My heart was pounding as my leather boots hit the wet cobblestone. I had missed this rush, sure I had done other jobs before this one, but none of them had ever excited me to the same degree as this one. Something about the downpour of rain plipping against the street and the eerie moonlight added just that much to the mission. It reminded me of the days when it was just Ray and I against the world. That was the first time I ever saw him smile, the only time I saw him smile. We were so much happier back then, but where had the time gone?
Thankfully Alice's transformation spell was a massive success, she barely showed any fatigue after casting it, which can't be said for the last time. She excelled so much at it in fact, she was able to change all of our clothing into formal wear to better blend into the crowd.
Seeing a plan come to fruition is one of the best parts of being a marauder. And while our plan wasn't foolproof, as long as everyone played their part as intended it should run smoothly. Once we were all inside, we'd have to make our way through two floors, the garden, ballroom, and lastly we'd meet in the banquet hall. Once we were there we'd split up into groups, Ray and I taking the ground floor of the hall, while Alice, Julian, and RIco surveyed the balcony surrounding the room. Once the festivities begin, that should've given us time to make our way to the storage room used by the Lords, and from there make our move. I suppose while it sounded simple in theory it might be harder to pull off in practice.
I'm never one to plan ahead in detail. I like to obtain the mission briefing and go wherever the wind takes me. While this style usually clashed with Ray's more methodical way of thinking, we always managed to work things out in the end, which I found to be surprising. Because as soon as Rico got thrown into the mix, his chaotic way of thinking always threw Ray off balance during jobs.
We were almost to the center of town now, the Lord's tower glowing in the midnight sky like a shining yellow beacon. The downpour of rain made it seem like the lights from inside the tower were flashing on and off again like a ghost was messing with the light switch. I glanced forward to Ray who was leading the pack, his autumn spice coat was protecting his fancy garments from getting soiled. I still found it quite unnerving to see him in human form, it was as if everything I knew about him had been washed away, only a hollow husk remaining. Although, I knew that not to be true. The Ray I knew still remained, just cloaked behind a mask of skin and flesh.
I could see the entrance to the Lord's tower coming into view now, two large iron doors guarded by a mix of royal and syndicate guards. I forced myself to move forward despite the feeling in my gut telling me the Dawn Syndicate was bad news. As we grew closer Ray raised his hand to greet the guards like they were old chums, his usual coldness melted away as he put on the conniving persona he alway wore when meeting with a potential victim.
"Pleasure to see ya." Ray remarked, pulling out the card we stole from Rufus, "This here is for me and the rest of my group."
"Very well then," the Syndicate guard waved his hand over the card, as if scanning it for some sort of chip, "Seems legitimate, but I'm going to need some identification."
"Identification…" Ray patted the pockets of his coat as if he was searching for an object, although I knew nothing was there.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Alice's eyes grew a faint yellow, her pointer finger moving in a circular motion. "Try your other pocket dear," she remarked, putting on a fairly convincing accent.
Ray reached into his pocket, and out came a perfectly crafted piece of ID, "Here it is, sorry 'bout that." He replied.
The guard looked over the ID thoroughly, "Your name is… Thamill Oriyus?"
"That is indeed correct." Ray replied, I was surprised Alice and he were able to improvise that well, they never seemed to have great chemistry normally.
"Very well then." The guard stepped aside as the massive iron doors swung open, revealing a lush garden brimming with natural beauty, "Make your way inside. The banquet is on the third floor."
Rico tipped the brim of his hat to the guard as we walked inside, the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables wafting over me. The garden was huge, a large marble fountain in the center of it all was surrounded by a flock of people. The fountain resembled two figures, a man crouched low to the ground that seemed distressed and afraid, and a woman that was standing upright, a bird perched on her outstretched finger as she elegantly glowed in the moonlight.
Ray snapped me out of my daydreaming, "Eyes on the prize, remember Corra?"
"Right," I was about to continue, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed something. We were being watched.
"What's wrong?"
"Dawn Syndicate." I muttered, "They're everywhere."
"As long as we keep a low profile we should be okay," Ray shrugged, "Try and keep your chin up."
"No, this is different."
"What do you mean?"
I had seen that gaze before many times in my lifetime, the syndicate member who was about fifteen feet to my left was staring directly at me like a moth looking at it's precious frame. I tried to ignore it but his gaze was piercing, it was almost impossible to brush aside.
"I'm sure it's nothing, we need to get a move on."
Ray went to grab my arm but I brushed him aside, "Ray…" I muttered, "If they capture me, you know what they'll do to me, right?"
Ray looked at me silently, glancing at the others to continue forward so we could speak privately.
"I'm not, but from experience I can guess."
"What would you know about this sort of thing?" I mocked, "You're a petty thief!" I could feel myself begin to get angry, but I suppressed those emotions.
Ray stepped closer, "A petty thief who was once a servant under Greyson Okinji's name."
The harboured boy who killed thousands.
The strange woman from the vision's voice reverberated in my mind so loudly I found myself at a loss for words.
"I have done unspeakable things Corra. Things I have reasons to withhold from you, things that make what we're doing now look like child's play."
Ray pushed down his scarf to reveal a strange marking burned into his flesh. It resembled two snakes coiling in and out of each other, one appearing timid and kind, one vengeful and angry.
"I have lived with this burden my entire life," He reached for my arm and shoved my sleeve up to my shoulder, revealing I had the same marking on my forearm. "And now you will as well."
"I don't understand."
"You swore to the creed." Ray's eyes seemed to shine with disappointment as he slowly sat down on the rim of the fountain.
"Ray," I sat down beside him, "that's not the only one I've taken. The Syndicate code is firmly against resigning. So much so that it's punishable by a fate worse than death."
We sat for a moment, the chattering of the crowd around us and the gushing of the fountain seemed to fill in the silence. Suddenly I felt Ray's hand on my shoulder, his familiar warmth entering my body.
"Corra…" He muttered, "I need to tell you something."
I was about to answer, but a piercing unfamiliar voice interrupted me. I whirled to see the syndicate guard from before in front of me, a rezen katana at his side. I froze.
Ray immediately sprung into action, "What seems to be the problem sir?"
"Just making second rounds. It's a security precaution, nothing to worry about." Despite the mask distorting his voice, it was obvious that he was lying through his teeth. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"
"I'd be delighted-"
"No…" swiftly he cut off Ray, "the girl." the Syndicate member turned to me slowly, I felt my hands reach for my knives, but they weren't there. Unfortunately we had to stash them with Alice so she could conceal them with magic.
He didn't even let me answer, "What is your name?"
"Tabatha Romanoff." I lied.
"And Ms. Romanoff," he was so close to me now I could feel his hot breath on my face, "Why have you come here to Zleigh?"
"Because I was invited to this banquet of course." I replied, the sound of blood rushing in my ears was so loud I could barely hear the questions.
"And…" It almost looked like he was going through an imaginary checklist, "What relation do you have to the Lords attending the banquet?"
I paused, trying to come up with a logical answer, "I was… a maid of Lord Earl's."
There was a moment of silence, before he spoke again. He seemed to be pondering what to do with me, "Very well, have a splendid rest of your day."
And just like that, it was over. When Ray and I got up to meet back with the group, I felt a hateful glare cut through the Syndicate guard's mask so vengeful I couldn't help a chill run through my spine. I felt myself lagging behind as Ray jogged to catch up with the others at the exit of the garden. The reality of what just happened had left me shaken.
"What took so long?" Julian droned, he was leaning gingerly against the large archway that led to a narrow flight of stairs up into the tower.
"We had an encounter." Ray replied.
"With who?" Rico asked.
"A syndicate guard." Ray muttered, walking closer to the group as his voice lowered.
"Did they recognize Corra?" Alice mumbled, it was odd seeing her without wings. I was so used to it now that they seemed to be a part of her.
"I'm not sure." Ray answered, "Try and flock around Corra to keep a low profile. Don't be too overkill though, we don't want this backfiring on us. As long as we play it cool we should be okay."
"And what if things aren't okay?"
Ray began swiftly ascending the stairs, "Then we improvise like we always do, and fight till' we can't anymore."
"You're pathetic."
I wiped the sweat from my brow, the scrapes on my hands and knees had begun to blister from the tough ground of the training grounds. Serpens was standing in front of me, his forked syndicate mask staring me down like the eyes of a wretched beast. I hated everything about that place, and even though it was more than six years ago, it felt like yesterday.
"You're more than this little one." Serpens droned, his deep regal voice seemingly boomed throughout the small cavernous training grounds as he cracked his knuckles.
I forced myself to stand, "I don't understand. W-What is it that you see in me?"
"Raw power, strength, cunning, agility, all that make a good warrior a ferocious one."
"Then why can't I seem to win a single fight?"
Serpens sighed, "You need guidance, little one. Clearly considering your progress I am not one to be suited for such a task. One not well suited for the job can only get you so far."
"Then who is?"
Serpens took a deep breath to speak, but I never got to hear the words that left his mouth. Suddenly the blaring of the alarm pierced through the air, almost knocking me to the floor. The syndicate facility was under siege.
Serpens looked up as if to spot an intruder, "Perfect, now it's time to see what you're really made of. Come, I believe a true test of your strength is in order."
I followed Serpens out of the training grounds and into the stark black and white halls of the underground facility. As we trudged onward, a sudden rumbling almost knocked me to the ground. It felt like whatever had entered the building was causing some sort of earthquake. I felt my heart skip a beat as a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the silent hallway, Serpens still remained stone cold and emotionless as usual.
As we went to turn yet another corner, the body of a syndicate guard skyrocketed from behind the corner and slammed into the adjacent wall, moaning in agony. Their mask had been torn in half, and a strange dark red magic was shocking their entire body, causing them to twitch and convulse.
"Oooh, sorry about that."
I stopped dead in my tracks as a tigris boy, no older than fifteen trudged confidently into view, his long brown coat dragged on the now charred floor, and black gloves covered his brown furry paws. His most distinct feature however, was the scarf he brandished around his neck. It appeared to glow a deep burgundy as it seemingly shifted in the dim lamplight.
Serpens stepped backwards, pushing my meek fourteen year old self forwards, "He's all yours young one."
"What's your name?" The creatara asked, he seemed friendly, but his voice had a condescending tone to it that implied he didn't intend to make a friend.
"C-Corra." I muttered, trying not to look at his glowing scarf nor his blood red eyes.
"Neat." He held out his hand as if to shake, despite that fact that we were fifteen feet apart. "The name's Ray Mejia. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I drew my knives, a lump forming in the back of my throat like a large ball of cotton.
Ray seemed to look me over like I was some slave up for purchase, "You're a mixed breed, aren't you? I've never seen one up close before. Exotic."
I still stood my ground, my knives seemed to grow heavy in my palms as if their perfect weight had kiltered off balance. Slowly Ray stepped forwards, the echoing of his leather boots hitting the concrete flooring echoing throughout the hallway like the banging of a booming drum.
"Listen Caroline-"
"Corra."
Ray sighed, "Listen Chloe, I've been given strict orders to do one thing and one thing only, and that's to take care of your friend Serpens here. So if you were to kindly step aside, I can finish my job and no one will get hurt." Ray paused for a moment before motioning towards Serpens behind me, "Well, except for him of course."
"Under whose authority do you serve?" I felt myself instinctively stepping back as Ray casually approached.
"Oh, my mistake for not clarifying." Ray looked behind me to where Serpens was standing, "Greyson sends his regards."
I felt Serpens tense behind me.
"So Christine," Ray folded his arms as he strutted forwards, "I'm going to give you two options. Either you step aside and let me settle this with the fellow behind you, or we draw blood and I tear you to shreds in such a manner that you will dearly beg for the sweet release of death. What'll it be?"
In that moment I had been given a choice, one so perfectly handcrafted that it seemed fate existed to simply weave this decision for me and me alone. I had known many things about the art of one on one combat up until that time. Knowing when to face an opponent head on was something I had studied tirelessly up until that point. However, I tossed all of that knowledge aside as those beady red eyes stared me down. All I knew... was that I wanted to kick Ray Mejia's ass. That's how I made the worst mistake of my life, because in that moment I gripped my ivory blades, and charged.