Leon processed the information, his mind already working on how to use this connection to House Infinite to his advantage. He wasn't one to care much about House politics, but knowing Raziel had been part of such a powerful House—and branded a heretic, no less—put a whole new spin on things. There was potential here. If she had been important enough to be kicked out, there might be people interested in her whereabouts. Or maybe... maybe there was something she knew. Something valuable.
"So, House Infinite," Leon said, keeping his tone light but probing. "What did you do to get kicked out? Burn down the wrong temple?"
Raziel shot him a glare, clearly not amused. "I told you, I don't want to talk about it."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I mean, heretic is a pretty strong word. There's got to be a story there."
Raziel looked away, her lips pressing into a thin line. "It's not your business."
Leon shrugged, deciding to drop it for now. But he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than she was letting on. House Infinite doesn't just kick people out for nothing. He was about to press her again when a noise in the distance caught his attention—a low, metallic clink, followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps on stone.
He froze, his instincts flaring. "Did you hear that?"
Raziel frowned, glancing around. "What?"
Leon held up a hand, silencing her as he strained to listen. There it was again—footsteps, multiple sets, and they were getting closer. His heart quickened, and he silently cursed himself for not being more careful. They weren't alone in these ruins.
"Other scavengers," Leon whispered, his voice tense. He gestured for Raziel to move back into the shadows, keeping low. "Stay quiet."
Raziel narrowed her eyes but did as he said, clearly sensing the shift in his demeanor. They crouched behind a broken column, and Leon carefully peeked around the edge. In the distance, barely visible through the dim light and shadows, he saw them: three figures, moving methodically through the ruins, weapons slung across their backs. Scavengers, and not the friendly kind.
Leon's gut twisted. Of course, the flames. The smoke. They must've seen it.
"Great," he muttered under his breath. "More company."
Raziel's eyes flickered with dark flames for a brief moment, but Leon shot her a look, silently urging her to control it. The last thing they needed was to give their position away with another flare-up.
"What do we do?" Raziel whispered, her voice low but edged with tension.
Leon scanned the area, his mind racing. "We can't fight them, not out in the open like this. They're probably better armed than we are, and I'm not exactly looking to get shot today."
Raziel frowned, glancing at the scavengers. "So, what's the plan?"
Leon smirked, his mind already working through the options. "We're going to use the ruins to our advantage. These guys don't know this place like I do."
He pointed toward a narrow passage between two collapsed walls, barely wide enough for them to squeeze through. "There's a back way out of here. It's trapped, but I've already disarmed most of it. We can lead them into it, slow them down."
Raziel raised an eyebrow, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "And if they don't fall for it?"
Leon shrugged. "Then we improvise."
Raziel shook her head, but there was a glint of something in her eyes—maybe respect, or at least an acknowledgment that Leon knew what he was doing. "Alright, scavenger," she muttered. "Lead the way."
They moved quickly and quietly, slipping through the narrow passage. As they went, Leon disarmed the few remaining traps, his hands moving with practiced precision. The scavengers' footsteps echoed behind them, growing louder by the second. They were close, too close.
Just as they reached the other side, Leon stopped, turning to Raziel. "Keep moving. I'm going to set up a little surprise for our friends."
Raziel hesitated, but Leon gave her a firm look. "Go. I'll catch up."
Reluctantly, she nodded and continued forward, her steps quickening. Leon stayed behind, quickly rearming one of the traps—a tripwire connected to a falling slab of stone. It wouldn't take them all out, but it would slow them down. As he finished, he heard voices—the scavengers were almost on him.
He slipped into the shadows just as the first scavenger entered the passage. The man's eyes scanned the area, suspicious but not yet alarmed. Leon held his breath, his hand resting on the small knife at his belt. One wrong move, and this could go south fast.
The scavenger took another step forward, and the trap triggered. The slab of stone came crashing down, smashing into the ground with a deafening thud. The scavenger shouted in surprise, and Leon took the opportunity to slip away, moving quickly to catch up with Raziel.
As they ran through the ruins, Leon's mind raced. House Infinite... He still needed answers, but for now, survival came first.
Leon led the way through the narrow corridors of the ruins, his steps quick and precise. He could feel the weight of Raziel's glare on his back as she followed, but he ignored it for now. He knew exactly where he was going—out of Ein Soldat—but the tension between them was rising, and it was only a matter of time before they both snapped.
"Where are we even going?" Raziel muttered, her voice low but laced with irritation. "You act like you've got this all figured out."
"I do," Leon shot back without looking at her. "I know this place, alright? Trust me for once."
Raziel huffed, crossing her arms as she trudged behind him. "I don't even know where 'this place' is."
Leon let out an exasperated sigh, trying to keep his patience in check. "It's called Ein Soldat. Old soldier's base, filled with traps. You'd know that if you'd paid attention."
Raziel rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't have a history lesson before waking up surrounded by fire and flowers in a creepy ruin."
"Yeah, well, maybe if you'd listened instead of throwing a tantrum, we wouldn't still be here," Leon grumbled, his voice rising.
"I didn't throw a tantrum!" Raziel snapped, her eyes flashing with dark flames for a brief moment. "And I'm not the one dragging this out. You're the one with the scavenger instinct, right? So why are we still here?"
Leon stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to face her, his expression hard. "Because I'm trying to get us out alive, genius. But if you keep whining, maybe I'll just leave you here and see how long you last."
Raziel's fists clenched, her flames flickering again. "You think I can't survive without you?"
Leon stepped closer, his voice low but fierce. "I think you can't even control those damn flames without burning yourself alive. So yeah, maybe you do need me."
The flames flared around Raziel's hands, the air around them heating up. "You—"
A sudden sound echoed through the ruins—a loud clatter, followed by hurried footsteps. Leon's head snapped toward the noise, his heart sinking. The scavengers.
He cursed under his breath. "Great. Now they know where we are."
Raziel's flames flickered out as her anger shifted into confusion. "What? Who?"
"The scavengers," Leon muttered, his voice tense. "They must've heard us arguing."
Raziel blinked, her temper cooling as the reality of the situation sank in. "So... what now?"
Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Now we run. And try not to get killed."
They both turned, their footsteps quickening as they made their way through the winding corridors. The voices of the scavengers echoed in the distance, growing louder as they closed in.
"You got a plan?" Raziel asked, her voice a little less defiant now.
"Yeah," Leon grumbled. "Run faster."
As they moved through the ruins, the air grew cooler, and the dim light from their surroundings seemed to fade even further. The silence between them stretched on, but it was no longer comfortable. Leon's mind raced, his instincts telling him they needed to lose the scavengers quickly.
"You said you knew where you were going," Raziel muttered after a while, her irritation returning. "But you're not exactly filling me with confidence."
"I do know where I'm going," Leon shot back, his tone sharp. "Out. And if you'd stop complaining for five seconds, we might actually get there."
Raziel gritted her teeth, but before she could respond, a loud crash sounded from behind them. The scavengers had broken through another section of the ruins, their voices growing even louder.
Leon cursed under his breath, his eyes scanning the area for an escape. "Come on," he muttered.
He led the way, his footsteps quick and sharp as the scavengers' voices grew louder behind them. He could feel the tension radiating off Raziel as she followed close, her anger flaring like embers ready to ignite. The air was thick with the threat of pursuit, and they both knew time was running out.
"We can't outrun them forever," Raziel muttered, her frustration barely contained.
"Didn't say we were gonna outrun them," Leon shot back, his mind racing. "We're gonna lose them." His eyes scanned the area, looking for a way out—or something they could use to even the odds.
Up ahead, the path split into two directions, one leading deeper into the ruins and the other narrowing into a collapsed chamber. He knew the latter well—a dead end, but it could buy them time.
Without hesitation, he motioned for Raziel to follow him into the collapsed chamber, ducking under a low-hanging beam. The walls were crumbling, debris scattered across the floor, but it was tight and defensible. As they ducked behind a large slab of stone, Leon could hear the scavengers getting closer.
Raziel shot him a wary glance. "What now, genius?"
Leon's mind raced as he examined the makeshift grav gauntlet on his arm. It's falling apart. He could feel the wires straining, the energy sputtering in and out. One last shot, maybe.
"Just stay quiet," Leon muttered, his voice tense. He reached into his pack, pulling out a small, pre-made bomb—a flash grenade of sorts. "This should buy us time."
Raziel's eyes widened. "What the hell is that?"
Leon smirked, though there was no humor in his eyes. "Scavenger Flashbang."
Just as he finished his sentence, the first scavenger stepped into the chamber, his rifle drawn. Leon's heart pounded. Time's up.
Without hesitation, Leon tossed the flash grenade toward the scavenger's feet. The explosion wasn't large, but the burst of light and noise was enough to throw their pursuers off balance. The scavenger stumbled, blinded by the flash, his gun firing wildly into the air.
Leon darted behind the stone slab, trying to catch his breath as bullets ricocheted off the walls. The scavengers were still close, their footsteps growing louder. He glanced at Raziel, who stood a few feet away, her flames flickering uncertainly as she stared at the disoriented scavenger. There was a strange look in her eyes—almost curious.
"Raziel! Get down!" Leon hissed, motioning for her to take cover.
But Raziel didn't move. Instead, she took a step forward, her eyes fixed on the scavenger who was scrambling for his dropped weapon. "What... what's he doing?"
Leon's heart sank. Of course. She wasn't afraid—she was curious. She didn't understand the danger. Damn it!
Cursing under his breath, Leon reached out to pull her behind the cover, but the moment his hand touched her arm, her flames surged. His hand burned with a sharp heat, forcing him to recoil. First-degree burns. It wasn't as bad as before, but it still stung like hell.
Raziel jerked, her eyes snapping to him, wide with panic and fear. "Don't touch me!" she yelled, her voice shaking. The flames around her body flared again, burning away more of her skin, revealing the mechanical parts beneath. She clutched her arm, shaking, as if protecting herself from something only she could see.
Leon backed away, his mind racing. I screwed up. Damn it, I forgot... He watched as her breathing grew ragged, her body trembling. What did I just trigger?
Her eyes darted around the room, unfocused. She was trapped in a moment, her flames flickering wildly, her expression full of fear. "I don't want to..." she muttered, her voice barely audible. "Not again..."
Leon hesitated. "Raziel... What are you talking about?"
Her gaze flickered toward him for a moment, filled with pain and anger. "It's not... It's not like before," she stammered, her voice raw. "I won't let him..."
Him. Leon's breath hitched. Whoever she's talking about... that's the reason for this. He saw the scars on her skin, the way she recoiled from touch, and it clicked. This wasn't just some random panic. Someone had done this to her.
Before Leon could respond, the scavenger staggered forward, recovering from the flash grenade. He raised his weapon again, taking aim.
"Raziel!" Leon shouted, louder this time. "You're burning yourself alive. You need to focus!"
But her flames only flickered more violently, and the scavenger was closing in. Leon cursed under his breath. No time.
He pulled another piece of rubble from the ground and hurled it at the scavenger. The man staggered back, momentarily stunned. Leon turned back to Raziel, desperation creeping into his voice.
"I don't know who hurt you," he said, his voice firm but not harsh, "but you're not there anymore. You're here. With me. And right now, we need to move, or we're both done for."
Raziel's gaze snapped to him, the flames flickering lower as his words cut through the fog of her panic. Her breathing was still ragged, but there was a flicker of clarity in her eyes now. "I-I can't... I can't stop it..."
Leon didn't hesitate. "Then let me help you. We don't have to do this alone. But we've gotta get out of here first."
Raziel swallowed hard, her flames dimming slightly, though they still danced around her, threatening to flare again. She gave a shaky nod, her body trembling. "Fine... fine," she muttered, her voice still strained. "But don't touch me."
Leon nodded, holding his burned hand up in surrender. "Deal. Now let's get moving."