Deus Didymus: Rend

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Glass

Nako peered through the shrubbery, squinting. She eyed the abandoned building, scanning its exterior. Its worn and weathered exterior bear the scars of neglect and time.

The once humble walls sag with decay--the roof caving in at certain sections. To the young kunoichi, the building appears as if it has been forgotten by the world.

Vines of ivy snake its way up the decaying walls, while moss and lichen create a patchwork of green a gray. The wooden planks that once formed the outer walls have lost their vibrant hue, faded to a dull and weathered gray.

Windows, once adorned with clear glass, are now shattered or boarded up with crude wooden plants. Faded remnants of old curtains cling to rusty rods, gently swaying with the breeze that manages to find its way through the cracks.

From afar, Yujin watched with her back leaned against a tree with a proud smile. She gestured for the boys to move forward as Nako leapt into the trees.

Nako silently dropped onto the roof from a branch, peeking through one of its many holes. Strong puffs of must, a mixture of dampness, mildew and the musk of unwashed bodies, rose from the openings, contorting the girl's face with disgust.

The air hangs heavy with an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional scurrying of rodents or the creaking of a loose floorboard underfoot. Tattered scraps of fabric drape from makeshift lines strung across the room, providing a semblance of privacy in the desolate hideout.

This is probably the living room.

Discarded glass bottles, empty food containers, and remnants of hastily abandoned supplies litter the messy floor. At the center, a cracked and battered table holds multiple stolen maps with stolen good and weapons serving a testament to the bandits' activities.

Nako slinks into the roof hole, hanging by her fingers before dropping onto a support beam. She snuck along the high ground, surveying for any traps before identifying her targets.

Y/n laid low to the ground, creeping up to the decaying balcony. Flanking the house, Bae snuck next to the back door, summoning a shadow dog to watch over the exit. He watched the small kunoichi drop down from a branch and onto the roof without a sound, prompting him to approach Y/n.

"We wait for her signal."

"What's the signal?" Y/n whispered.

"Ow!"

A faint thud followed by Nako's voice seeps through the walls causing multiple heavy footsteps to pace over the creaky boards. Y/n and Bae glance toward each other, nodding before rushing inside.

"Look what we have here!" a bandit smirked, "A cute little girl. What are you doing here?"

Nako's worried expression morphed into a mischievous grin as she pressed on the creaking floorboards as hard as she could.

"Distracting you."

"Distra-"

A black dog clamps its jaws on the bandit's arm causing the man to stumble back in pain. Y/n soars through the tattered fabric, slamming his fist into another. In response to the remaining bandits scrambling for their weapon, Y/n draws his own, his eyes bleeding with excitement.

Nako weaves her hands together, pressing her palms against the floorboards. Her internal energy surged through wood, causing the rear entrance to collapse in on itself.

Swarms of black birds flooded the enclosed space, tearing down the meek walls. They pecked at the bandits causing them swat the avian creatures away as Bae bolted forward.