"What do you mean the abandoned factory is blowing up?" Ozpin questioned raising a brow in surprise. He had just recently taken notice in such a thing happening after hearing the chain of explosions that danced through the city of Vale.
In the center of Ozpins office stood a huntress clad in violet garb. Adjusting the collar of her blouse. Verdan gave an uneasy stare to Ozpin. Truly not sure if she should continue giving him the bad news. Or just quickly go and remedy the situation herself. But in this instance self preservation won out. And she prepared herself to give her former mentor the full report.
Having originally heard of the events going on on the news. Followed by a report on the situation at hand that one of their agents on the inside had gathered. She had quickly been updated on the state of events. And none of what she had heard, made the butterflies in her stomach feel any better.
"A soon to be student by the name of Carter called into the authorities. Explaining that he was witnessing a underground crime organization crafting enough makeshift explosives to do some serious damage to what they put their mind to." Verdan started, after clearing her throat after several breaks in her voice.
"And?" Ozpin questioned taking notice of her increasing hesitancy. Where this was about to go, he wasn't a big fan of it. But he would rather know what it was that she had to say, rather than stay in the dark in a matter that bordered on a national security situation.
"He described the kidnapping of a girl that matched Kersay's description." Verdan muttered loud enough for him to hear. And the look of pure, utter shock was enough to tell her. Just how right she had been to not have held this back from him.
"You and Uros need to get to that facility and extract her." He said almost without thought, and with such intensity that it forced Verdan to take a step back. In the face of Grimm, she could hold her composure. But when it came to being around people, and in stressful situations. She could barely take the intensity.
"Y-yes sir" She squeaked feeling tears bristle behind her eyes as she hurriedly turned around and rushed out of the office. And to find her drunk of a partner. Who was no doubt nursing off a hangover.
Dodging out of the way of a tumbling piece of debris. Loki stumbled into the room where the explosives had previously called home. And now, it was a mess of flames and destruction. Holding his hand to his mouth. He attempted to breathe as little as possible. To keep from killing himself from the fumes and toxins that were no doubt in the air. First thing he needed to find was something to filter the air so he could take a rather sizeable gulp of air.
Looking around, he found a body of what was most likely a used to be person or faunus. The remains were way too charred to tell. And now wasn't the time to feel any form of sympathy for the poor bastard. Right now was a time to find the two idiots he allowed to come into this situation.
Starting to make his way through the destroyed room. He got the feeling of an almost palpable presence within the room. One that was not as dead as he would've prefered. Standing in the flames, Freezing in place almost immediately as he felt a chill run through his body. He could've swor- No there was no way. Not in a place like this.
But before those thoughts could rectify themselves within Loki's mind. He felt a sharp tug in his gut. Followed by the slow trickling of warmth. Before finally ending in immense pain. His aura flared up to defend him on instinct. But it was too late. The attack had already made its mark. And it was enough to break his aura almost as immediately as it had appeared. Leaving him with a sense of immediate overwhelming weakness.
Stumbling Loki fell to his knees. Gasping for air, which led to him breathing in the heavy smoke, that burned his throat, and soon after. His lungs. Causing the pain he was currently feeling to almost double. No take that back. Triple. It was the worst pain he had felt in a long time. And he didn't even know who it had came from. But that was just the lie he told himself to try to shield his emotions from what had just happened to him.
Feeling his own vision begin to dim. He fought back the beckoning darkness. That threatened to drag him down. Gripping his revolver tight in his hand. He grit his teeth as he fought with all the strength he had available to him. Which wasn't much considering the injury to his abdomen he just received. Shakily. He raised his gun in the direction his assailant had been in. Blinking in shock once he noticed that there was truly not anyone there.
Then how did that explain the injury he received? Did he have it the entire time and just didn't realize it as his adrenaline had pumped through his veins?
Before those thoughts could finish playing through his mind. He lost all vision in his right eyes, soon followed by the vision in his left as everything went dark. And he felt himself drift away from the physical world. As the claws of unconsciousness gripped him. Dragging Loki down deep below the waters.