shira. They’re always around somewhere.”
Eleanor noticed Reina’s serious expression, seeing her focused look.
(She’s Focusing…)
Eleanor looked as Reina seemed to be more focused, staring at Eleanor still.
“Those…”
Suddenly, a sound caught Eleanor’s attention: an armored truck and several cars lining up in front of the manor. Eleanor looked at Reina before moving closer to the hallway window. Peering outside to see armed men exiting the vehicles and moving towards the building.
“Didn’t Grampa take- ”
“We gotta get out of here!”
The two looked at each other with concern; fear was in their eyes as well as the desperation to survive.
“We have to let everyone know!”
An explosion quickly blew the front door and its surrounding frame into pieces, the sound reaching the girl's ears from the lower level and shaking the house.
“…..Forever and Always”
She said, smiling through the fear, leading Eleanor to return a smile through her fear
“Forever and Always…”
Eleanor & Reina: “And forevermore.”
The two finalized, linking their pinky finger together. As their fingers linked, their visage would shift back to the rainy day Reina brought Eleanor back after her kidnapping. The two linked fingers on a promise the day she was accepted into Eleanor’s home.
Seconds Later…With the entrance gone, several of the guards arrived on the scene only to be greeted by a storm of bullets released into the Calicio home, with bodies of servants and guests already under debris from the explosion, the bullet storm made sure to kill any remaining at the entrance. Several feet raced through the former doorway and onto the carpet floor. Armed men looking forward and up to see a set of stairs leading to the second level of the building, with the path splitting into two separate sets of stairs going left and right, respectively. Entering after they were three men, one having short hair and a patch covering a single eye. After putting on a pair of black gloves, he made a single gesture with his hand. From the movement alone, groups of men in suits entered the building one after another, making their way throughout the silent building. They were notably distinct compared to the rest, obvious by their alternate clothing from the group. Two wore more casual clothing, while the one with the eye patch wore a suit. Looking at their boss while smirking, the entry squad stood as the boss signaled the rest of the men to proceed.
They ran up to the next floor, beginning to kick in doors systematically. Arriving at a large double door, the group busted in, finding the room larger. One who seemed to be in command within the smaller group signaled for the group to split, sending them further into the manor. They looked around the room, lowering their guard and taking in the luxury scene of the encased jeweled necklace resting on the desk on the far end of the room, for what they could take. Yet just as they moved further into the room, the chair behind the desk spun around. Giving no time to acknowledge any further, the group began unleashing a storm of bullets into the chair. It took a few seconds for them to cease fire, now acknowledging. Just as they relaxed their arms, under the desk was Eleanor, a small submachine gun in hand, lying on her side. It was then her eye looked through a small hole, watching as they walked closer to the desk. She watched, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead, as they got closer.
Suddenly, she released a flurry of bullets through the front of the desk. Sending bullets into the group, her rain of bullets struck some in their legs and others on their torso or another limb. She continued holding the trigger, but from her expression, it was apparent she wasn’t a killer. As she released fire, some maneuvered out of the path of the bullet with what injuries they had or may avoid and aimed their guns at the desk. Before they were able to fully raise their arms, a sound above them would catch their attention, looking up only to see Reina descending on one of them with her blade drawn. With a swift swing, she cut off the man’s arms before spinning after she landed to swiftly deliver a fatal cut across his torso. At this time, all who had fallen during Eleanor’s barrage lay on the ground, having more rounds fired into their body from the blind fire.
Clicking could be heard signaling the end of the bullet storm, making it evident Eleanor was out of ammo, yet Reina failed to waste a second. Letting go of the sword, and going from the spin straight into a lunge towards the survivor, delivering a powerful punch to his stomach. Reina grunted as she pushed through with the punch, sending the man flying out of the doorway and through the hallway window. Just then, the others made their way to the doorway only to see their slain comrades. None hesitated to aim at Reina. With her speed, Reina picked up the sword and dashed forward with a clear focus in her eyes, dashing, ducking, and twirling, and amongst her display of agility, using her superior agility and flexibility to avoid most multiple bullets, defending not only herself but Eleanor behind her as well as deflecting a few bullets backward, luckily to take out one of the shooters. Not capable of blocking a majority of bullets, she used her blade to ensure no bullets passed towards Eleanor. Passing by the bullet's path seconds after it began, a sound in the hallway caught their attention. Reina’s enhanced speed and power proved fatal for the intruders, with Reina quickly launching her weapon at a distance and piercing one of their torsos. His body dropped just like the others. The two women gave each other a confirming look, but both of them were able to notice two figures entering the doorway, leading Reina to quickly create space between her and them. Eleanor moved from under the desk, more behind Reina, but keeping a safe distance behind her. Reina turned and looked at the men, silently clenching her fists.
Man in Suit: “Look what we have here. Sounded like we weren’t going so well up here.”
Casual Invader: “Didn’t expect to find something so pretty on the end of this slaughterhouse.”
Reina Lionhart: “What the fuck are you guys here for?”
The man in the suit chuckled and began to make his way forward into the room. Eleanor, noticing the change in Reina’s tone and language, could tell she was serious. Being behind her friend, she could see the ends of Reina’s hair waving slightly as if there was a breeze in the room. Lacking knowledge of sins, Eleanor was knowledgeable of at least one sin, and she knew the energy was being released from Reina’s body to cause this. Knowing it as one of the signs, her eyes would change.
“Oh, that’s an easy one, with the number of corpses downstairs, I’d say we’re almost finished.”
He said, pointing at Eleanor. A barely withheld, shocked expression came over Reina and Eleanor, leading the man in the suit to look at them curiously. His confusion turned into acceptance with a chuckle after looking more closely at Reina, seeing that the color of her eyes had changed to a light green color, along with her short fanged teeth showing more prominently than before.
“Well, well, it seems like old man Calicio didn’t take ALL of his best….huh, Kai?”
He said, glancing over his shoulder. His comrade’s body was still standing riddle with blood-red spikes. Moving into the doorway, a Red-haired male, wearing a loosely adjusted suit as well. A ray of hope shone into the hearts of the girls. Mentally reflecting only a day before, Kai was tasked with guarding her grandfather at the meeting. From the look on his face, he was serious, and from the look of the blood and dirt on him, he wasted no time with other invaders. The man in the suit turned more towards Kai, somewhat irritated by his silence.
“….”
“ Tch! Die!”
Immediately as he finished his word, he quickly lifted one of his arms to guard his side. Reina had closed the distance while he was distracted, attempting to deliver a kick to his head. Smirking at her attempt, he quickly grasped her ankle. With a quick turn and a powerful toss, he sent Reina through the air towards the shelves and displays off to the side and immediately made a breaking dash for Eleanor, who, in fear, began taking a step back. Just as Reina crashed into the wall, the intruder turned back towards Kai, using that small instant to close the gap between them, Kai holding two medium-lengths of blood-red crystals shaped to weapons. Kai thrust the spikes at the intruder, but one hand is deflected, and the other dodged. The two engage in a quick exchange of strikes and evasive maneuvering. Exhaustion could be seen on Kai’s face, pushing his body versus the smirk his opponent continued to hold. During a final dodge, the intruder saw an opening, the skin of his hand turning gray and nails extending to claws, aiming to pierce Kai’s side. Being distracted, he was almost instantly rerouted by a heavy kick to his head from Reina, the air from the impact created a small gust of wind as it forced his head and the rest of his body into the air. Rolling onto the ground and through the desk. Face down, he quickly pushed his body off the ground, Kai attempting to pierce the man by erecting a small stalagmite of crystals underneath the intruder. While in the air the intruder’s eyes scanned the room, seeing his two attackers yet just as he landed. He noticed the desk he had crashed through, noticing Eleanor was no longer over there.
(Tch! They moved her while I wasn’t looking.
He thought to himself as he landed on his feet. Unable to worry about Eleanor, his eyes focused on the two in the room. Reina took a stance, and Kai stood with cold eyes, the look of focused elite forming more crystal spikes from his hands once again as weapons. The three stood in silence for a second. The silence was later broken by the intruder's maniacal laughter.
“HAHA! I bet you think you’re special now Kai? That power you have isn’t special at all, Hahaha!”
The intruder said joyfully before retrieving a small case from his pocket. He takes out and revealing a syringe before injecting himself with it. His skin slowly began turning grey, and his body began bulging up, and the nails on both hands extended into claws. By the end of his transformation, the color of his eyes shifted to red, and his appearance was that of a beastly humanoid being. The transformation took Reina by surprise, yet Kai seemed unaffected.
“The power to control our power. It’s true what they say, we are monsters.”
Suddenly, the intruder began to hold his head in pain, wincing as he took a step towards the two.
The sign of life in his eyes faded and was completely taken over by red. On the final word of his sentence, his voice manifested as an immense roar. The sound from the roar alone created a powerful burst of air, knocking over items in the room and pushing on the two Calico guards.
“Get Ready Reina!”
“Right!”
The monstrous intruder planted his foot firmly on the ground, breaking into the ground slightly before sprinting and charging at them. His new power also brought newfound speed as he surprised them both, his large hands taking grip of their faces before they knew it. In the same motion, he continued to move forward, taking the two with him by their head, slamming their bodies through the doorway walls and through the hall wall as well, taking the battle outside. With a heavy grunt, the beast of a man forced them downward with great speed and weight, slamming their bodies into the armored truck outside, denting it greatly. The humanoid beast held Kai’s head down while his hand still gripped the man’s face; however, he released his grip on Reina, raising the same hand to deal a fatal blow. Reina, whose pain left her mind and expression blank, possibly from the shock? Seeing this, Kai wrapped his arms around the beast's large forearm and used it for leverage, allowing him to quickly kick Reina with enough force to quickly knock her off the truck. He knew she was in unimaginable pain, but the further damage he would do, he was sure that was far better than letting her die.
(I gotta finish this, what kind of drug did he take?)
Kai thought to himself. Now having moved Reina, the beast's descending attack missed its target, causing its beastly claws and arms to tear through the roof of the vehicle. Kai took advantage of the moment and his opponent’s abilities, forming jagged crystal claws on the end of his fingertips, and began clawing into his enemy's forearm, simultaneously throwing a kick to his opponent's jaw. The impact alone could be heard at a clear distance away. The kicks did little but bloody the intruder’s mouth and anger him. Using Kai’s hold against him, he raised his arm with Kai still clinging on and delivered an incredible roar as he did before, this time at a very close range. The sound waves shook Kai’s brain, causing him to loosen his grip for a second. That time was just what the intruder needed to deal a devastating blow, sending Kai through the air and crashing into the large Garden statue, Kai’s body falling to the ground below. Kai hit the ground hard, yet still managed to move, struggling to quickly get back up. Kai looked forward, his vision blurry, but he could still make out the sight of the intruder hopping out of the car and down to the solid ground.
His ears picked up the sounds of its vicious snarling as it began a charge towards Kai. Kai wasn’t able to see clearly, but he knew the danger he was in and struggled to his limit attempting to stand. Losing blood, he failed to stand. Just when it seemed it was over, a door to one of the vehicles crashed into to beast's head, getting his attention and loudly impacting off his head, causing him to slide to a stop and turn. Only seeing a badly injured and barely standing Reina, panting heavily, using what seemed like part of the last of her strength to rise and stop the intruder from attacking her fellow Calicio Guard. The beast angrily glared at Reina and released another massive roar, and charged towards Reina.
During the charge, a short whistling noise caught everyone’s attention, including the intruder. When he looked up, he was face to face with a small explosive, which proceeded to crash into him and explode on impact, enveloping him in a small explosion. Kai and Reina both looked to where the smoke trail originated from, looking up to the second story of the manor, where the large hole was that was made forcibly with the Calicio guard’s body. There stood Eleanor, foot perched on a piece of debris and a small grenade launcher. Reina smiled, looking at Eleanor, but it quickly turned to a frown, hearing Kai in the distance now behind her.
“Lady Eleanor MOVE!”
Reina attempted to turn, but the enemy was fast, already on the run again, hearing the ground break and feeling the upward wind of the intruder's beastly speed and power when leaping. Still looking forward, and up she could see the beast that launched himself towards Eleanor. With a fearful expression on her face, Eleanor began firing another grenade of which failed to slow him down. Kai quickly pulled himself to his feet, losing blood in the process, obviously forcing his body to rush forward.
“EL!”
Reina screamed, pushing through her pain to step, but a sharp pain quickly surged through her body, causing her to quickly fall to the side against a vehicle. Pulling a gear on the side of her weapon, Eleanor began to rapid-fire another round, the grenade finding its target and enveloping the beast and blocking him and Eleanor from the guard's sight. Eleanor was able to see the beast plunge through the smoke, still coming towards her. Fear struck, she was face to face with the intruder, her blood-red eyes held little to no life as a man. She could tell he was no longer conscious and was just a blood-craved beast, snarling as he encircled. Just at the last second, in the blink of an eye, Eleanor could see a woman between her and the beast in mid-air. At the very same second, she saw the woman delivering a kick to the beast's stomach. The collision of forces causes the intruder to fold forward around the woman’s leg. To Eleanor, time came to a almost standstill. In her heart, she felt in the moment it could be Reina, but it was clearly not; this woman was a stranger to her.
“Wh-“
Before Eleanor could finish her words, her moment in time ended, and the kick would send the beast flying at terrifying speeds back towards the yard. The sheer power from the collision blew Eleanor and debris into a hall wall. As for the large hole, the force and wind pressure further shattered that side of the house as the beast was launched from the kick. At breaking speed, Reina and Kai, in seemingly an instant, were able to see the intruder once again, only flying the other way. Both of their eyes followed him to witness him crashing into the ground with such an impact that his body plowed through concrete and dirt until he came to a sliding stop past the statue Kai was in front of. Unlike Reina, Kai had assessed the situation, realizing he didn’t need to know a full explanation of what happened, but acknowledged the benefits of time and struggled to make his way over to Reina. The blood on the opening of his wounds crystallized to stop the bleeding, but this did little as he fell to his knees halfway. Snapping out of her confusion, Reina noticed Kai and moved to him, and in an attempt to help him up, the woman who saved Eleanor landed beside them, catching Kai and Reina off guard. Unexpectedly, they were met with a smile from the woman. Kai opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted.
Mysterious Woman: “Save that thought for me, sweetie!”
She said, returning her gaze forward. From his landing point, the beast erupted from the ground with a newfound roar that could be heard outside of the Calicio home from the streets. All witnessed the rising of the beast with dirt and debris rising high into the air. Reina and Kai helped one another rise to their feet, looking at the intruder, noting his appearance had changed once again. His appearance was similar to that of a werewolf; its large torso easily detailed the muscles in its upper body. He looked more creature than man now. In front of them was a horrific beast, drool dripping from its elongated mouth.
Reina’s eyes glanced over at the woman, seeing her smile and expression shift to an excited smirk. At that moment, the beast took off with a surprising increase in speed. The look on the Calicio members was one of shock, Eleanor only able to see it from her distance, while Kai and Reina were barely able to keep sight of him. Their shock arose from the beast already closing the distance and had swung one of his vicious claws at the mysterious woman, who, to their surprise, had not only been able to see the attack clearly, but from what they saw, she was able to lean backward and evade the claw. In the same motion, she lifted a foot off the ground a kicked the beast in the chest with the bottom of her foot, sending him backward into the statue in the Calicio yard, his crash against it breaking off a large piece of its base, causing it to fall on top of him.
Mysterious Woman: “I suggest you two try to get back a-”
Tossing her arms up, she is cut short in her sentence, with the beast closing the distance quickly, once again attempting a charging head butt. Blocking the attack, she pushes back against his head. The two bounced back slightly from the collision force, but the mysterious woman closed the distance on the intruder. In reaction, he attempted to claw swipe her, but his attack was easily evaded and counter-attacked with a punch to the face that would seem to daze the beast for a split second. Kai, Eleanor, and Reina could only watch the battle before them in awe at the high-speed close combat in front of them and, even more so, the strength and speed of the woman. Reina watched in shock.
“S-she’s just as fast!"
Reina said as she watched the exchange of tossed and evaded attacks and counter-attacks. It was easy to tell this battle was one-sided, the rage on the beast's face increasing with each one of his mighty strikes that failed to hit its mark, and he was struck before he could know it. Kai’s eyes narrowed as he watched the woman before his eyes, glanced up to Reina, seeing her eyes fixated on watching the woman battle.
“Look more carefully. She has to be a little faster than him…”
Kai’s words reached her ears; her eyes focused and looked at the face of the mysterious woman, seeing a smile on her face. It then became obvious to Reina, seeing the girl's movements and noticing how she evaded just out of each attack's reach. Calmly, as if facing such a beast was normal. Just then, she landed a kick to the enemy; the pure sound of incredibly powerful impact could be heard. Reina’s eyes widened slightly, just now noticing.
“She’s strong too…”
“Almost every attack she throws connects, and each hit is a critical strike…when before-“Listening to Kai, the memory of the enemy in his original form dodging Kai’s attacks and her surprise attack merely knocked him back a few feet, and all this was before he began transforming. Mentally coming back to the present, she seemed to have finished Kai’s thought.“When before we could barely touch or hurt him much.”
“Mm, whoever she is, she’s stronger….and she must have had a reason to show up…it’s all far too convenient.”
With an acrobatic dodge, the woman landed on her feet a short distance away from the beast. She smirked, for she was having fun. She looked out the corner of her eye to see that one of the claws had actually caught and torn the neck and left side of her jacket, revealing her neck and shoulder. At the sight of her neck, a sense of consciousness seemed to temporarily return to the beast. Evident by his sudden and limited but returned ability of speech.
Intruder: “Doom...Adephagos… will re-“
The woman was obviously listening closely to the sudden surprise of words, yet before he could finish his sentence, her eyes narrowed, and her smirk quickly faded. Faster than unaided eyes could follow, it seemed as if she leaped forward and appeared almost instantly in front of him. With his large stature compared to hers, her hand was placed flat on his chest. Her speed was even more than he could witness, suddenly seeing her missing before he could process the feeling of a hand on his torso. Before his eyes could fully look downward to see the woman, she spoke,
Mysterious Woman: “…Mahou #10: Release”
From the perspective of Kai, Eleanor, and Reina, they would be able to see a wide beam of light exit the beast's back. Wide in size, yet the light still rapidly shrank in width until the beam was no more. There was a mere second pause. The woman and beast seemed frozen in their position. To the spectator for a second, it seemed as if time had stopped. Suddenly, a great destructive force blew the beast back. The release of the pressurized air between her palm and his chest was enough to become physical and great enough to not only destructively envelope the enemy, but also the ground and all within its path. The faces of the mysterious woman’s spectators were stuck in apparent shock at the power of the attack, which obliterated the foe with raw energy until there was barely anything left. The parts remained dissolved into nothing, releasing a purple gas until it was completely gone. The woman still held her pose, taking a second to exhale deeply before standing up straight. Her head turned towards her spectators, seeing their expression, of which she simply responded with a smile. With the silence, it was evident. The sudden assault on their home was overall within thirty minutes. The longest thirty minutes of their lives, unknowingly to them, it would be a severe moment in time that would change more than for themselves.
Casual Invader: “Didn’t expect to find something so pretty on the end of this slaughterhouse.”
Reina Lionhart: “What the fuck are you guys here for?”
The man in the suit chuckled and began to make his way forward into the room. Eleanor, noticing the change in Reina’s tone and language, could tell she was serious. Being behind her friend, she could see the ends of Reina’s hair waving slightly as if there was a breeze in the room. Lacking knowledge of sins, Eleanor was knowledgeable of at least one sin, and she knew the energy was being released from Reina’s body to cause this. Knowing it as one of the signs, her eyes would change.
“Oh, that’s an easy one, with the number of corpses downstairs, I’d say we’re almost finished.”
He said, pointing at Eleanor. A barely withheld, shocked expression came over Reina and Eleanor, leading the man in the suit to look at them curiously. His confusion turned into acceptance with a chuckle after looking more closely at Reina, seeing that the color of her eyes had changed to a light green color, along with her short fanged teeth showing more prominently than before.
“Well, well, it seems like old man Calicio didn’t take ALL of his best….huh, Kai?”
He said, glancing over his shoulder. His comrade’s body was still standing riddle with blood-red spikes. Moving into the doorway, a Red-haired male, wearing a loosely adjusted suit as well. A ray of hope shone into the hearts of the girls. Mentally reflecting only a day before, Kai was tasked with guarding her grandfather at the meeting. From the look on his face, he was serious, and from the look of the blood and dirt on him, he wasted no time with other invaders. The man in the suit turned more towards Kai, somewhat irritated by his silence.
“….”
“ Tch! Die!”
Immediately as he finished his word, he quickly lifted one of his arms to guard his side. Reina had closed the distance while he was distracted, attempting to deliver a kick to his head. Smirking at her attempt, he quickly grasped her ankle. With a quick turn and a powerful toss, he sent Reina through the air towards the shelves and displays off to the side and immediately made a breaking dash for Eleanor, who, in fear, began taking a step back. Just as Reina crashed into the wall, the intruder turned back towards Kai, using that small instant to close the gap between them, Kai holding two medium-lengths of blood-red crystals shaped to weapons. Kai thrust the spikes at the intruder, but one hand is deflected, and the other dodged. The two engage in a quick exchange of strikes and evasive maneuvering. Exhaustion could be seen on Kai’s face, pushing his body versus the smirk his opponent continued to hold. During a final dodge, the intruder saw an opening, the skin of his hand turning gray and nails extending to claws, aiming to pierce Kai’s side. Being distracted, he was almost instantly rerouted by a heavy kick to his head from Reina, the air from the impact created a small gust of wind as it forced his head and the rest of his body into the air. Rolling onto the ground and through the desk. Face down, he quickly pushed his body off the ground, Kai attempting to pierce the man by erecting a small stalagmite of crystals underneath the intruder. While in the air the intruder’s eyes scanned the room, seeing his two attackers yet just as he landed. He noticed the desk he had crashed through, noticing Eleanor was no longer over there.
(Tch! They moved her while I wasn’t looking.
He thought to himself as he landed on his feet. Unable to worry about Eleanor, his eyes focused on the two in the room. Reina took a stance, and Kai stood with cold eyes, the look of focused elite forming more crystal spikes from his hands once again as weapons. The three stood in silence for a second. The silence was later broken by the intruder's maniacal laughter.
“HAHA! I bet you think you’re special now Kai? That power you have isn’t special at all, Hahaha!”
The intruder said joyfully before retrieving a small case from his pocket. He takes out and revealing a syringe before injecting himself with it. His skin slowly began turning grey, and his body began bulging up, and the nails on both hands extended into claws. By the end of his transformation, the color of his eyes shifted to red, and his appearance was that of a beastly humanoid being. The transformation took Reina by surprise, yet Kai seemed unaffected.
“The power to control our power. It’s true what they say, we are monsters.”
Suddenly, the intruder began to hold his head in pain, wincing as he took a step towards the two.
The sign of life in his eyes faded and was completely taken over by red. On the final word of his sentence, his voice manifested as an immense roar. The sound from the roar alone created a powerful burst of air, knocking over items in the room and pushing on the two Calico guards.
“Get Ready Reina!”
“Right!”
The monstrous intruder planted his foot firmly on the ground, breaking into the ground slightly before sprinting and charging at them. His new power also brought newfound speed as he surprised them both, his large hands taking grip of their faces before they knew it. In the same motion, he continued to move forward, taking the two with him by their head, slamming their bodies through the doorway walls and through the hall wall as well, taking the battle outside. With a heavy grunt, the beast of a man forced them downward with great speed and weight, slamming their bodies into the armored truck outside, denting it greatly. The humanoid beast held Kai’s head down while his hand still gripped the man’s face; however, he released his grip on Reina, raising the same hand to deal a fatal blow. Reina, whose pain left her mind and expression blank, possibly from the shock? Seeing this, Kai wrapped his arms around the beast's large forearm and used it for leverage, allowing him to quickly kick Reina with enough force to quickly knock her off the truck. He knew she was in unimaginable pain, but the further damage he would do, he was sure that was far better than letting her die.
(I gotta finish this, what kind of drug did he take?)
Kai thought to himself. Now having moved Reina, the beast's descending attack missed its target, causing its beastly claws and arms to tear through the roof of the vehicle. Kai took advantage of the moment and his opponent’s abilities, forming jagged crystal claws on the end of his fingertips, and began clawing into his enemy's forearm, simultaneously throwing a kick to his opponent's jaw. The impact alone could be heard at a clear distance away. The kicks did little but bloody the intruder’s mouth and anger him. Using Kai’s hold against him, he raised his arm with Kai still clinging on and delivered an incredible roar as he did before, this time at a very close range. The sound waves shook Kai’s brain, causing him to loosen his grip for a second. That time was just what the intruder needed to deal a devastating blow, sending Kai through the air and crashing into the large Garden statue, Kai’s body falling to the ground below. Kai hit the ground hard, yet still managed to move, struggling to quickly get back up. Kai looked forward, his vision blurry, but he could still make out the sight of the intruder hopping out of the car and down to the solid ground.
His ears picked up the sounds of its vicious snarling as it began a charge towards Kai. Kai wasn’t able to see clearly, but he knew the danger he was in and struggled to his limit attempting to stand. Losing blood, he failed to stand. Just when it seemed it was over, a door to one of the vehicles crashed into to beast's head, getting his attention and loudly impacting off his head, causing him to slide to a stop and turn. Only seeing a badly injured and barely standing Reina, panting heavily, using what seemed like part of the last of her strength to rise and stop the intruder from attacking her fellow Calicio Guard. The beast angrily glared at Reina and released another massive roar, and charged towards Reina.
During the charge, a short whistling noise caught everyone’s attention, including the intruder. When he looked up, he was face to face with a small explosive, which proceeded to crash into him and explode on impact, enveloping him in a small explosion. Kai and Reina both looked to where the smoke trail originated from, looking up to the second story of the manor, where the large hole was that was made forcibly with the Calicio guard’s body. There stood Eleanor, foot perched on a piece of debris and a small grenade launcher. Reina smiled, looking at Eleanor, but it quickly turned to a frown, hearing Kai in the distance now behind her.
“Lady Eleanor MOVE!”
Reina attempted to turn, but the enemy was fast, already on the run again, hearing the ground break and feeling the upward wind of the intruder's beastly speed and power when leaping. Still looking forward, and up she could see the beast that launched himself towards Eleanor. With a fearful expression on her face, Eleanor began firing another grenade of which failed to slow him down. Kai quickly pulled himself to his feet, losing blood in the process, obviously forcing his body to rush forward.
“EL!”
Reina screamed, pushing through her pain to step, but a sharp pain quickly surged through her body, causing her to quickly fall to the side against a vehicle. Pulling a gear on the side of her weapon, Eleanor began to rapid-fire another round, the grenade finding its target and enveloping the beast and blocking him and Eleanor from the guard's sight. Eleanor was able to see the beast plunge through the smoke, still coming towards her. Fear struck, she was face to face with the intruder, her blood-red eyes held little to no life as a man. She could tell he was no longer conscious and was just a blood-craved beast, snarling as he encircled. Just at the last second, in the blink of an eye, Eleanor could see a woman between her and the beast in mid-air. At the very same second, she saw the woman delivering a kick to the beast's stomach. The collision of forces causes the intruder to fold forward around the woman’s leg. To Eleanor, time came to a almost standstill. In her heart, she felt in the moment it could be Reina, but it was clearly not; this woman was a stranger to her.
“Wh-“
Before Eleanor could finish her words, her moment in time ended, and the kick would send the beast flying at terrifying speeds back towards the yard. The sheer power from the collision blew Eleanor and debris into a hall wall. As for the large hole, the force and wind pressure further shattered that side of the house as the beast was launched from the kick. At breaking speed, Reina and Kai, in seemingly an instant, were able to see the intruder once again, only flying the other way. Both of their eyes followed him to witness him crashing into the ground with such an impact that his body plowed through concrete and dirt until he came to a sliding stop past the statue Kai was in front of. Unlike Reina, Kai had assessed the situation, realizing he didn’t need to know a full explanation of what happened, but acknowledged the benefits of time and struggled to make his way over to Reina. The blood on the opening of his wounds crystallized to stop the bleeding, but this did little as he fell to his knees halfway. Snapping out of her confusion, Reina noticed Kai and moved to him, and in an attempt to help him up, the woman who saved Eleanor landed beside them, catching Kai and Reina off guard. Unexpectedly, they were met with a smile from the woman. Kai opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted.
Mysterious Woman: “Save that thought for me, sweetie!”
She said, returning her gaze forward. From his landing point, the beast erupted from the ground with a newfound roar that could be heard outside of the Calicio home from the streets. All witnessed the rising of the beast with dirt and debris rising high into the air. Reina and Kai helped one another rise to their feet, looking at the intruder, noting his appearance had changed once again. His appearance was similar to that of a werewolf; its large torso easily detailed the muscles in its upper body. He looked more creature than man now. In front of them was a horrific beast, drool dripping from its elongated mouth.
Reina’s eyes glanced over at the woman, seeing her smile and expression shift to an excited smirk. At that moment, the beast took off with a surprising increase in speed. The look on the Calicio members was one of shock, Eleanor only able to see it from her distance, while Kai and Reina were barely able to keep sight of him. Their shock arose from the beast already closing the distance and had swung one of his vicious claws at the mysterious woman, who, to their surprise, had not only been able to see the attack clearly, but from what they saw, she was able to lean backward and evade the claw. In the same motion, she lifted a foot off the ground a kicked the beast in the chest with the bottom of her foot, sending him backward into the statue in the Calicio yard, his crash against it breaking off a large piece of its base, causing it to fall on top of him.
Mysterious Woman: “I suggest you two try to get back a-”
Tossing her arms up, she is cut short in her sentence, with the beast closing the distance quickly, once again attempting a charging head butt. Blocking the attack, she pushes back against his head. The two bounced back slightly from the collision force, but the mysterious woman closed the distance on the intruder. In reaction, he attempted to claw swipe her, but his attack was easily evaded and counter-attacked with a punch to the face that would seem to daze the beast for a split second. Kai, Eleanor, and Reina could only watch the battle before them in awe at the high-speed close combat in front of them and, even more so, the strength and speed of the woman. Reina watched in shock.
“S-she’s just as fast!"
Reina said as she watched the exchange of tossed and evaded attacks and counter-attacks. It was easy to tell this battle was one-sided, the rage on the beast's face increasing with each one of his mighty strikes that failed to hit its mark, and he was struck before he could know it. Kai’s eyes narrowed as he watched the woman before his eyes, glanced up to Reina, seeing her eyes fixated on watching the woman battle.
“Look more carefully. She has to be a little faster than him…”
Kai’s words reached her ears; her eyes focused and looked at the face of the mysterious woman, seeing a smile on her face. It then became obvious to Reina, seeing the girl's movements and noticing how she evaded just out of each attack's reach. Calmly, as if facing such a beast was normal. Just then, she landed a kick to the enemy; the pure sound of incredibly powerful impact could be heard. Reina’s eyes widened slightly, just now noticing.
“She’s strong too…”
“Almost every attack she throws connects, and each hit is a critical strike…when before-“Listening to Kai, the memory of the enemy in his original form dodging Kai’s attacks and her surprise attack merely knocked him back a few feet, and all this was before he began transforming. Mentally coming back to the present, she seemed to have finished Kai’s thought.“When before we could barely touch or hurt him much.”
“Mm, whoever she is, she’s stronger….and she must have had a reason to show up…it’s all far too convenient.”
With an acrobatic dodge, the woman landed on her feet a short distance away from the beast. She smirked, for she was having fun. She looked out the corner of her eye to see that one of the claws had actually caught and torn the neck and left side of her jacket, revealing her neck and shoulder. At the sight of her neck, a sense of consciousness seemed to temporarily return to the beast. Evident by his sudden and limited but returned ability of speech.
Intruder: “Doom...Adephagos… will re-“
The woman was obviously listening closely to the sudden surprise of words, yet before he could finish his sentence, her eyes narrowed, and her smirk quickly faded. Faster than unaided eyes could follow, it seemed as if she leaped forward and appeared almost instantly in front of him. With his large stature compared to hers, her hand was placed flat on his chest. Her speed was even more than he could witness, suddenly seeing her missing before he could process the feeling of a hand on his torso. Before his eyes could fully look downward to see the woman, she spoke,
Mysterious Woman: “…Mahou #10: Release”
From the perspective of Kai, Eleanor, and Reina, they would be able to see a wide beam of light exit the beast's back. Wide in size, yet the light still rapidly shrank in width until the beam was no more. There was a mere second pause. The woman and beast seemed frozen in their position. To the spectator for a second, it seemed as if time had stopped. Suddenly, a great destructive force blew the beast back. The release of the pressurized air between her palm and his chest was enough to become physical and great enough to not only destructively envelope the enemy, but also the ground and all within its path. The faces of the mysterious woman’s spectators were stuck in apparent shock at the power of the attack, which obliterated the foe with raw energy until there was barely anything left. The parts remained dissolved into nothing, releasing a purple gas until it was completely gone. The woman still held her pose, taking a second to exhale deeply before standing up straight. Her head turned towards her spectators, seeing their expression, of which she simply responded with a smile. With the silence, it was evident. The sudden assault on their home was overall within thirty minutes. The longest thirty minutes of their lives, unknowingly to them, it would be a severe moment in time that would change more than for themselves.
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