by Harlon Banks
"At any rate, you're good and ready to go whenever you feel like it buddy." Casey remarked standing up to file away the papers and waving Jonath off towards the door. The amnesic blinking momentarily, then nodding as he turned and pulled his legs off the bed, setting boots on the floor and pausing a moment. Staring into space, thinking about what he were going to do next, the sparring matches should still be going on right? Pushing off the bed to stand, he made his way past the curtain and to the door to exit, as he reached for the handle a knock from the other side made him hesitate. Casey humming as he peered over his shoulder, gesturing Jonath to let the person in when they both exchanged glances.
The knob turned before Jonath could even grab it, he was barely able to avoid the door slamming into his face as Kayde walked in. The two making eye contact momentarily, grey eyes staring into pale as the slightly shorter woman seemed suddenly flustered. Her palish skin turning red a bit before she quickly backed away.
"Ahhh!" She trembled in voice apologetically bowing at Jonath. "So sorry! Didn't mean to hit you with the door!" She raised her head and clutched her chest with a worried look in her eyes. "I didn't hurt you did I!?" She asked in her rising pitched tone. Jonath blinked again, most of her words went in one ear and out the other as he didn't realize he were staring at her rather hard. She was extremely attractive... Kayde, Melissa, Orath, Liariana, Dal... The more he recalled their appearances the more he noticed how good they looked all around. Was Melissa not joking when she said Nightborn had a knack for being very good-looking?
Kayde paused, tilting her head as bangs of light grey swept over her features, and her stormy hued eyes widened a little as she gazed back at Jonath like a lost cat. Jonath didn't seem to be listening, he looked as if he were daydreaming if anything at this point.
"... Jon?" She asked, the amnesic suddenly snapping out of his (superficially) infatuated trance. Casey watching both from a distance with a quiet snicker, preferably for the young man before returning to his papers.
"Oh yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it." Jonath waved dismissively, his usual reserved demeanor returning. Kayda nodding at him with a light smile before sweeping her arms behind her and responding.
"I'm glad to hear! Dast told me to come check on you and show you the way back." Kayda thumbed over to the door again with her right. Jonath momentarily following her finger before his gaze locked back on hers.
"Thanks, how did your match go by the way? If you fought yet that is." He inquired. Kayda suddenly looked rather sheepish, her hands raising to brush through shoulder length, spiky light-grey hair as he tone took a dive into the ashamed territory.
"I um... I lost..." She broke eye contact looking away, her hands slowly falling from her hair back behind her back. "I was up next after you passed out against Lee, Orath's brother. He beat me in under ten seconds... I was too timid, Dast said." Her words got quieter and quieter near the end of her sentence. Jonath now feeling like a jackass for asking, but kept that all hidden behind a calm, slightly surprised expression. He didn't want her thinking he thought any less of her with his reaction.
"Well, seems we both got a bit to improve on huh?" He shrugged, remembering the simple truth he lost his fight in the last ten seconds. "I wouldn't sweat it, honestly. I'm sure you'll get them next time or something."
Kayde looked back at him with a slightly shocked expression, her eyes looking into his and Jonath briefly nodding before gesturing with his head back to the door. "At any rate, following you princess." He said nonchalantly, ready to head back and get on with whatever else was to happen. Kayde's pupils dilated, her face flushing red again ever so slightly as she seemed dazed.
"Princess... ?" She repeated as Jonath had already walked past her and opened the door to exit. "He called me princess?" She repeated barely a whisper once again. She felt hot all of a sudden...
"You gonna show me the way out of here right? Cause I'm lost." Jon called out from the hallway in an exasperate tone. Kayde jumping startled and panicking a bit as she looked at Casey, and then darted out the door shutting it behind her. The doctor breaking out into laughter once he were sure both of them were well out of hearing range.
"They're all just so adorable." He eye rolled shaking his head with a smirk.
Meanwhile, back in Luminous City...
The common bell tolls in the city, it's thundering ring shaking the heaven's as its cry was heard all around. Liariana sitting in the dark corner of her room against the wall, just staring at the floor with eerie glowing eyes. Her shoulder length black bangs that framed her face (and hung over the forehead) accentuating the mysterious, solemn look across far eastern features and pale skin. Her sword propped up against the wall beside her, attire consisting of common rags and bandages that made her blend in more with the common vagrants. Black bandages wrapping the entirety of her arms and chest save for the fingers. The wrappings that covered her chest only covering her upper body, leaving her midriff and lower back exposed and a pair of dingy, lightly torn across the left thigh and knees, black pants that tapered off and ended right below the knee. Everything past where her pants ended wrapped up in more bandages, these more heavily padded and thicker than the ones that covered her arms and chest to protect her feet as well as a pair of simple and scuffed, yet durable open toed black combat boots.
There was a knock on the door, the Yelkath raising her stare from the floor towards the direction of the noise. Jack's voice echoing from behind the door as he said in a rather low, secretive voice.
"Lass... There's some people lookin for ya! My boys ain't gave em no information as per your request but ya might have to deal with em." He warned before footsteps could be heard fading away, he was already gone...
Liariana closed her eyes, lowering her head again in silence and utter darkness of her corner of the room. Then, her primordial red eyes opened again, and that empty, solemn expression of hers showed itself once more. Without any words said, or noises made, Liariana stood up and grabbed her blade.
Time to start the hunt...
Don't Make A Sound
Lore Note - Lazarite doesn't completely nullify the physical limits of a Nightborn, only the more supernatural powers they possessed. Example being Liariana would still have her naturally superior physical strength & agility compared to a non Nightborn (as those are physically ingrained into her physical cells) but she would be unable to activate her Veralen or use her Black (Silver) fire.
The Challenger Chapter Thirty-Four: Don't Make A Sound...
The door opened very slowly, and gently; Liariana's soft glowing red gaze looking left, then right, and she stepped out into the dark hallway after removing her boots from her feet, preferring only her wrapped soles for stealth after some thought. Her features void of any fear, concern, worry, or hesitation, only a calm, empty expression across eastern features as she stepped out of her room. Bandaged over left hand pulling the door shut quietly behind her as black, shoulder length bangs swayed over her features as she silently looked all around her environment. Ears attentive for the vaguest noise, sense of smell focused on the strangest scents, and eyes sharpened to the slightest movements that weren't her own as she stood there taking a moment to scope out her surroundings.
It was as if Liariana was the perfect predator in every way. Her senses so adept, even without the blessings of her Nightborn powers assisting her. Releasing the handle of the barely held together door Jack had haphazardly installed earlier, Liariana walked down the hallway. Her steps taken in such a way that no noise echoed from her feet despite walking over creaking wood, despite how generically calm her walking was.
Sometimes being a Yelkath had its perks, she supposed. Having been trained in a variety of techniques for situations like this from a young age, for if she ever was without her powers. Who would've guessed they would be needed to escape being hunted like a dog.
Reaching the window down at the end of the hall, having passed multiple empty, dirty, littered rooms on her way, Liariana's bandaged
over feet stopped right before the window and she peered out of the broken glass. Her gaze focusing on a trio, hanging in the courtyard and clearly standing out among the crowd of vagrants and homeless that surrounded them. From the looks of them, they certainly seemed capable if anything...
The first, and the one Liariana's eyes focused on first, a hulking and intimidating older looking male with robust, masculine facial structure and hard onyx eyes with a full on beard of black dressed in chain mail armor with a cape riddled with holes and tears in it. His entire existence gave a vibe of power and intimidating vigor, augmented by the wicked, bloody two-handed battle-axe strapped by a magnet on his armor to his back.
The second was a younger, average height and slenderly athletic female with back length, curly bright golden hair and deep blue eyes. This accentuated by sharp, aloof features and dressed in a full body suit of skin-tight leather with a cloak tied to her waistline that shrouded her lower body from hips to knees and open toed boots. She carried a set of throwing knives strapped across her chest and back along with a revolver at her right calf.
The last was yet another young man who looked in his early twenties, with steel hued eyes, and short disheveled (spiky) dark grey hair that clung to his pale face and looked unkempt in general. A toned, tall, and lean built physique clad in a sleeveless black shirt that showed lightly scarred below the elbow arms, black baggy combat pants tucked into steel toed combat boots, and a glove slid over his right hand that ran up to mid forearm. He carried...
Liariana furrowed her brow in quiet confusion, what the hell was that weapon?
Strapped to the grey-haired man's back (holstered by what looked to be a magnetic black leather strap) was a large, imposing great sword reminiscent of an oversized Khyber Knife of dirty silver coloration with a gleaming, razor-sharp edge. An edge too sharp to belong to something as large as that blade. What was strange about it though wasn't its size, but the glowing, mechanical engine looking contraption fixated to the base of the blade where it connected to the hilt. This machine styled anomaly having several inscriptions etched into the steel of the engine part that seemed inactive for the moment. The hilt that stuck out of the back-end of it was wrapped tightly in thick, metallic silver-colored material with an open pommel housing a gemstone of sort. What was that thing? Calling it an abomination of an engine blade would be an understatement.
Regardless, it was clear that these people must be the ones Draven threatened would hunt down Liariana if she ever crossed him. Which means who they were was irrelevant, she needed to kill them all before they captured her or worse. Unable to hear what they were saying from a distance as large as hers, the Yelkath merely stared from the darkness of the hallway out at her pursuers washed under the light of the full moon above. Even if she had her powers now, taking on all three of them simultaneously seemed out of the question. If Draven was confident they could capture her should she betray him it was only safe to assume that at the worst, one of them by themselves were capable of taking her on. Three together would be suicide; she had to use this building, her stealth, the element of surprise all to her advantage.
If only her Veralen wasn't rendered inert too under the veil of these annoying Anti-Nightborn towers made of Lazarite... Oh well. She quickly once again weighed in the options of what to do. She could try to kill them all one by one here and now and be done with it, or she could stealthily avoid them until they got bored and left. The first option was less practical, but had more long-term benefits. The second was more practical, but only had immediate short-term benefits, they would be back eventually. Head tilting in silence as she thought over it all. Jack said he and his entourage didn't snitch on her being here; given he was a homeless vagrant though Liariana didn't take his word too close to heart. All those mercenaries had to do was offer a larger sum of money and they'd stab her in the back quick.
An Owl flies above, hooting thrice as black wings flapped and it encircled the courtyard with a figure eight flight pattern. The homeless men and woman around the courtyard watching the mercenaries converse with each other. Liariana couldn't make out what they were saying; the distance was too far. Soon enough though her worst case scenario presented itself; the disheveled grey-haired man pulled a hefty sack of money off his person and held it in the air. Pacing back and forth casually as the vague remnants of his voice met her ears in a muffled mess. Didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what he was doing.
"Tch..." The Yelkath sucked her teeth, a vague yet very distinct scowl crossing her pale features as red soft glowing hues narrowed slightly in scorn. Her memory easily identifying the first of the group to run forward to claim the money were those same hobos that wanted to rob her in that alley; halted only by the intimidating gaze she had given them. How typical... She should have killed them when she had the chance.
One of the scumbags pointed over to the hotel after taking the money; the group of mercenaries looking over the shoulder now with various expressions. Liariana ducked back behind the wall and closed her eyes, back pressed against the dirty wood as she exhaled lowly. Things were only getting more grim by the hour for her; she just wanted to rest for a bit.
Bang!
Liariana's eyes opened wide with quiet shock, that was a gunshot!
"I really, really, really hate snitches."
The curly-haired blonde snorted, her blue eyes expressing disappointment and the barrel of her dark-colored revolver steaming. The corpse of the man who took the money sprawled out in a pool of his own filth and blood; a distinct hole in his forehead. His associate turned to run, but another bang echoed in the air and he hit the floor too. A deep wound across the left side of his neck, now missing a portion of flesh as he bleed out slow and painfully.
"Thought we weren't going to kill any of the irrelevant people though Tesla? Was that really necessary?" Blade sighed to himself with a light shake of his head in disappointment. Tesla side eyeing him, snorting again and putting her gun away while recovering her money. The rest of the homeless scattering into the streets in fear now almost immediately.
"They weren't doing anything useful anyway. I'd kill all the filth here if the city would let me. Nothing but wastes of skin breathing in the air of those with potential." Tesla kicked over the corpse with such strength the body flipped into the broken fountain. Blade shrugging nonchalantly, a slightly scarred hand running through layered, messy bangs sweeping them back only for them to fall back into place moments later. His exasperate tone quite clear.
"Talk about having a superiority complex, oi..."
"I strongly suggest we start moving effective to eliminate this Yelkath girl." The deep, booming baritone of the larger, older man making Blade and Tesla look his way. "If she is as exquisite a subject as Draven praised there is no doubt she has watched us ever since we arrived. We must not let her flee."
Blade turned back towards the hotel, coincidentally looking at the general direction of the window Liariana had watched them from. His steel grey eyes not seeing anything, gaze turning back to his associates as he shrugged. Right hand reaching over and behind his shoulder to grip the long handle of his engine sword but not pull it free. An audible pop of his bones following as he spun off his boots and turned to walk into the hotel.
"You're right, Cronos. That Draven guy creeped me the hell out though with how he talked about this girl. Made me feel like he wanted to fuck her or something." Blade yawned not really thinking too much about it; Tesla and Cronos following behind him. The owl flying above diving down towards an unsuspecting creature behind the fountain.
"That old man was disgusting to me. Paid a large sum to the Mercenaries Group just to get some of us to babysit his scary ass while he dragged a girl into a blackmailing contract with him. Fucking sad." Tesla scoffed with much scorn in her words. The group entering the building, the first thing happening was all of them crinkling their noses at the musty smell.
"Damn this place is a dump." The blonde pinched her nose. Blade and Cronos seemed to not r
eally notice it anymore after the first few seconds of repulsion. The trio stopping in the lobby area and looking around, the dim lighting above the desk flickering in and out. Didn't look like anybody were home, nothing but empty, dirty cots on the floor and dusty blankets.
"We're splitting up, we can cover more ground that way." Tesla took initiative and walked in front of Blade; the young man quirking a brow at her as he responded with a doubtful tone. He found several things wrong with that plan.
"You sure you want to do that? This is a Yelkath we're talking about hunting." Blade sighed shaking his head before looking back at her. "Granted she can't use her powers in their entirety so she's not as dangerous as she should be but we're handicapped just as badly. I'd say sticking together is much safer, in all honesty. Plus we all go in and what's stopping her from just jumping out the window and running? She's a Nightborn I'm pretty sure she can survive a couple of stories fall unscathed if she lands right."
"Then stay your scary ass out in the courtyard and intercept her if she tries to escape, genius." Tesla retorted condescending.