The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"SHIT!"

"Pixie!" Amy yelped, letting the empty rifle clatter to the floor and rushing to her aid. Whiskey was there as well, already springing into action. Next to her, Amy had nothing to add to the situation other than to watch, horrified, at the spreading bloodstain across Pixie's leg.

"I-I'll get the towels." she said weakly, feeling nauseated, but determined nonetheless to help in some way.

The towels weren't hard to find behind the bar, and Amy was making her way back in no time when the door of the saloon crashed open behind her. There was just one man this time, badly wounded, the left side of his clothes slick with blood from the armpit down the the waist. Still, desperation drove him to close the gap quickly, and before Amy could so much as turn around to face her assailant, an arm was wrapped around her throat, and a blow to the back of the knee took her off-balance. The finishing touch was the tell-tale click of a pistol being cocked beside her temple.

"I want out!" the man rasped through a mixture of pain and accent. "Everyone else is either dying or running, but I'm not running anywhere fast. So, I'm telling you now, I wanna get gone, and if you don't let me, I swear I'll paste this *****'s brains all over the wall!"

'He's just a man.' Amy told herself as she fought to keep her breathing under control. 'You have nothing to fear from him.' She took in the sour smell of his breath, the wetness of his sweat and blood against his own skin, while not allowing her imagination to fill in what she couldn't see. She would not imagine wild, murderous eyes, or a twisted leer. She would not give in to fear. Pixie was still bleeding, and Amy was still holding a clutch of towels in her hand, feet away from her. That was what mattered.

Calmly, carefully, Amy reached with her free hand, and drew out her concealed blade from around the small of her back. Thin, delicate, but deadly sharp, the man was luckily to disorientated by blood loss, as well as being fixed on Whiskey's more visible armaments, to notice. Holding the knife in a reverse grip, Amy timed her moment, before suddenly sticking the blade up into the man's already injured flank. A pained yelp, and her foe collapsed, bringing Amy down with him. However, his grip was loosened enough for her to wrench away, and turn to face him, now straddling the man on the ground. His wrist caught hers when she tried to bring the knife down for a killing blow. The man reach for his gun again, that had landed beside them, but as soon as his fingers had curled around the grip, Amy's fist came down, crushing his hand once, twice, and then again.

Now unarmed and on the back foot, desperation turned to terror in the man's eyes as inevitability bore down on him. He was naturally strong, but fatigue and injury were now taking their toll, and with the strength of both her arms, Amy was able to push the knife down, slowly, towards him. At the last moment, the man turned his face away from the shining, bloodied tip as it crept towards him. Gritting her teeth, Amy forced the blade down the last few inches, piecing the man's skull at the ear, and pushing slowly deeper into his brain. His dying convulsions were violent, and a horrible, gurgling sound escaped his lips, but within a few seconds the man lay still.

Amy stayed knelt there, shaking visibly. She must have looked quite deranged in that moment, the man blood staining her from head to foot, running between her fingers. They had been fighting about something... something important, but Amy couldn't remember what. She couldn't even remember where she was.

She couldn't move.

 

[Fappy]

"How many more do you think there are?"

"No clue," Bennie muttered. "Only one way to find out." Spinning around the corner, Bennie held his shotgun at the hip, ready to fire at anything that moved. What he saw, however, was a group of dismembered bandits strewn across the courtyard. Stepping forward cautiously, it became apparent that this was the work of a grenade. Likely Pixie's.

While there was no doubt some of them may be clinging on to life, they were no longer a threat. One man in particular, had little more than bloody stubs where his legs once were. Suffering from shock and dying of blood loss, he was flailing his arms around, crying out. Bennie furrowed his brow and drew his revolver. He buried a bullet between the man's eyes before holstering his pistol once more, wordlessly.

Looking back to Ruffles, he shrugged, "We're all clear--"

"BENNIE GET IN 'ERE!"

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"... There's clean towels and strong liquor. Reckon if we're gonna be getting to know each other a little better, the least I can do is get that bullet out for ya, darling."

"Appreciate it, hun," Pixie groaned through her teeth. Watching Whiskey sanitize the blade, she forced a grin before reaching out and snatching the liquor bottle out of her hand. After taking one large swig, Pixie let out an exasperated sigh. "Tastes like fuckin' piss." This was going to hurt. "Make it quick, cowgirl"

"I-I'll get the towels."

Pixie nodded in response before Amy retreated out of view. Poor girl. It couldn't have been easy seeing Pixie like this. Though, it was an important lesson for her to learn. Pixie may come off as an invincible badass, but a bullet will hurt her just like anyone else.

As would a knife.

Pixie clutched her thigh and screamed out in pain as Whiskey dug in deep. At least its easier when someone else is doing it. She'd had to dig out bullets all on her own on more than a couple occasions.

Through her distressing cries, the two women heard another shouting something nearby.

"Everyone else is either dying or running, but I'm not running anywhere fast. So, I'm telling you now, I wanna get gone, and if you don't let me, I swear I'll paste this *****'s brains all over the wall!"

"FUCKIN'---," Pixie shrieked through the unbearable pain. Whiskey was too deep to turn back now. The two women's eyes met just before Pixie called out. "BENNIE GET IN 'ERE!"

Moments later, the sounds of struggling died down, just as Bennie came in through the backdoor, "I-is she okay!?" Pixie croaked, the bullet already on its way out.

"Yeah," Bennie confirmed as he took in the scene before him. Amy looked like hell, but it was clear she came out of it the victor. Coming up from behind her, he put his hands gently on her shoulders. "You okay, Amy?"

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"Any new intel, or are we blundering around the dark again like yesterday? I wouldn't mind, but you see, I don't really feel like ending up at a bar tonight."

"Neither would I,"

"No bars," Tsubaki rolled her eyes. "That goes without saying at this point." Starting towards the gate, Tsubaki signaled for her squad to follow. "Unfortunately, we have no new intel. Our relief back at the inn came back empty-handed. It's likely that our quarry has either gone to ground or is... dead. In either case, we need to find her. That hasn't changed."

After the group passed through the front-gates of the compound, Tsubaki turned around, "We're going to need to cover as much ground as we can, so this is where we part ways. O'Lafferty: you check with the lowlifes. I doubt she's hiding in the slums, but if she's dead that's where we're likely to find her remains. Harel: you've got the outlaws and the hunters. Hit every saloon, lodge and hangout you can think of that might have bandits or hunters. They're all after the girl too, so they may have some information. Moon: check the markets. She will have likely shown her face around town when looking for supplies. Check with vendors and shoppers alike."

She looked back towards the greater city, a frown on her face, "Me," She sighed. "I'll be checking with our own. I have a feeling we're not working with all the pieces here."

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After taking a liberal amount of time getting ready, Severa was finally prepared for the day ahead. Together, the twins made their way out into the streets of Frostfall, in search of their prey. After walking several blocks, Severa sighed and looked to her brother, "Okay, I am bored of taking in the local rabble. Where should we start are search, my dear?"

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Most of the journey to the old factory was made in silence, but eventually Cranston decided to speak up. He'd been thinking back on old times a lot recently, and he felt a strange sense of nostalgia when preparing for this particular operation. Cracking a smirk, he looked to Lilith, "You know, before the Maiden, Pixie and I went on a lot of 'dates' like this." He chuckled. "'Dates'. That's what she used to call them." As the laughter faded, his expression hardened. "I was training her to be an assassin."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

She had been right before. He was just a man, looking down at his lifeless form made that perfectly clear to Amy. A frightened, wounded man, and she had killed him.

'He would have hurt you.'

'Would he? He just wanted to get away. I think he'd had enough of people getting hurt.'

'And then what? You think you'd have lasted long if you'd let him drag you away into a crawler and drive off? We're a long way from any safe haven, and people get lonely out here in the ash. As soon as he got his strength back he'd have hurt you in every way he knew how, just like the other-'

'Stop it!'

'No. You're pathetic. No use hiding behind that little girl forever. It's time she grew up, properly. You've been a killer for more of your life than anyone else here. You murdered Terry, and Biggs, Robin and Simon, and all the rest. You knew there names, and you slit their throats.'

'Don't talk about it like that! That was different.'

'What are you doing, trembling like a wet dog over one more stiff you made? Face it girl, they'd all hurt you to get what they want, and you know what they want. If you don't hurt them first, it's your funeral.'

'That isn't true!'

'Stop denying it! It's what kept you going all those night when they took their turns with you. Just waiting for the right moment, for 6 years of having all manner of things stick in all manner of places, just waiting for the right moment. Go on, let's take a trip down memory lane; and remember... it all happened to you.'

'Shut up!'

'They were just men too. Nothing special, just taking what they wanted from someone who couldn't fight back. That's what the resting pulse of humanity is. If you're gonna just lay on your back and except it, you deserve to be fucked by all of them'

'SHUT UP!'

"You okay, Amy?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Amy shrieked, whirling around in an instant, knife in hand. With surprising speed and strength, she pushed Bennie back up against the bar, the front of his shirt grasped in one hand, the other holding the blade under his chin, the edge pressed up against his throat.

"NOT AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN! NO!" she continued to scream, her eyes wide and her cheeks flecked with blood. New blood was beading on the blade, as it cut into Bennie's skin.

Tense moments passed, before Amy became fully aware of what she was doing, and who she was doing it too. When she did, she recoiled in shock, dropping the blade at her feet.

"Bennie!" she gasped. "I... I'm so sorry. I don't know what-I didn't mean..." she trailed off, here eyes finding Pixie again, and the towels that she had left on the floor. Hastily picking the bundle, up, she carried them over and handed them unceremoniously to Whiskey.

"Here, take them." she said, before moving away and sinking into a chair on the far side on the room. She started at her feet, not looking at any of them, and hoping that none of them were looking at her.

 

[The Funslinger]

What happened next was an absolute whirlwind. As Whiskey began to dig out the bullet, a wounded man cropped up. He seized hold of Amy with murderous intent, and Whiskey wanted to stop what she was doing, draw one of her pistols and drop the fucker. But his eyes were on her and her guns. Where was Payton? He and his men appeared to have left quietly once it became apparent there were no Bejic men left. God damn. He'd have actually been useful, too.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the situation resolved itself, leaving Amy a shivering wreck. Whiskey winced as Bennie made a rookie mistake and got a shaving cut for his troubles. Then there was a suction sound and a pop as the bullet she was working on came free and clattered to the floor.

Picking up the bottle of booze, Whiskey said, "lemme see ya grit those teeth, hon," and poured a copious amount on the wound, ignoring Pixie's reaction. Using one of the smaller towels (also damped with alcohol), she padded at the wound to get rid of as much blood as possible. Then, before much more could spill, she used the large towel to roughly but tightly bandage Pixie's leg. "Sorry I ain't got nothing to stitch it with," she said, squeezing the other woman's shoulder gently. "I'd kiss it better for ya, but I got enough blood on me already."

Getting to her feet, she held out a hand to help the other woman to her feet and said quietly, "you go talk to her, and me and ol' Benjamin'll make ourselves scarce, yeah?"

=============================================

Stepping around the various bodies, Ruffles eventually found Aesop. "Well that was some shit, huh?"

==============================================

"O'Lafferty: you check with the lowlifes. I doubt she's hiding in the slums, but if she's dead that's where we're likely to find her remains."

"Y'know I'm still hoping one day you won't give me that one when we're searching, Commander," replied Bryan with a grin. Then he put up his palms when Tsubaki shot him a glare.

===============================================

"Okay, I am bored of taking in the local rabble. Where should we start are search, my dear?"

"Well," said Owain, "if I know the old Genteel one, and admittedly I don't... he's probably having something to do with the criminal life here. More likely that than Frostfall's joke of nobility, don't you think?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Her thoughts occupied by a number of things, Lilith hadn't said a word the entire trip. The corner of her mouth curled into a tiny smirk, her expression softening. Sprout would be pissed that she left without saying anything, she didn't envy Elizabeth or Maria when the boy roused.

"You know, before the Maiden, Pixie and I went on a lot of 'dates' like this. 'Dates'. That's what she used to call them."

Lilith smiled wearily, her eyes look ahead as the old man told his story. There was still a lot she didn't know about the days before the Maiden. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"I was training her to be an assassin."

Raising an eyebrow as she tilted her head to look at Cranston, Lilith chuckled slightly. "Our Pixie? An assassin? Miss Meredith about as subtle as a kick in the teeth Monroe?" Lilith shook her head in disbelief, coughing slightly as she put on her mock accent. "Tell meh, Chromey, How'd tha' work out for y'all?" Raising a hand to her forehead, the woman continued to chuckle.

"Pixe the assassin, Jesus..." After a few silent moments passed, her expression hardened slightly. "What happened?"

---------------------------

"Harel: you've got the outlaws and the hunters. Hit every saloon, lodge and hangout you can think of that might have bandits or hunters. They're all after the girl too, so they may have some information."

Asad's expression hardened slightly. He always hated dealing with those types. Sooner stab you in the back than give you the time of day. "Roger that." He nodded.

He hated dealing with them, but that didn't mean he was bad at it. He knew just where to start looking.

 

[Fappy]

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

What the fuck!?

Wide-eyed, Bennie held his hands out in surrender as the much smaller girl pinned him against the bar. A knife to his throat.

"NOT AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN! NO!"

Bennie didn't so much as shiver as she drew blood from the tip of the blade. He said nothing and continued to stare into her deranged eyes as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings.

Fending off the excruciating pain, Pixie tried to get an eye on the girl, "AMY, THE FUCK---" Her words suddenly warped into a chorus of shrill screams as the small ball of lead was fished out of her flesh.

"Bennie! I... I'm so sorry. I don't know what-I didn't mean..."

Bennie clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes on hers until she broke away. It wasn't until she had retreated towards Pixie that he wiped some blood off his neck and looked down at his fingers.

Pixie had a way of attracting crazy people, it seemed.

After mumbling something under his breath, he walked over to the three girls and watched Whiskey work.

"lemme see ya grit those teeth, hon,"

Pixie growled like a grizzly through her teeth as the liquor burned into her exposed flesh. Tears rolling down her cheeks, it was hard to make out Amy when she came into view once more.

"Sorry I ain't got nothing to stitch it with,"

After taking a second to collect herself, Pixie was panting heavily when she spoke, "We got first-aid kits in the crawlers. I reckon that can wait, though."

"I'd kiss it better for ya, but I got enough blood on me already."

"Don' wanna bloody up that purdy face, eh?" Pixie joked.

"you go talk to her, and me and ol' Benjamin'll make ourselves scarce, yeah?"

Pixie nodded, allowing Whiskey and Bennie to get her to her feet. After wincing in pain, Pixie nodded to Bennie, "I'm alright." She assured him. After sitting her down next to Amy, he gave her a concerned look. "Don' worry 'bout me, Bennie. I need ya' ta' take Parker'n Brock 'round the parameter an'---"

"Pixie, Parker's dead."

"Fuck," Pixie hissed. "Check the parameter an' 'ave Aesop an' Brock get the crawlers ready." Bennie nodded and walked out the door. "Whiskey, was it?" Pixie asked, looking to the cowgirl. "Go an' make sure yer boss' still alive. Ask 'im why the fuck this happened. Make 'im bleed if ya' 'ave to."

Once she was gone, Pixie turned her attention to the shivering woman beside her. It was a hell of a thing to ignore the pain of a fresh bullet wound, but she'd been shot and stabbed so many times at this point that she was likely more numb to the pain than almost anyone else on the planet. Clutching her upper thigh, reflexively, she placed a trembling hand on Amy's shoulder, "It's okay, darlin'. It's all over now. We're safe."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bennie shook his head and sighed as he hopped off the porch and found Aesop and Ruffles, "I need you two to get the crawlers ready. Tell Brock too. I'm going to make one last sweep around the area. Got that?"

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"if I know the old Genteel one, and admittedly I don't... he's probably having something to do with the criminal life here. More likely that than Frostfall's joke of nobility, don't you think?"

"Yes," Severa smirked, insidiously. "I think we should pay Vasa's men a visit. Cause a stir, perhaps? Would the Gentleman come out to play if we invited him in such a way?" She giggled.

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"Pixe the assassin, Jesus..."

Cranston laughed, "Hard to imagine, right?"

"What happened?"

"She wasn't always like this, you know," Cranston began. "She wasn't always so... loud. She used to be silent when she worked. She was still a wild woman when it came to her methods in combat, but she never cheered, or screamed or taunted. Why she's like that now... well, I imagine it's a defense mechanism of sorts." He paused for a moment. "What happened? She figured out she enjoyed killing. A lot. She was a mother, and a young one at that. After seeing how much she enjoyed it, I couldn't let her follow that path. There was no doubt in my mind that kind of life would have warped her into an evil sadist."

He laughed, "Though I don't suppose the bandit life hasn't been much better for her."

 

[The Funslinger]

"Go an' make sure yer boss' still alive. Ask 'im why the fuck this happened. Make 'im bleed if ya' 'ave to."

"I already get the gist of it," Whiskey replied. "These guys are Bejics, yeah? Well, a little while ago, some guys killed a bunch of Vasa's men and pinned it on Wilkes-Vines. So now we're in open war." Turning on her heel, she headed to the door. "What I wanna know is why he took the snipers off the dome's west side. If they'd still been there, this wouldn't have happened. Bastard's being a snake, as usual..."

==================================================

"I think we should pay Vasa's men a visit. Cause a stir, perhaps? Would the Gentleman come out to play if we invited him in such a way?"

"Maybe," replied Owain. "He doesn't seem to be one to fight directly, though." He grinned coldly. "Still, Frostfall is a big place. Likely we can find some small pocket of Vasa's grunts, clean them out and sit whoever's in charge down for a nice chat. Get the lie of the land."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Though I don't suppose the bandit life has been much better for her."

Lilith smiled sympathetically. If Cherry hadn't have been murdered, if things had been better, how much different would Meredith have been today? The image of a well groomed Pixie entered her mind, with curled hair, a large poofy dress, and a floral bonnet.

Chuckling to herself, Lilith looked up at Cranston. "She ain't all bad..." Her eyes softened with affection as her thoughts flooded with memories of the woman. "You know, she never did tell me why she let me stay on the ship." She grinned. "Must have been my girlish charms, warming her buttery assassin soul." Laughing slightly, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

"I remind you of her, don't I?" Lilith asked, aiming her gaze downwards. "I know I do, I'm trying... not to." She laughed nervously. "It's just, hard, you know?"

 

[ProtoChimp]

Ruffles approached Aesop from the side. "Well that was some shit, huh?"

"You can fuckin' say that again!" Aesop replied aggressively. "The absolute FUCK!" He fired a shot into a nearby corpse, "was this!" He noticed Warren running off to chase down a straggler. He was about to join in before recieiving an order from Bennie.

"I need you two to get the crawlers ready. Tell Brock too. I'm going to make one last sweep around the area. Got that?"

"Sure thing, I thin Warren's goin' apeshit on anyone left so any bodies missing pieces is cos of him not me. Pinky swear." He held up his pinky and gave a sarcastic grin before marching over to one of the crawlers. "Hey wait a minute where's the VW chick? I wanna know why the fuck this happened! And why the hell he apparently hires such shitty help considering we're the only ones left standing!" He shouted over to Bennie as he entered one of the crawlers.
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"managed to pick up a few scars along the way; though there in places that would require me to strip down to almost nothing in order for you to see them and I don't think your ready for that kind of show Hannibal."

Hannibal nervously chuckled. As he listened to her he was busy collecting his things together. "So you um, killing them is the only way." He sighed as he thought on it. He had no idea if he had it in him to kill anyone, or even if he could. He wasn't known for his strength, or his skill, or his intelligence. He was fast but how much could that count for in a fight to the death when your main option was to fight back instead of run. God he wished that day had just gone smoothly, the deal had been done and he could have gone on his way.

Wait, no that's wrong. They were making a bomb! They would have killed a lot of people. Even in its barely completed state Hannibal manage to concoct something explosive enough to cause a chain reaction, even if it was the surrounding chemicals that caused the various explosion. And just like he had killed those people, The Gundersons would have killed more people in a much better made bomb.

Just like he had killed those people. He gulped as he thought. Even if they were bad people he still felt so wrong.

"I think we should head back now." He said softly, not noticing a shadow lurking by the door as he wiped some sweat out of his eyes.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"So you um, killing them is the only way." Hannibal said with a nervous chuckle whilst he went about gathering his things.

"Depending on the situation, it very well can be. But it isn't the answer to every question, sometimes talking to someone can net you greater benefits, and your reputation with others can improve if you spare a person; though there are exceptions to the rule, there are those that need to be dealt with for the betterment of others, like Gunderson for example." Remarked Viola somewhat coldly as she put on her chest-plate, coat and stetson. Making sure everything was positioned properly, she then slung her rifle onto her back.

"I think we should head back now." Hannibal said quietly.

"Yeah, I could do with a rest after all this training." Viola said, as she finished speaking, she felt that something didn't seem right. The gentleman that ran this place said he's be checking in on them at least every hour or so, whilst he visited a couple of times, that was roughly two hours ago since the last.

"Come on, let's go." Viola said, keeping her hands near her revolvers in case something happened.

 

[Terratina.]

"...Moon: check the markets. She will have likely shown her face around town when looking for supplies. Check with vendors and shoppers alike..."

"Acknowledged, Commander." Jun replied, folding his arms afterwards. A simple, straightforward task but he still didn't like it. Missing persons - most of the time, they were never found either by intention or by accident. Lady Maribel was probably a little bit ahead of her perusers by now, assuming that she was playing smart. However, that wasn't the worst of it. There was another term for this type of work, this type of simple and straightforward task: grunt work. He didn't know whether it was the negatively from the other members of the squad or the fact that the deadline was getting closer and closer or even previously discussed fact, but he was starting to adopt a similar view on the assignment. The soldier stopped that train of negativity, however.

Just a trip to the market, right?

 

[Fappy]

"Still, Frostfall is a big place. Likely we can find some small pocket of Vasa's grunts, clean them out and sit whoever's in charge down for a nice chat. Get the lie of the land."

Severa smirked, "Now that's the Owain I know. Always... on top of things." She gave him a knowing looked before continuing. "Fine, that sounds like a fair enough plan. Lead the way, Brother."

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"... And why the hell he apparently hires such shitty help considering we're the only ones left standing!"

"Just focus on getting those crawlers ready," Bennie barked back as he followed Warren across the street and into the building their enemies had set up shop in. After a clean sweep, Bennie determined the building had been cleared out. "Right across the street. Fuckin' figures." Bennie sneered.

Warren just looked over to him and grunted, before kicking a body to see if it was still alive. Clearly, it wasn't. With that, he marched out of the front door without a word.

Fucking weirdo.

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Tsubaki listened as each of her men accepted their orders in their own way and nodded, "Good," Looking back towards the tower, she frowned. "I'll be here if you need me. I'm going to snoop around Intel and see what I can find. You are all dismissed." After turning and taking a few steps in the direction of the tower, she looked over her shoulder and added. "Good luck."

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It had been awhile since the older man and the one called "Casino" had left the apartment. If his information was on the mark, that meant the injured kid and the two civilians were all that remained in the suite.

Perfect.

Still, he would wait a bit longer. Bide his time. The night was still young and the streets were busy in this part of tower. He'd wait for things to calm down before he made his move.

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Elizabeth woke up alone in the dimly lit living room. Had they left already? Furrowing her brow, she called out, still sitting on the sofa, "Maria? Are you still here?!"

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"I remind you of her, don't I?"

Cranston didn't reply, nor did his expression change.

"I know I do, I'm trying... not to."

I know.

"It's just, hard, you know?"

Cranston was silent for a long time, keeping his eyes ahead before he finally replied, "No," He paused a moment before elaborating. "You remind me of my daughter. Pixie, too." He clenched his jaw. They could very well die tonight. It wouldn't be fair for her to die under his command with such a limited understanding of where he came from. Still, perhaps now wasn't the best time to delve into such things.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"You remind me of my daughter. Pixie, too."

Furrowing her brow, Lilith thought for a moment before glimpsing at the man from the corner of her eye. "Is she...? Sorry, I mean..." Shaking her head gently, Lilith grunted as she rethought her question. Reaching into her jacket she pulled out her tin and lighter. Flicking the top open with her thumb, she pulled a cigarette out of the tin with her teeth, clenching her jaw slightly as she lit it. Other than Pixie, nobody knew very much about Cranston, he was a constant presence on the Maiden, but an unobtrusive one, and that seemed to be the way he liked it. The man always took good care of her and Sprout growing up.

Hah, growing up? The man's been watching our backs since we left the Maiden.

Taking a long drag, she blew the smoke from the corner of her mouth, smiling warmly. "Me and Merry, huh?." She gently nudged the old man with her shoulder. "Must have been a real handful, the Merry part I mean. Not me, I'm lovely." She grinned cheekily, the cigarette gripped in her teeth. "I won't tell Merry that I'm your favourite, it's okay."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

'Why is this happening?'

'As if you don't know.'

Amy stayed silent, facing the floor and not responding to Pixie's touch, as the gravity of what she had almost done sunk in. Up until now, she had always remained in control, able to switch and direct rage and vulnerability when it was useful and never more than that. It had been vital, for her sake, and now when that control was more important than ever, when she had people who were depending on her, she was slipping.

She hadn't anticipated how difficult it would be to put her guard back up, once she had taken it down. It didn't matter, what just happened could never happen again, one way or another.

"We probably shouldn't stay here too long." Amy said eventually, her voice steely. "We can't be certain that the Bejic's won't be back for more. Is there anything you need?" she asked blandly, looking at Pixie's wounded thigh.

===========================================================================================================================

"god knows I struggle with these sometimes."

Sandra accepted the books with smile, fanning though them to look at all the titles.

"These are good, thank you very much." she said sweetly, putting the pile by the bedside and curtseying.

=========================================================================================================================

Georgia made very sure indeed that the coast was clear, before quietly knocking on the door and slipping inside. She had been eavesdropping on the Doctor's conversation, before he went to check on the other girls. It would seem that the three others in this room were in a dire situation indeed. On the one hand, their desperation would make them easy allies. On the other, if Franklin in particular was already a dead man in the eyes of the rest of the family, then how much could he really do to help? However, should Georgia be seen to develop a bond with the pair, it might buy Franklin a stay of execution. It was a risk, to be sure. There was no real telling how the minds of these people would work, but Georgia suspected that Austin would want to keep the ugly side of his family as hidden as possible from new recruits, until they were fully indoctrinated into his own beliefs.

"Hello." She said confidently, once she had shut the door behind her. "My name is Georgia. I hope I didn't disturb you."

From there, Georgia's gaze found the baby, a small smile forming on her lips.

"He's beautiful."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Can't say I 'eard anythin' 'bout no Maribel girl, but we did 'ave some commotion outside the other day. Couple'a Maidens ran into some hunters, shot up the place." The rough looking bartender gave the counter another wipe down with a rather distasteful looking rag.

Asad raised an eyebrow as he took a sip from his beer. It was surprisingly good, considering the look of the place. He had been digging around the local establishments for hours now, with no luck. "Maidens? As in, the Iron Maidens?" Asad smirked slightly as the bartender nodded.

"Yup, from what I could gather, it was that Monroe boy, an' a woman, errr, not Pixie, the other one, blonde hair..." Asad gently placed his glass on the counter top. What the hell were Maidens doing in Feroxi? The bartender clicked his fingers. "Casino! That's the one, real purdy that one, even with all the cuts and bruises."

Monroe's kid and Valentine, huh? What were the two youngest members of the Maidens doing in Feroxi? No way this was a coincidence, this had something to do with the Maribel girl.

Asad scratched the stubble on his jaw casually. "Maidens huh? Any idea what they were doing?"

"Nope, all I saw was the girl gettin' ambushed outside that cafe a couple buildings up." He closed an eye as he held a glass up to the light. "Hunters from what I could tell, probably that Gorgon fella I've heard so much about, this place was swarming with his goons for a few days after it went down." She chuckled as he blew a speck of dirt from the surprisingly clean glass. "Thought blondie was done for then and there, surrounded and e'rythin', but wouldn't you know it?" He placed the glass under the counter. "Guess they don't call her Casino for nothin'."

Asad grinned, "Some of the stories I've heard, man, guess there's gotta be an element of truth in there somewhere." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "What about the Monroe kid? Was he there?"

"Aye, I 'eard someone say they got a glimpse of him, one of my regulars was in the cafe at the time. Said he saw blondie go off with 'im, right after some old bald guy went straight up badass on some punk who tried to sneak up behind 'em. Blondie seemed to know him too, maybe another Maiden?"

Asad furrowed his brow. He had heard rumours about someone fitting that description. Whether they had any standing in reality though...

"'Ey, pretty boy." Hearing footsteps behind him, Asad clenched his jaw as the muscles in his back tensed. As the two men stood next to him, one on each side, Asad casually looked up at the one who had addressed him.

"'Sup buddy?" A lick of sarcasm to his voice as his eyes locked with the mohawked gentleman.

"'Eard you been asking questions, specifically ones 'bout a certain 'Lisabeth Maribel." The man on the left towered over Asad, hunching over slightly as his unsavoury breath assaulted the man's nostrils. "Listen 'ere, Maribel 'n the Maidens are ours, ya hear? Gorgon don't take too kindly to people movin' in on what's 'is, understand?" The other man grunted in agreement, putting a hand on Asad's shoulder tightly.

This was why he hated dealing with hunters.

Asad furrowed his brow. "Oh? Gorgon was it? My apologies, it won't happen again, now if you excuse me..." he went to grab his beer, only for his wrist to be grabbed by the man on his left.

"I don' think you understand, pal. Ain't nobody moves in on Gorgon's marks, 'specially these Maidens, ya hear?" The threatening edge to the hunter's voice was starting to lose it's subtlety.

Narrowing his eyes, Asad's slowly moved his gaze to look at the man, a small smirk curling his mouth. "I hear you, no hard feelings, eh?" Asad's eyes quickly locked to the bartender's, the man nodded his head slowly. He had evidently worked at a bar long enough to know what was coming.


The man on the right gripped Asad's shoulder tighter. Chuckling slightly, Asad shook his head. "Sure is getting homoerotic in here." He muttered, the grip on his wrist getting tighter. Kicking his stool from underneath him, Asad's shoulder fell from the grasp on the man on his right. Kicking one of the man's leg's from under him, Asad raised his right hand, with a sickening crack, he slammed the hunter's face into the counter top as he fell.

As the hunter crumpled to the ground, Several cries rang out from other patrons of the bar. The man with a hold on Asad's wrist stood dumbfounded for a moment, before his senses returned. Roaring with anger, he lashed out with his other hand, stopped in his tracks as Asad caught hold of the clumsy punch.

"So..." Asad grunted slightly, his eyes hardened as his expression grew more sinister. "This Gorgon." As both men struggled against each other's grip, Asad slowly pushed the man's fist away from him as he moved closer. "Tell me about him."

"Fuck yoARGHHH!" The man's reply was cut short as Asad's forehead collided with the hunter's nose, sending him staggering backwards as he released his grip on Asad.

The men seated at the table behind the hunter quickly upped sticks, clearly more interested in the recent turn of events than most people should. Must be a boring day. Readjusting his jacket, Asad took a step towards the hunter, rubbing his wrist. "I'm not in a particularly good mood today, so if we could just skip the part where I break your face and go straight to you telling me what I want to know, that would be great."

"YOU SONOVABITCH, I AIN' TELLIN' YOU SHIT!" The hunter roared as he rushed towards Asad, throwing a fearsome punch that sailed right over Asad's head, he grunted, doubling over slightly as a fist found it's way into one of his kidneys.

"Yeah, didn't think so." Asad grunted as he buried a knee in the man's gut, followed by an uppercut to the face that sent the man sprawling backwards and onto the recently evacuated table, the poor thing collapsing under the weight.

"I'll pay for that." Asad smiled, looking over at the bartender. "Sorry about this." He laughed nervously. The bartender smiled knowingly, his expression hardening slightly as he nodded his head to the side. Asad turned just in time to dodge a knife slash from the second hunter. Grunting disapprovingly, Asad grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it, he landed a precision blow to the man's elbow, disarming him quickly.

Grabbing the man by the throat, Asad gritted his teeth as he pushed the hunter towards the bar, pinning him to the counter top. Asad gripped at the hunter's broken arm with his free hand.

"Start talking." Asad muttered threateningly, his cold eyes betraying what his expression did not. "I'm really not in the mood for this."

 

[ProtoChimp]

Hannibal walked with Viola as they set about leaving the building. "Leaving a lil quick aren' we?"

Hannibal span on his heel to see the origin of the voice. It was that man again, leaning against the wall as if trying to look cool. His hat dipped down to cover most of his face. "This is a purdy nifty lookin' place. Place like this lookin' so empty, lucky didn't turn into a crack house. Guess sum'body savin' it for sum'thin special." He flicked his hat up so they could see his face, the woman had her hand closer to her sidearm. She would be quicker to draw, if she was still as fast as last time. He wasn't worried though, in fact he put his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose.

"Y'know, Noah wouldn'ta been so mad if ya just fucked up like a normal person. You'd be dead, we'd get anuva wimp to do our ***** work, bus' out McGregor and everythin'd been dandy." He continued, snorting like a pig. "But nah, you gotta fuck up so... 'Spectacularly'," he grinned as he said that word, "I mean I guess some of it's our fault. McGregor was a punk, and he died cryin' like a lil girl. But'chu!" He pointed at the terrified young man. "You gotta kill Noah's own flesh 'n' blood!" More people were now blocking off Viola and Hannibal's exits. "That either takes a lotta balls, or zero brains."

 

[Dogmatic99]

The warehouse was filled with the almost deafening din of men and women yelling back an fourth at each other along with the clattering growls of engines and heavy machinery. The necessary arms and explosives had been procured and were being packed away with all the respect that such tools of fiery death deserved, along with a healthy few spares. Erik had to admit, the runner crews had outdone themselves this time. Seeing a fuck ton of heavy munitions and underlings (Or, minion bitches as Erik called them) was enough to make him all Misty eyed and nostalgic for the old days. Days when they were just another one of the squabbling mass of gangs that made up the fabric of Frostfall. How many of the squads busying themselves in front of him now once swore loyalty to the same named folk that Erik had sent back to the ash on Vasa's orders?

'Christ, we got here fast didn't we!'

Though Erik wasn't sure if that filled him with pride or anxiety anymore. Things were getting so much bigger now, with plans in plans and players who had been playing on grander scale's for much longer. It had taken Vasa half a lifetime to get this far and if the suited dandy was to believed he'd already grabbed the bait laid out for him by a more experienced player. Even time was creeping up on them, how much longer could creatures like him and Vasa really last? After all they'd lost getting here, who would be left to keep this horde of bastards together and stop them from being picked apart like so many scraps?

No. He couldn't dwell on that, not now, not on the eve of their biggest push yet. Tonight would change things forever... one way or another. 'Place of ash, Erik, place of ash.' The old solider chided himself, trying to shake these idle thoughts from his mind. As if it could do any good. "If you could see us now, Aiden."

Erik seemed to deflate as he sighed all the air out of his chest before forcing himself up again and springing onto the bustling floor and went looking for the coolest guns. This was where he belonged.

***​

Was it always this cold? Vasa could have sworn he never needed to wear so many layers, at least not until recently. Maybe the nobles were playing havoc with the weather controls and this was their final big gambit. To shut themselves away from the rest of the world and freeze the scum solid in their holes. Frostfall certainly had seemed to be going that way for a while and it was nice! The world hadn't bothered them and Frostfall could trundle on content in doing its own frigid thing. But the world had come knocking and just like everyone Vasa had ever met they were intent in bringing violence with them.

Payton and now this Basilio man. Though apparently Vasa himself was as much to blame for any future dragons to their doors. Too much time had passed now to get in touch with the team, Whirrun and her crew were far beyond his reach by now. Maybe they'd succeeded and Payton's underlings were busy fighting over what was left for them.

Or given their pedigree it was more than likely that they'd been slaughtered and the top family of Feroxi's criminal world was gearing up to bring fire and death to the frozen north. Vasa looked out from the hotel balcony he'd commandeered and onto the ivory towers, standing harsh and defiant. Judging the bitter world around them with haughty disdain as around them the embattled people of this dome were trudging through the dregs that their lives had been reduced to. All thanks to a single moment, a spark that had set the whole damn place on fire.

Still the world would have gone on despite it. The clinical side of Vasa's mind lamented his rash actions that had lead to this war. The rage that he'd let himself get swept up in was a sloppy thing, he should have kept a clear head and put his house in order. Everyone had said he had gone against his own advice, all but Erik who was raving for blood more than anyone else. They were wrong though, looking at his home and birthplace now. Vasa had never seen things more clearly. Everything was coming together, along with a few added bonuses that he hadn't banked on.

Vasa reclined in his chair like a man truly at peace, contentedly enjoying the sound of the whistling wind in his ears. He hoped Whirrun had failed.

 

[Fappy]

"I won't tell Merry that I'm your favourite, it's okay."

Cranston grinned, "You're a lifesaver, Lilith." The two Maidens shared a brief laugh as they continued down the dark street. They would be arriving shortly. "This Gorgon business... it feels a lot like mine and Pixie's first job together. You see," He let out a small sigh. "She had helped me with a... personal matter. I was indebted to her and when I asked how it was I could repay her, she told me she wanted revenge. Having just delivered vengeance on those that had wronged me myself, I was in no position to tell her whether or not it was right of her to pursue such a thing."

He clenched his jaw, "It was the banditos. They had captured Carlos, their former brother, and were subjecting him to all means of torture. They didn't care what information he kept, no, they just wanted him to suffer. At the time, we thought he'd already been killed. Pixie was convinced they'd have buried him long before we found him. To her, going after the Santiago family was little more than payback for the years of abuse she'd received at the hands of their ilk."

He shook his head, smiling, "How that girl kept herself and Sprout alive in that city for so long is beyond me. I know she never speaks of it to you, but you can imagine what they'd done to her. After helping me in my pursuit, I couldn't just turn her down. In fact, part of me wanted to watch her do it. I wanted to see the delight painted on her face as she took from these men all that they had taken from her. But," He looked up at the night sky. "That never happened. Yes, she did get her revenge. She killed them all, in fact. But I never did see a hint of joy on her face. Not even a smile."

He looked to his companion, "Lilith, Pixie and I have killed a lot of people in our time. More than you can imagine. If there's one thing you should never, ever do, it's make violence personal. If you start down that path, it will never end. Regardless as to how you feel about it. I promise you that." His eyes found their way to the street ahead once more.

"Pixie regrets it all, you know? She hates what it has done to her. But it's too late now. The taste of another humans blood is the only thing in this world that makes her feel alive," He shrugged. "The same goes for me."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"We probably shouldn't stay here too long."

Pixie nodded, silently.

"We can't be certain that the Bejic's won't be back for more. Is there anything you need?"

"No, not now anyway," Pixie shook her head. "Bullet's out an' the wound is bound. I can wait fer stitches. Mind 'elpin' me ta' one a the crawlers? I don' reckon I can drive in this state, so throw me in the back'a Bennie's so's we can talk 'bout this Wilkes-Vines business. That is, unless ya' wanna talk." She ran a trembling hand across the top of Amy's head.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Col. Esteban Ortega was crouched on a rooftop across the street from the abandoned building the famous hunter, Viola, had been last seen entering. His squad had been tracking her since her meeting with the Gentleman's contacts. Though she'd refused to take them up on their offer, Esteban was still interested in talking to her. While Samsara was off on a wild goose chase, Basilio's cavalry was doing the important work. A threat on Pym's life was far more alarming than the Gentleman could have anticipated, so if they were to investigate this they were going to have to tread carefully. If the Gentleman were to catch on to their efforts, Pym's life would be in even more danger.

The Gentleman would learn just how vital his role truly was.

Suddenly, Esteban's earpiece crackled to life.

"We've got about eight hostiles surrounding the building, Colonel. Looks like Gunderson goons. Think they're after the kid. Probably more inside."

Esteban nodded to the sniper beside him, "Roger that, we still don't have eyes inside?"

"Negative, there are no windows in the hallway."

"Okay," Esteban sighed in frustration. "There is no telling how long until they blow each other way. Move in!"

After no more than eight seconds of gunshots, the streets were cleared out and the six members of Chimera squad on the ground had breached the building from both sides, "Come on," Esteban said to his sniper as he got to his feet. "Let's hope the Gunslinger has enough sense not to fire on my men."

 

[The Funslinger]

Whiskey eventually caught up with Payton and his remaining men a ways down the road. At the sound of her approach, Payton turned.

"Ah, Miss Fifer. Is there something I can do for you?"

"The fuck was that?"

"The fuck was what?"

"Why did you take your snipers off the West side? They coulda diced those Bejic raiders and given us a heads up if they couldn't." She gestured back at the inn, and the bodies littered around the outside. "This all could have been avoided. So, what the fuck?"

"I do hope your daughter hasn't inherited your foul mouth, dear," replied Payton. Whiskey didn't answer, but her look said there was no middle finger big enough.

"Anyway," continued Payton. "Why I took the snipers off is simple enough, Miss Fifer. Firstly, I wanted to gauge how well Miss Monroe and her men reacted under shock and pressure. Secondly and more importantly, I needed to know if you were still going to tow the line. I was very glad to find that you did."

"That is seriously fucked," hissed Whiskey.

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way. But the fact of the matter is, were the circumstances different, Monroe and her men, especially Carmine, would bear me all the ill will in the world. So while I would dearly love to have a truly mutually beneficial relationship with the Maidens, the fact is their premeditated feelings towards me make that near impossible. But if it makes you feel any better, their involvement was a happy accident. Gauging you was my main concern. I very readily expected those mercenaries to strike before or after our guests had arrived."

Whiskey turned on her heel and stalked back down the road.

==========================================

"No, I'm not paying ya fer that!" snapped Bryan.

"But you said you wanted to know 'bout any deaths round here!" implored the rummy.

"Yeah, but you know full fucken well the girl I'm looking for ain't no fifty year old man with love handles, ya shite!"

Bryan had had about a dozen conversations like this over the course of half an hour. It was incredible, really. Usually the bottom rung of society were a goldmine of information, which traveled among the nomadic inner city populace like they were some kind of hive mind, but there was nothing pertinent to a dead noble girl anywhere. He was starting to think that Elizabeth Maribel probably was alive.

Still, he wanted to make a thorough job of it, or it would be his massacred body that would be the subject of hobo gossip. Bryan was just making his way back to the more crowded streets when a clutch of Basilio soldiers came tramping around the corner. One of them recognized him.

"Hey, O'Lafferty?"

"I think I might be," Bryan replied.

"You seen a kinda old guy around here, maybe a little drunk?"

"I been questioning the homeless, lad. You'll have to be volumes more specific."

"Kinda gangly, black pork pie hat and a really big beard?"

If Bryan had been drinking, he would have inhaled it through the nose at this. Instead, he just blinked. "I ah... no, I ain't," he laughed. "Sounds like a character, though. What ya want him for?"

"Well he was gambling with us--some of Lord Dio's men last night. It seems he convinced... one of those officers to put up his key card to the filing rooms -personnel, mission logs, shit like that- for a bet. Which... said officer lost. So... yeah."

"Blimey," said Bryan. "I'll keep me eyes peeled, then."

"Yeah, sure..."

As soon as the soldiers were out of earshot, Bryan ducked around the corner and thumbed the radio in his jacket. "Commander? My assignment ain't panned out anything particular, which suggests our target is still active. But there's something I want to check out. It might take a while. That okay? Over."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith listened in silence as Cranston told his tale. As he finished, she furrowed her brow as she contemplated what he had just told her, her eyes looking forward.

For as long as the girl had known her, Meredith has always had a penchant for violence, it was weaved into her very being, resonating in her personality, the way she treated others.

And the way she treated the people she loved.

Lilith smiled sadly, her eyes on the ground in front of her. The bruises on her face were not the first Meredith had given her, although the others had occurred under happier circumstances. One did not 'spar' with Meredith Monroe, one just got their arse kicked less thoroughly, and hoped they could hold her off longer after every session.

Lilith learned quickly that sparring with Bennie was usually the more productive, and significantly less painful experience. That didn't mean Pixie hadn't taught her a thing or two though.

The fact the woman would go to such lengths for revenge didn't surprise her in the slightest. Woe betide the person stupid enough to personally make an enemy of Meredith Monroe.

"If there's one thing you should never, ever do, it's make violence personal."

Something about that statement resonated with her. Lilith was a killer, there was no escaping that, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it, it was a necessary part of the life she lived. She tried not to kill if she didn't need to, but the sad truth was that those opportunities were growing less frequent as time went on.

That, or she simply wasn't trying as hard as she once had.

Clenching her jaw, she thought to the task at hand. Gorgon was a cruel man, she saw it in his eyes, and for the briefest of moments, she was sure he saw it in her's as well, no matter how fleeting, it was there, she had felt it burning inside her.

It was easy for her to say she wouldn't go after the man, that she would simply put in bullet in his brain and be done with it.

But saying, and doing, were two completely different things.

Looking up at Cranston, Lilith burned her cigarette to the filter, taking a long deep breath, she exhaled slowly as she removed it from her mouth, casually flicking the stub into the darkness behind her.

"I love you and Merry, more than you can know." Her eyes locked on his, "And when I say this, I mean it with all the respect in the world." She laughed nervously.

"I don't want to be like either of you, but that's okay." She smiled sadly. "Because I know you don't want me to be like you too."