Saints and Sinners - Part One: The Paths We Walk

Chapter Ten - Invaders

❝ Ro..meo... ❞ Elly muttered as she looked up to see the blonde male now standing before her, guarding her against the ever encompassing silhouettes that moved in on him, closer and closer. Her gaze shifted to see Lycus standing beside the owl-faced individual; she'd attempt to sit up but found herself too weak to do so. Her hand moved to her chest, the sight of her blood making her dizzy. A slight panic ensued but quickly diminished along with her consciousness.

❝ Stay with me, El. I'm not going to let them take you. ❞ Romeo looked back at her, giving her his usually reassuring grin. But even he knew that the odds were stacked against him. Being one who thoroughly studied his enemies before fighting them, this had caught him off guard. And with the state Elly was in, she needed dire medical attention, which he could not provide. The blonde male narrowed his eyes, holding his arm out before him as he looked around at the black figures, wondering if he should make the first move or not. 'Shit...She's lost a lot of blood...And I'm in no better shape either,' He thought to himself, silently calculating his odds. Romeo knew he should have bought some backup with him, but giving the situation, he didn't have the luxury of time. But, his luck came back to him upon the sight of a guard patrolling the upper section of the courtyard.

❝ Hey, you! Call for backup! We are under attack! ❞ Romeo shouted at the guard, who quickly turned to run towards the bacon tower. Though the moment Romeo finished his sentence, a few of the silhouettes would lunge at him. As the guard drew closer to the building, he'd suddenly collapse, his head falling off his body as a thin wire-like thread could be seen. Romeo traced it back to the owl-faced individual, who hadn't moved an inch the entire time.

❝ Blut Zid! ❞ Romeo scoffed as he pulled up the sleeve of his right arm, clicking his thumb against a silver ring on the index finger of his left hand as a small, sharp blade clicked out. He ran it along his arm, forming a stream of blood and moving it out and around him. It began to glow, and the instant the silhouettes went to strike, a dense wall of a crimson crystalline substance formed, impeding them for the moment.

❝ A blood seal? Please. ❞ Lycus chuckled as he stood and watched, the red structure crumbling down as the silhouettes move in closer. Romeo stepped back, taking care not to give any room for them to swoop in and take Elly. But it meant he was cornered. Clenching his fist, the blood trickled down his arm, infusing to form an odd array on his hand and placing it out before him before slamming his hand into the ground. The moment he did, a massive explosion pushed outwards, sending the silhouettes back a few meters in a burst of crimson. Lycus and the owl-faced individual just watched, seemingly amused by the events.

With the explosion came a thick cloud of dust and debris, which covered Romeo and Elly. The explosion itself should have been enough to catch some attention, he had hoped at least. Not giving it a moment of thought, he picked Elly up and ran towards the collapsed wall behind them, moving out into the large, open fields that were once used to cultivate food for the knights. There was no place to hide, and with Elly's injuries, he knew moving her would only make them worse.

❝ Is that all you've got? ❞ A voice would call out from behind him as a hand lunged out to grab hold of his shoulder, narrowly missing him as he jumped away, using his Orion to clear some distance to set Elly down on the ground in a safe place. Stepping forward, he'd reappear before the owl-faced individual.

❝ Oh, don't worry, I was making sure to give us some room~ ❞ Romeo grinned as he held out his hand, his entire body beginning to glow with a dense golden aura. The silver pendant around his wrist began to shine as well, and then he spoke with vigour and anger.

❝ Vier Reiter! ❞

---o---

The silence of the night broke with the sounds of the recurring bells of the church, chiming and echoing throughout the land. It had struck midnight; the two moons peeked over the fortress-city of Candria. The sound of distant clashes could be heard afar and were quickly alerted as the sudden ringing of sirens filled the streets. Veld sat silently, perking his ear upon its sound as he let out a soft sigh, getting up on his feet slowly as he grabbed hold of the cane next to him.

❝ It seems there is no rest for the wicked...Wouldn't you agree?~ ❞ He mused as he looked over his shoulder to see a lone figure standing before him, donning the same attire and sleek mask as the other silhouettes. It did not speak nor move. He raised a brow and tapped his cane on the ground, or roof of which he stood- ❝ Y'know, its impolite not to respond to someone when they address y- ❞

Before he could finish his sentence, he'd feel the sting of cold steel running across his cheek; the silhouette had lunged at him and was wielding a rapier with which it struck him. He didn't even see it holding a weapon, let alone move to attack. Thankfully, he was quick on his feet and managed to get by with a slight abrasion, leaping off the roof and onto the top of the long brick chimney. ❝ Hey hey... That wasn't polite... ❞

❝ Mrzeć... ❞ The silhouette announced in an almost metallic tone, turning to face the male as it held the long, black rapier by its side. It was odd; Veld' couldn't make out anything from it; it emitted no life force, nor any aura. But he knew it wasn't something to take lightly; it wasn't often that he'd meet a being capable of slipping past his heightened senses, and being so out of shape as he was, he knew this would be a challenge.

❝ Well, that's not very nice to say. ❞ The older man sighs as he lifts his cane, holding it out before him as he grabs hold of its shaft. As he pulled on it, a long red blade would appear from its sheathe, and he'd lower it to his side as he held the sheathe in his other hand.

❝ I don't think you can understand what I'm saying, so I won't bother- ❞ Veld spoke before stepping forward, his figure waning before disappearing, and reappearing behind the silhouette with his blade raised, slashing down on the figure without a single hint of hesitation.

---o---

The sounds of sirens filled the streets; anyone who was out at this hour quickly hid inside, knowing very well what this meant. They were under attack, and it went without saying that everyone sprung into action. Kuvira was the first to respond by sending out her troops to the area under attack. The others would move to their rightful stations to protect each sector of the massive city. She scoffed, running down a long narrow hall before barging into a room where Areyth stood, hunched over a large table. The enormous object before her emitted what appeared to be a hologram of the capital city, Candria – red dots began to pop up all over the show as she watched it, gritting her teeth in anger before slamming her hand down onto the edge of the table.

❝ How the fuck are they getting in? Where has the Octori field been breached?! ❞ She yelled out to the group of white-cloaked individuals who sat at their respective spots, perched before large screens that had images of the various locations the entities were appearing in.

❝ I-it hasn't, ma'am! There are no breaches in the city's outer shield! The membrane hasn't picked up the slightest bit of disposition. ❞

❝ Then how the fuck did they get in?! ❞ Areyth growled, looking over to Kuvira, who stood at the door silently. She sighed before gesturing for the woman to enter.

❝ Have you found out anything about the intruders? ❞ Kuvira asked as she stood alongside Areyth, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

❝ No! We can't even figure out how they got in. The Qi-Force barrier is nigh perfect, it uses a highly advanced AI that can detect any change in the delta variables, but it come upon blank. ❞ Areyth shook her head, looking up to the large screen at the end of the room, which was now sending her a live feed of the fight between Romeo and the intruders.

❝ Wait, zoom in on the left...Lycus! ❞ Kuvira hissed, looking at Areyth then immediately turning to run out of the room. Most likely to confront him.

❝ So Lycus let them get in? But he didn't get clearance...And even with his powers, he couldn't slip past the membrane. ❞ One of the white cloaks spoke, gnawing on his finger as he tapped away on the keyboard before him. ❝ I've got a visual on Veld's Hutt; he's under attack! ❞

❝ Sector 13 and 16 have been breached; invaders are popping up all over the show! ❞ Another white cloak chimed in, grabbing hold of a stack of papers that a small, black-haired girl handed him. Upon reading it, his eyes widened before looking up at Areyth.

❝ Several much larger-scale signatures have just appeared in sector twelve- ❞

❝ Shit...We need to warn Kuvira. ❞