A Bell Requiem and a Rhapsody of Fate [Closed]

Rory was soon at Aeden's side again as they went through the corridors, Rory trying to keep Sylvian's scent and following where it was trying to lead her. It's around the same time that they heard the speakers with Senator Fares speaking.

"Cheshire freed Lise?" Rory said, and then, with her crease on her forehead forming, "But she needs something to stay alive? It's a trap alright, but they'd have to go. We have to find Syl as soon as possible and then make it to Liseran in time!"

***

Around the same time, Zan was still waiting for Sylvian's response. "Well?"

***

With the plan set on luring Liseran and Cheshire into one of the main rooms of the central building, the guards had kept off and they were slowly making their way there, Liseran too weak to run anymore. She was exhausted, but her nervousness and anxiety were keeping her awake. She feared what they'd try to do to Cheshire, remembering very well the night before when he'd been beaten up just to make sure she wasn't harmed.

I can't let that happen again...never, she thought to herself, her hand gripping Cheshire's tighter, trying to stop from trembling.

They finally reached the main room, it was the same room Liseran had been led to when she was first welcomed here and she knew it'd be here where Fares was.

The room was the size of an auditorium, a stage set up with a podium at the very edge. There were no more chairs around. Senator Fares stood alone in the middle of the stage, no guards even around.

"I thought you'd like to handle things personally," Fares smiled as he lifted up what looked like a gun with a needle at its tip. He looked to Cheshire. "I'm sure you won't fight back, knowing Liseran needs this reboost. See, when the Oracle installs itself into its subject, it releases a serum that gradually weakens the person, making the aura more available to the machine. You could say it acts like a kind of poison. This reboost would be the antidote. Now, faunus, why not drop your weapons and step back a few feet?"

Liseran's eyes widened.

"Cheshire, you can't," she said with whatever breath she still had. "They're just going to-"

"He will do it regardless," Fares smiled as he twirled the gun. "Once he does, I'll have Ranna knock him out and you can come forward."

Cheshire stared intently at senator Fares for a while. He looked at Liseran then back at Fares.

"Fine," Cheshire murmurs, "I will drop my weapons just as you ask."

With his head lowered solemnly, Cheshire's hands slowly went to the weapons holstered on his his back, his left hand gripping Baskervill and his right removing the suitcase from its holder. He slowly removed Baskerville from its holster and moved his suitcase in front of him, holding it up on an extended arm. He tried to show no subtle movements as he dropped the suitcase.

The moment the suitcase dropped to the floor, a massive smokescreen exploded, almost instantly covering the room. The same exact moment the suitcase would hit the floor, Cheshire teleported behind the Senator, his night vision giving him unhindered sight, and he quickly tried to snatch the reboost straight from the senator's hand. If successful he would teleport back to Liseran's side and hand her the gun like device.

Rory grabbed Aeden by the hand as they ran through the turning corridors, Sylvian's scent getting stronger and stronger. They finally stopped to see Sylvian cornered, Zan extending out his hand to her and his back facing them. Rory flipped out Fusilier and pointed it.

"Don't move!" Rory said, forgetting about Zan's semblance due to her desperation to speed to Liseran. And then, to Sylvian, "Sylvian, let's get out of here!"

***

As the room filled with smoke, Liseran darted left and right, trying to see. She tried to call out to him, holding Weeping Cerinthe as steadily as she could with her shaking hands, but her voice failed her as she stumbled over.

The senator cursed himself for not having seen Cheshire's move coming, but as Cheshire grabbed at the gun, Fares pulled away with his might and immediately activated his semblance.

"Not so fast," the senator said. He became intangible, ready to take on whatever hit Cheshire would try for sometime until the smoke faded.


Ranna had been following Cheshire and Liseran at a considerable distance, waiting outside the door for when Cheshire'd disarm himself so she could knock him out...and kill him. She had seen Cheshire create a smokescreen on the guards in the past corridor and she had taken into precaution a pair of vision goggles. The moment she saw Cheshire teleport, she zipped to Liseran, seeing Liseran on the floor, she grinned and scooped her up.

"I have her, Fares!" Ranna shouted triumphantly. "Zan should be eager to see her right now!"

With her semblance giving her enhanced speed, she rushed out in a blur. Fares began to laugh as he let himself slowly fade away into the walls.

"She'll get the shots, worry not," Fares said. "You just made this all the easier."

"Rory! Aeden!"

Sylvian quickly closes her Scroll and bluntly turns away Zan's hand, then stands up straight and enters her fighting stance. She tries to hide her confusing expression from Rory and Aeden's eyes, but it was clearly seen by Zan, who is standing right in front of her, giving out a sinister grin.

Zan mockingly lifted his hands into the air as Rory threatened him, a smirk plastered on his face as he looked at Sylvian, knowing to the conclusions she would eventually come to.

"My, my," Zan said as he tried to look at Rory and Aeden's direction. "I never knew Liseran had so many friends..."

Rory clenched her teeth, a low growl forming at the back of her throat. Something spoke in Zan's earpiece and he grinned again.

"Looks like we win this round, too," he said.

His image began fading and before Rory could move, Zan's body sank into the floor like some sort of ghost.

"NO!" she yelled. She was about to stop him when her ears twitched to the sound of something in the distance and Liseran's scent faintly around. "I smell Lise, follow me!"

She darted past Sylvian and Aeden, missing Ranna who had sped past with Liseran only moments ago. Rory was about to follow the scent until she came too see a room filling with smoke and lost her focus out of panic.

"Lise!? Cheshire!?' she called out. "Are you in here!?"

"DAMMIT!" Cheshire roared, punching the ground where Fares was as the smoke gradually cleared. "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! I WAS CARELESS!"

Cheshire started clutching the sides of his head and roared in his anger, sitting hunched over on his knees screaming in frustration.

The shadow just passed by seems to be carrying someone. And Liseran is nowhere to be found when the smoke has completely faded. Both only mean one thing: Liseran has been taken away, right under their nose, again! Sylvian immediately understands the circumstance after seeing Chesire's frustration. She didn't even have a chance to catch Liseran with her own eyes for once since the moment she was captured.

"You... Why you...?!" Sylvian erupts and angrily steps toward the suffering Chesire. "I had given my complete trust to you, to your affection toward Liseran, that I let you do the most important job: Rescue her!! And now you've lost her, AGAIN?!"

She really wants to punch him in the face with all of her remaining strength, but she simply cannot. His pain and suffering are already too heavy for him to endure, Sylvian can really feel it. Then she gives all of her frustration into her fist and throws a punch on the wall, which completely destroys it into pieces.

"This time... I will do it! I will be taking her back! I will protect Liseran! By my own hands!!" She yelled, then turns away. Should no one tries to stop her, she'll be going to face the Fares alone.

"HOLD IT!" Rory yelled as she grabbed at Sylvian. She turned to her and Cheshire. "Can everyone please calm down!? If we start getting mad and panic now, we'll fail just like we did in the Archives. We have to stick together, okay? Cheshire, can you tell us what happened exactly?"

Cheshire's shoulders shook in frustration but eventually he mustered the will stand up, his eyes cast downward in shame.

"She was dying..." Cheshire murmured, "I managed to free her from the device and was so close to getting her out of here, but then it turned out that her aura levels were draining. She needed some sort of cure or else she would just die. I knew it was a trap, I knew he was ready for me, but I coudn't bear it if Liseran died because I was a coward! I... I tried to take the syringe gun in a sneak attack but the moment I left Liseran's side, this woman grabbed her and darted away with her with out my realizing it."

Cheshire stomped his foot against the ground and roared. "DAMMIT! I SHOW CARELESSNESS FOR ONE MOMENT AND IT COSTS ME EVERYTHING!!"

Rory almost felt her heart stop when Cheshire had said Liseran was dying but she stopped showing any sign of emotion and slapped Cheshire with the back of her hand.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Rory said sharply.

She didn’t wait for his response. She put her hands firmly on his shoulders, even if he was much taller than her, she seemed to be the one looking down on him, her usually blue eyes turning a steely gray.

“Every minute we waste cursing ourselves, we’re wasting the opportunity to save Lise,” Rory said. “I know you’re upset but you did everything you could and you were only thinking for her sake. It’s not your fault. We came here knowing nothing about the situation because we had no choice.”

It was only then that she said something that rang like Liseran’s words a long time ago, a time when they first met and she had also slapped him.

“So, you’re not pathetic,” Rory said. “It was never your fault.”

She let go of him and smiled. Then, changing her mood back to serious, she spoke again.

“I can still track Lise’s scent,” she said. “But we have to go forward now. Sylvian, Chesh, can I trust you guys to keep a hold of yourselves while we do that?”

As Rory said those words, Cheshire's eyes lit up. It was as if Liseran's image had overlapped Rory's. In that moment, in that small moment, the weight that chained to his heart was gone and he felt a new determination. Rory was right. He had to do everything he can for Liseran. She is counting on him right now. He can not afford to let her down.

Cheshire stood up straight and nodded firmly. "I won't fail this time."

"You better be..." Sylvian said. "But lemme ask you this one single thing: Do you or do you not have the will to kill if it's for Liseran's sake? Even if it's one of us?"

She's testing his resolve, more or less. They will definitely pull out some dirty tricks up their sleeves to make the team turns their weapon against each other. Everyone should realize that by hearing her words. It's the worst case scenario, which they are most likely to face. Or rather, they will definitely face it.

"Yes," Cheshire said bluntly. "If there are truly no other options then I will. So promise me this." Cheshire looked straight at Sylvian. "If it is for Liseran's sake, then I expect you to kill me."

Cheshire's eyes narrowed. "Know that I came here prepared to die if necessary. But know this as well." Cheshire cracked his neck. "I won't kill with out reason as long as there is always another option. Liseran wants all of us out of here alive. I will do everything in my power to grant that wish for her."

Rory bobbed her head and glanced towards Syvlian. Why in remnant would she even ask such a thing?

Rory lifted her hands in the air as if to brush away the topic.

"I'm sure you will," Rory said in her usual perky manner. "But we really shouldn't go making us look at one another like we're going to kill each other, okay? We came here to work as a team."

Rory lifted her nose to try and smell Liseran.

"She's not that far, alright," Rory said. "But the guards are roaming around again, I can assure you that. Keep an eye out and keep your weapons at your side. Follow me."

She jerked her head towards the door and the small group began their walk towards the hallway. Rory led them to the dead end Sylvian was in but turned them to the opposite direction leading to more corridors and stairs. At the corner of one turn, Rory's ears twitched to the sound of guards. She looked at Aeden, knowing he was the one who focused on stealth the most.

***

When Liseran's eyes opened the blur slowly settled in to her seeing Fares in front of her. Her eyes widened and as she tried to move, she found that she had been cuffed again. She was in another large room, but this one had a large window filling the entire left wall. She was sitting in a metal chair and across a small wooden table, Senator Fares had has fingers interlaced, looking at her expectantly.

"Looks like you're feeling better now," Fares said with a grin. "Even if I gave you the smallest reboost dose only."

Liseran clenched her teeth and glared at him.

"Cheshire...where is he?" she demanded.

"Not here," Fares said. "Unfortunately, Ranna had to swiftly get away with you. But he'll be following shortly along with your other friends, I assume. We can't have them running along alive, now can we?"

Liseran's head sank.

"Please, I'll do whatever you want," her fighting voice giving into submission said. "Just...don't hurt them."

"They've caused enough trouble," Fares' eyes narrowed. "But if you do one more thing for me, then I will...consider...that."

He put in front of Liseran the Weeping Cerinthe and a glass of water.

"Back in The Oracle, I saw a flicker of a vision that had to do with me," Senator Fares said. "Show me all of it. And no tricks. I have Ranna on your friends' tails now."

Liseran nodded and Fares soon uncuffed her. She picked up the bells.

"If you try to do anything else aside from give me that vision, your aura will drop, mind you. I didn't give you a full reboost for a reason."

Aeden noticed Rory's reaction but it would take his human ears a few more moments before he could hear the guards. Opposed to his usual talkative self Aeden was being exceptionally quiet during this mission. He looked to the group before, Cheshire and Rory wouldn't be a problem to hide in a corridor but Sylvian was a completly different matter. All that heavy armour would make her stand out far too much. Aeden moved over to a nearby door and turned to the others bringing his finger to his lips to signal for them to be quiet. He placed his ear to the door and found it was devoid of sounds on the other side, a perfect hiding spot. He tried to open the door but found it was locked. Aeden drew Deception X and stuck the blades tip in the lock and let a small bit of ice dust flow through it, once the dust expanded within the lock, it completely ruined the internal mechanisms and created a small gap between the door and the frame. Aeden slipped his blade in the gap and was able to easily open the door. He ushered in everyone else but pulled Cheshire back. "We hide here until we see how many there are, then you and I attack." After that Aeden and Cheshire moved into the room and Aeden stayed at the door listening intently for the guards to pass by. While he did so he signaled the others to search the room in case there was something there of interest though he was doubtful considering it was a random room.

By the time everyone was in the room, four guards walking in twos passed by holding up their guns, with their backs turned it would be easier to attack.

The room itself looked more like a break room with a folding table and a few chairs, probably used by the guards when nothing was really happening. Cheshire received a message from Vixen.

You almost had Liseran and don't worry, I know where she is. A large observatory room in the higher parts of the building. You'll be going up an elevator, but beware the white-haired woman who'll be waiting right outside it.

If Aeden or Cheshire looked to where the guards passed, they'd see the elevator just up ahead, but they needed to take them down first.

As the guards passed by Aeden turned to Cheshire and pointed a finger at him. "Front." Aeden then pointed his thumb to himself. "Back." Aeden gave Cheshire a quick nod and opened the door silently. Knowing Cheshire was capable enough to handle his own guards Aeden moved toward his own targets with Deception X in his left and began his attack. He started with bringing his right leg to the back of the left side guard's legs and reached his right hand to the guard's front pulling back. The motion of his hand pulling back and the leg pushing forward would cause the guard to fall backwards. As the guard fell Aeden let his body go and fell backwards following the guard but leading with his right elbow (People's Elbow Style). The guard landed and had the wind knocked out of him but would only suffer more as Aeden's elbow landed on the guard's solar plexus, with his air already gone the hit would cause too much strain on the guard and knock him out. After the initial attack the second guard was now able to react to Aeden and brought his gun toward him. From his position Aeden lifted Deception X and fires a small amount of ice dust at the gun's trigger keeping the guard from firing. While he was confused Aeden moved to a knelt stance and quickly rose upward with an uppercut to the guard's jaw. The hit would knock the guard's face up exposing the rest of his body. Aeden would then launch forward toward the guard with his knee aimed at the guard's solar plexus. With his teeth clenched from the uppercut, the guard's air would only escape as a silent hiss instead of a loud gasp. Switching to lightning dust Aeden would shock both guards for good measure to make sure they stayed down.

Cheshire entered the room with Vladimir and Elizebeth drawn and shooting, aiming for the legs of his guards mostly to keep them dancing long enough for him to get a picture of the room in his head. After enough time, he would teleport to right behind the guards and try to knock them all out with a quick pistol whip to the back of their heads. Any unsuccessful knock outs would be followed by a side kick to the back of their calves hitting a spot that would make even a grown man cry on the ground.

With the guards taken down, the sound of more were coming their way, but Rory took Sylvian by the hand and they swiftly followed Vixen's instructions to take the elevator in the corridor. It was just enough to fit the four of them and it strangely only went up in one more floor. When they'd arrive, they'd see Ranna about ten feet away from them grinning, a set of throwing knives in her hands and her goggles now up on her head like a band.

"So, there's four of you?" Ranna said smiling to herself. "This just makes this all the more fun."

She looked at them one by one and then flung the throwing knives towards them. Two hit the wall and exploded behind them attempting to distract and cause damage by flinging them towards her. At the same time, Ranna zipped forward at Cheshire, her long knife about to once again slit his throat.

"DIE!"

The explosion caught Cheshire off guard and the blast wave knocked him forward, but as Ranna came at him, only a step away from him, Cheshire quickly activated his semblance, moving instantaneously to directly behind Ranna. The distance was so close that it was much easier for him to shift his location to this one. The faunus threw his arms back to attempt to stab Rana in the back with the back daggers of Vladimir and Elizebeth.

Ranna growled as Cheshire escaped only to appear behind her. She felt the daggers try to bury themselves into but just as she dug their tips in, Ranna zipped to the sides screaming. She couldn't touch the wounds, despite how they stung and focused her attention back on Cheshire, laughing insanely.

"You're not going to kill me that easy," Ranna said pulled out her knives. "You may have your little semblance handy, but I'm just as fast."

She was about to charge again as she took out another long knife into her hands until Rory came out of nowhere pouncing on the woman, Fusilier's barrel right under the woman's chin. Rory's eyes were sharp and gray, staring at the woman angrily.

"Make a single move and I'll shoot you," Rory said with her fanged teeth. And then, turning to Cheshire. "We'll handle it from here! You have to get to Liseran! She's bound to be in one of the rooms up ahead!"

From a corridor to the left of the elevator, six more guards were approaching with guns.

"Aeden, Sylvian!" she called, but not sure how they were from the small explosion.

Meanwhile, in the direction Cheshire needed to go (straight ahead), there was another corridor partitioned by a door. Once he passed through that he would be in an even longer hallway full of closed doors except for an opening up ahead. But it was being blocked by someone.

Zan would be standing at the door, some sort of metal armor covering his arms and chest, two longswords at his side.

"There's no way I'm letting you take my fiancee," he'd say. "Liseran is mine!"

At the same time, he took out a device and pressed a button, releasing a high pitched sound that would attempt to startle Cheshire's sensitive ears enough as he darted forward to slash at him.

The sound made Cheshire's ears hurt terribly but he grinned and bear it just in time to react as Zan came at him, blocking his slashes with his own tiger hook swords.

"Liseran.... is..... no one's," Cheshire gritted, "Liseran's life belongs to her. How dare you talk of her like a possession."

Cheshire finally managed to teleport himself, his position now several meters away in the middle of the air at a 60 degree angle from Zan. Cheshire has grabbed Helsingr and while in the air throws it like a spear, putting a spin to the weapon making it twirl in the air as it headed straight for Zan's head.

Sylvian has resisted the explosion from Ranna's dagger and stayed back to protect the team from behind. While Rory and Chesire are facing their opponents, more guards are coming from the left corridor. She throws her shield right into it's entrance to knock them down and destroy the door, then retrieves it with the cable. This should hold them from coming for awhile.

"I'll go help Chesire, you guys take care of this witch!"

Sylvian said, as she run passed Rory and the white hair woman, trying to reach the front corridor as fast as possible.

Before Sylvian can reach the corridor, a large metal wall closes shut down on it, a safe that had been planned during the fortress' construction to keep the observatory off limits, bullet proof and force proof, even probably to Sylvian's own forceful strength.

In the meantime Rory tried to keep the gun down, but the woman struggled grinning, her red eyes looking into Rory.

"You won't kill me..." Ranna said. "One...you're nothing but a little girl...two...I...kill...you!"

Before Rory could blink Ranna lunged forward, knocking Fusilier away from her just as it shot into the ceiling. Ranna was about to stab Rory but Rory pulled up the handle of Cosmas to block it, hardly holding up to Ranna's strange force, the blade trying to press down on her head.

"Syl...Aeden...!" Rory said, not sure if she could break free from the hit or not.

***

Helsingr passed Zan as if it had gone through a ghost and instead stabbed the area behind him.

"Liseran is mine," Zan grinned, his eyes wide and staring at Cheshire. " She was born for this family and she was born to be my wife. I've known her since she was little, tried to have her love me but to no avail. And here you are...a filthy faunus whose somehow captured her heart in less moments."

Zan laughed. "Not that any of it matters....Her blood, her skin, even her scent were made just to fill the purpose she fills now. The fates will have it no other way."

The explosion had knocked Aeden forward, he let the force carry him a bit then tucked into a roll to prevent further damage. He was prepared to attack the guards when Sylvian knocked them down. At the sound of Rory's fight Aeden turned to see her struggling with the owner of the explosive knives. "Rory!" Aeden dashed toward Rory's fight, firing normal rounds from Frost Fang toward the girl in places where if she moved it they wouldn't hit Rory and came in with a diagonal slash from Deception X.

As Aeden shot rounds but the moment he did, Ranna craned her neck backwards and flipped, her feet kicking Rory away in the process. Aeden was still charging at her when Deception X came into view and she lifted up her two long knives together to clash with him. She grinned at him.

"If you think I can't take on all of you, you're quite mistaken," Ranna said. She zipped behind Aeden in attempt to stab him. "Once I'm done with you, I'll finish the little wolf cub!"

Cheshire should have been angry. He should have been in a rage. But as he descended to the ground in a crouch he simply stood up slowly and spared Zan only a side look.

"Let me tell you three things punk," Cheshire murmured threateningly as he raised his closed fist, the back of his hand facing Zan. Cheshire extended his index finger. "One. You're fighting style is unrefined and amateurish. You fight on instinct and without thought or strategy. You rely too much on your semblance and in cowardly tactics. Your are beyond predictable."

Cheshire extended his middle finger.

"Two. All matter takes up space. No two forms of matter can take up the same space. Your semblance allows you to make an exception to that rule, allow you to be in the same space as another object. For example, while your hand remains tangible inside a person your wrist remains intangible allowing it to be in the same space the person's chest and rib cage is. Although if you put your intangible hand into a wall and let it turn solid again, it would probably explode. That's the true danger in your semblance. But the greatest danger lies not in the time you turn intangible or turn solid. It's the space in between."

Cheshire extended his ring finger, a metal ring glinting in the light. "Three. When against a tactical specialist, the first move decides the battle."

Cheshire suddenly clenches his fist in a flash of movement, swings his arm around as if punching the air. The room's lighting suddenly shines on the thin steel wire, revealing its location between Cheshire and Zan. From where the steel string was attached to the ring, it ran in a loop between Cheshire and Zan but as Cheshire pulls the string it straightens with a twang.

The other end of the strong was attached to Helsinger, which was thrown earlier. Though the weapon was aimed for Zan's head, at its angle of descent, the rifle went on a path across Zan's body. Twirling through the air causing the string to create loops, Cheshire timed the positioning just right to ensure several loops went through where Zan's heart was. As the the man turned solid, he would not even notice the small punctures of pain as the strings made small holes in his organs and a hole going through the base of his neck and the small of his back puncture even the armor he wore.

Pulling the string on Cheshire's end would cause the loops around Zan's heart to close and straighten, literally shredding his heart to bits. The string was so thin that it has remained invisible to the naked eye until now and Zan would have no idea what Cheshire was doing suddenly swinging his arm in an arc until it was too late.

"Checkmate...."