Nobody moved and two of the officers were on either side of the inner room as if they were trying to guard the door. One had armor and a shield the other a hammer. Mist officer however was a bit towards the back. They were in what looked like a full body suit a chain weapon was wrapped around their waist with an assortment of other attachments on different parts of their body. Their face was covered and a mask what looked to be simple covered their face. The body suit was not skintight, and it didn't reveal any type of features male or female. It was as if nothing was back there in the corner.
It was interesting and everything had culminated to this point. The fights were about to begin, and Valentina was going to stay at her post protecting the door while Glade, Eclipse, and Aurora were standing at the threshold between the corridor and the room looking inside. The two officers on either side of the inner room had their arms folded. The officer in armor wasn't even holding his shield it leaned against him as he did against the wall. While the hammer and axe combo weapon laid strapped to the other officer's back.
A hearty chuckle filled the room as the hammer user stepped forward his gaze going straight passed Alexandria, Veronica, and Eve boring into Glade. "Now who said you could leave your area? Hmph. I walk away for a moment, and you decide just to do whatever the hell you want?" He took in a deep breath and as he exhaled, he continued. "When this is over, I'm going to pound you into the ground with this weapon before putting you back up into the air. You thought the last time was difficult? This is going to be hell."
He was going to open his mouth again but there was a giggle the floating through the air in the room as two skips started before Eve was standing in front of the massive man.
He looked down for a moment tilting his head to the side and raising an eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing in here little girl? I suggest you leave before I make an imprint on the floor with your insides." He was about to turn his attention back to Glade when he felt a surge of intensity. It was different from the combination of skips and giggles that floated across the room only a few moments before.
Eve's eyes had narrowed, and she gritted her teeth looking up at him. "What the hell did you just say big guy?" She took in a deep breath letting out an exasperated sigh as she grabbed the closet knife at her waist and went to jam it into his leg.
Even though he was huge his hand moved like lightning grabbing the handle of his hammer spinning it around his body with his right hand. He dropped it for a moment spinning his arm so he could grasp it again firmly bringing it back up and around and deflecting the attack pushing Eve back a few paces. He spun the hammer and pointed it down at her. "You got a lot of nerve little girl." He took in an aggravated breath as he continued. "And where the hell is that aggression coming from? I told you move, or I will paint this floor with your bodily fluids."
Another silence gripped the room it was interesting to note that nobody else had moved or said a word. Just for the simple fact that the hammer officer was being so brazen with Glade, Eve couldn't take it anymore. However, she had forgotten one important fact which she was about to be reminded of.
Veronica stepped up and put her hand on Eve's shoulder. "I don't believe you remember what I said back there. The man who was Glade's guardian officer would be my prey so how about you go play with the armor shield over there and I will take out this guy. For him to be able to wield that hammer so quickly against you means that he massive and fast. Besides that, over there is much more of a challenge for you then this is. I would crush that armor user ball him up and throw him into the water. I would like a challenge. Someone that is able to match Glade's power that is a worthy opponent. Don't you think?"
Eve brushed off Veronica's hand from her shoulder clicking her tongue as she turned to the side and started walking towards the other officer. Without turning around or slowing her pace she responded. "Fine, but you owe me next time. I want that bastard. Hmph. You better remember what we were ordered to do. Don't kill him. It'll be my job to interrogate them." She continued to walk towards her new prey.
Veronica took a stance. Her right fist was forward while her left was back. Her elbow was pointed backwards, and her fist was balled. A sly smile crossed her face as she tilted her head to the side. She wasn't as small as Eve, but this man still had at least a foot on her. She didn't have to look too far up but when she did, she gave him a wink. "What do you say? Are you going to introduce yourself or should I just call you officer hammer?"
The man gritted his teeth letting out a sigh. "I don't know who the hell you women are, but you're starting to get on my damn nerves. I don't care which one of you I fight. Whether it's your little friend over there with her knife collection or you. Who seem to come into a room full of powerful enemies with nothing but her bare hands." He let out a hearty chuckle. "Let me show you what it means to walk into a dangerous room without protection." He raised the hammer up above his right side and then came down slightly to the right trying to bash in the one opening she gave right at her side below her right arm.
Veronica didn't move. She was going to show this man how outclassed her really was. The slammed into her side with so much pressure a shockwave reverberated through her body and out the other side like a massive gust of wind.
Everyone froze for a moment watching. Veronica remained still and she kept her eyes locked on the hammer user. Once everything settled down and the room went quiet, she cracked her neck and let out a yawn. "Is that the best you can do?"
The officer blinked a few times as his forehead wrinkled. He brought his hammer back and placed the handle on his shoulder giving her a once over with his eyes. A cocky grin crossed his face as he saw the staff on her back. "Ah I see now. That elite that young man always bragged about his indestructible weapon." He took in a breath clicking his tongue before he continued. "You're the one that provided the materials for it aren't you? I've met a significant amount of ability users in my time. I haven't stayed here for a long time unlike my two counter parts. I like to leave and go out and explore and I've killed plenty of your kind, but you I've heard rumors of you. The fact that you were able to get out of a place like that. Hmph. It's astonishing. I can't even begin to imagine. Very well, I am the Officer Guardian over the subject known as Glade. My name is Onyx." He breathed sharply out of his nose looking down at her. "Since you wanted to be so formal what is yours?"
Veronica smiled. She was glade Onyx was finally starting to see reason even if she had to allow him to strike her in order to get that. She let out a soft laugh. "It is a pleasure, Onyx. My name is Veronica core crew member of Crimson Judgement. A pirate group lead by the woman behind me, Alexandria. I am one of the frontline fighters. You are facing the leader of the vanguard and even though I can't kill you I'm going to have some fun." She punched her right fist into her left palm giving Onyx a tooth filled grin.
Eve had finally reached the other officer as she spun around facing him. He wasn't as tall as Onyx, but his armor made him look formidable. He had not moved, and the shield was still leaning on him on what looked to be the main chest plate of the armor. She looked him up and down tilting her head to the side with a questioning look on her face. "What the hell are you supposed to be is this some kind of costume contest or is what you have there really functional?"
He didn't have what you would call a traditional helmet. It was more like a circular hat that had a shallow rim to it. He lifted his right hand and with his index finger moved the hat up looking down at her. "Do you think you could be quiet? I'm trying to rest here."
Eve's eyes widened and then she noticed that not only was the shield leaning against his armor he was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. It looked like he was indeed resting against the wall. She clenched her fists at her sides. She still had the dagger she had drawn against Onyx in her right hand. She wanted to stab him in the throat with it for his arrogance and sheer laziness however at the moment aside from his face there wasn't an opening. Even though he was completely relaxed and didn't have a grip on his shield she didn't see any way to stab him. Even though it wasn't that significant he did have a throat guard protecting her favorite spot to strike. When she saw that a toothy grin filled her face. "Well, it's about time somebody did that with a little style. The shield and baton wielder did he answer to you or was that a separate unit?"
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The man looked down at her once again really wanting to get her to go away. Even though they had moved to this area to protect Mist, Gale wasn't one you had to watch that closely. It was one of the reasons why the shield user enjoyed his position because he didn't have to put in a lot of effort. "Argh! If you're trying to bait me like Onyx over there it's not going to work. What I will tell you little girl is that you don't have a chance in hell against me. You could think all day that you do, but if we did fight, I would show you very quickly that I am in a league that you could never touch."
A giggle escaped her lips. "Is that so? I would love to see you prove that but how about we be considerate individuals since Veronica basically had to bait that Onyx fellow to introduce himself. I'm not going to do that." She paused for a moment putting her feet together putting her hands in a pyramid motion while keeping her eyes locked on the man in front of her, she bowed. "My name is Eve. I run the spy, interrogation, espionage unit of Crimson Judgement. I'm also one of the best close combat and mid-range fighters of Crismon Judgement. I'm also as I stated before going to be your interrogator." She had a wild look on her face as if someone had just pressed the insanity button. She had not moved from her bowing position. Her head was tilted she was slightly bowed with her hands still in a pyramid motion.
The man finally moved her body getting off the wall and grabbing the handle of his shield. He moved it to the side and let out a grunt as he looked down at her. "Fine since you are going to be so cordial and I am all be it lazy I am not going to disrespect your courtesy. My name is Rin, and I am the Guardian Officer of Gale and since you didn't subject me to childish and underhanded tactics, I will oblige you." There was silence for a moment, and he moved his shield in front of him bringing his right arm inside.
She heard a flip or a click. She wasn't sure it was masked. A small hum began, and she could feel wind in the room. It was only light as Rin's armor started to fall off of him and what remained was light durable pieces in all the areas that she liked to target. His shield separated and became long bucklers on either of his arms that he could bring together if he needed to bring his full defense back. At the tops were sharp edges while at the bottom the edges were curved down to make a protecting lip if she tried to come up underneath.
Her eyes widened with amazement. She was going to love this fight. It was actually going to be somewhat of a challenge. "Well, Rin, it is going to be my pleasure to bring you down a peg."
The entire room was filled with excitement. It wasn't fully palpable yet since now two of the faceoffs had already begun. Onyx versus Veronica and Rin versus Eve. The other officer in the back of the room had not moved and Alexandria was getting a bit impatience. She decided to take matters into her own hands as she calmly walked back to the area where opponent was waiting. Her footsteps echoed down the small area that this other officer was hiding in.
She stopped her boots scraping against the floor as she faced the officer who was seated at what looked like a desk writing something on a piece of paper. She hadn't noticed it at first but now she heard it. The sound of the pen against the paper as if it was dancing across a finely constructed floor and only a slight disturbance in the sound as the officer dipped the end of the pen into an ink well but instead of pulling it out and continuing the officer let it go and pushed back on the chair standing up not yet facing Alexandria. It was in that moment that Alexandria's eyes widened. Many ability users gave off an air or energy about them. You could just walk up to a woman and sense it. It was an undeniable thing even someone with an ability that wasn't perceived as useable or combat worthy. You knew that it was an ability user standing there.
Alexandria's eyes narrowed and she lowered her head a bit as she spoke her tone was sharp and the usual happy go lucky ness that she carried herself with at times was completely gone. "You're an ability user, aren't you? How dare you do this to our kind? Are you here because some kind of deal? Did they raise you from a young age and you just decided to side with them even after seeing everything that you've seen up until this point? Are you empty of courtesy, love, caring, and nurturing? What is wrong with you?!"
The officer finally turned. The mask was brought into full view. At first it looked like a mournful one. It had tears going down either side. It was white on one side and black on the other, but it wasn't separated straight down it was curved to show the balance in things. Even though there were tears going down both sides one face was smiling while the other was frowning as if this person was trying to say that no matter whether you're happy or sad or even angry since the top of the mask had a furrowed brow all emotions existed within balance.
Alexandria could hear the steady breathing coming from the officer as they reached up with their left hand and grabbed the mask pulling it off and down. There was indeed a woman underneath that mask. However, Alexandira couldn't place what she was feeling. It was an emotionless look on their face as if they didn't care one way or the other what was happening and Alexandria still had not disregarded the weapon that was wrapped around her nor all the attachments that adorned the bodysuit she was wearing.
Finally, the woman spoke. "You have no concept of what I feel or if I am empty of all those emotions you just sprouted out just now. You are shifting your anger and your resentment maybe even some of your sadness at a person you don't even know. This mask is a representation of all the emotions I cannot show. Happiness, Sadness, Anger three of the emotions that every person believes are important the others like anxiety or fear or disgusted or any of those things they are just like colors. A mixture of others to make something else. So, if you are able to prevail, I will tell you what you want to know anything and everything but remember you have to win and to win means you have to hurt an ability user who is not a pirate trying to take from you. Who is not part of the walled city government someone who is just here because this is the circumstances and the hand they were dealt. I am just playing the part given to me." Once she finished speaking, she started to bring the mask back up.
Alexandria clenched her fists letting out an exasperated sigh. "Hold it! I will do what you ask and beat you but first we are going to do what the others have done, and you are going to introduce yourself then you can put that infernal thing back on. Know this your emotions are in there unless it is part of your ability and I will drag them out kicking, screaming, laughing, and crying and whether you live the rest of your life in a cell or you fight beside me well that's going to be the deciding factor of this fight now, won't it?" She spread her hands apart in front of her raising them up a bit as a devious grin crossed her face. "My name is Alexandria, and I am the captain of the pirate crew known as Crimson Judgement. We are going to free all ability users and then I am going to crush the walled city government and make this place and all other places like it into rumble for the new society to be built upon. Where no matter what people are allowed to live in peace." She kept her hands up and her grin intensified as her eyes locked on to that of the female officer.
Still no expression crossed the officers face. "Very well I am the Guardian Officer of Mist. The emotionless ability user known only as Sto." The moment she finished speaking the mask was fixed back onto her face by her left hand as she brought it down her fingertips grazed against her chain weapon as she unraveled it. She threw the counterweight around her body towards her right hand. Her left hand gripped the handle as the scythe gleaned in the light from the candle that was on her desk. The counterweight was lightly spiked and then Alexandria heard a few drops hit the floor. It looked like the counterweight had been dipped in poison at least that was Alexandria's guess.
The three faceoffs were now set about to begin. Alexandria versus Sto. Onyx versus Veronica and Rin versus Eve. Valentina had relaxed a bit her arms folded, and her stance was still grounded. She could move into a fighting position at any moment as the tension and intensity raised in the room. Glade, Eclipse, and Aurora watched on from the doorway. It seems the elite battle was just a prelude and even though no body at least on the officer's side was going to die if Alexandria could help it these fights were probably going to make the elite fights in the other room pale in comparison. It's time for the carnage to begin.
