IV: Abschussen im Dunkeln

[Shin]

Shins paced only improved slightly as he followed the figure and he had called out a couple of times, but to no effect. Either the person was oblivious to Shin, or he/she simply didn't care enough to be concerned with him.

To Shin it didn't matter, he already been lead out of the facility and that was enough for him. Yet, he still continued to follow the figure. He didn't really know why either. In truth...Shin was simply a follower, he had done it for so long he didn't even know if he knew how to lead.

It was much easier to simply go where you were pointed, unleash hell, and then return for your next set of orders.

Shin lost in though, came to a sudden halt after he turned the corner to find himself alone. Carefully he gazed around, finally paying attention to the area for the first time.

'Shit...where the hell did that guy go?' He asked himself, cursing his luck.

[Nayt]

Without warning, Shin would be struck in the throat--but not a horrible strike, not one meant to incapacitate him instantly. No, this was a means of pushing him forward, to slam his back against the wall. Gloved fingers would curl about his throat and the figure would no doubt make its appearance before the Tenken: standing before him, hand about Shiden's neck, pushing him into the wall and lifting his arm as if to lift him from the ground. They were close, but with the ever present dark clouds above, Shiden would be unable to see anything under the figure's hood.

In Shin's current state, it wasn't like he could defend himself that well. The assault came out of nowhere, anyways--some obscure amount of speed. Or perhaps something else . . .

The figure would lift Shin from his feet, though the figure was clearly an inch or two shorter than Shiden himself--a bit of a feat, considering how short Shin was in the first place. Though, struggling and shouting may not have been advisable. The figure, after all, did have a sword at its hip.

"Who are you?" the figure demanded with a definitively male voice--one that would, oddly enough, be familiar to Shin. "Why are you following me?"

[Shin]

Shin must have been out of it and recent events effected him more then he allowed himself to believe. Never before would he have been defeated by such a simple tactic, but as it stood Shin found himself hoisted off his feet and pinned to the wall.

His mind simply couldn't register the movements quick enough for his body to react, Shin had also become dependent on the ability so sense individuals through the use of Chi, an ability he currently didn't possess. Reflexivley Shins hands came to grip the mans wrist holding him and relase the pressure.

"I am Shin and I am following you....obviously." Shin said as best as he could. He might have been sorely out matched but he refused to admit it, or show any sign of giving in.

"..and trying to get out of this hell hole." He added, trying in vain to see the face under the hood.

"I...know you.." He spoke again, fighting back a coughing spasm he could feel rising from his chest.

[Nayt]

"Shiden . . .?"

The man's grip slowly loosened. Soon enough, his fingers uncurled from about Shiden's throat entirely, to drop the man back onto his feet. There was a strong degree of disbelief in his voice. The man stepped back, pausing--or perhaps hesitating. He turned his head to the right, then to the left, taking a long moment to take in the scents and sounds of the area. It was only when he was sure they were alone that he reacted.

It wasn't until the man drew his hood back that Shin could see his face. Had there been another to see them, they might have thought the two men twins. The formerly hooded one had likewise azure hair, long as it was, tied back into a ponytail. He had Cizokian features about him, but not pure--or perhaps not Cizokian at all. Unique, but vaguely familiar. A dark blindfold wrapped about his eyes, and excess cloth hung down by the middle of his back. An odd emblem was carved into the center of the blindfold, something of a golden eye.

If Shin recognized nothing else, he'd at least understand the emblem upon the blindfold--precisely what it meant, and why he hadn't seen the man disappear or reappear before.

Exitus.

"How did you get here?"

[Shin]

With the release of his throat Shin instantly went into a coughing spasm, doubling over and hacking up a rather large amount of phlem. Exitus obviously couldn't see how haggard and beat up Shin looked, but he would no doubt be able to tell it by how he sounded.

Recovering from his spasm he looked up to see his long lost friend, his heart surely skipped a beat, and a tear came to his azure eyes, a tear that he quickly wiped away on the sleeve of his coat.

"How...why are you here?" Shin asked nearly at the same time Exitus asked his question.

If there was on thing he didn't expect it was to meet the former Azure Enigma, and his best friend, in the darkness of this hell hole.

"It is a very long story." Shin said through deep and harsh breaths.

"Why were you in Sturms facility?"

[Nayt]

"Silver sent me on mission." Exitus replied simply.

He folded his arms over his chest, perhaps the most normal stance for him. His blade, the thin katana he preferred to use, was on his person, but was not readied. He had no enemy in Shin Shiden. If anything, he'd a friend in this man. One of the few he could recount. It'd be a great length since they'd been together. The last time they stood in one another's presence was back in Cizok, back when they were chasing Sturm down. They were allies then. To his knowledge, they still were. He'd no reason to believe otherwise.

"What of you? Why are you here?" Exitus repeated.

Of course it was good to see Shiden, but he was dreadfully curious about all this. It was like a puzzle piece he'd never known of was simply missing from the equation, one he was just now becoming aware of it.

Exitus shifted his head down and muttered in recollection--though not to avoid Shin hearing him. He'd no reason to hide anything from Shin. "He told me I'd have no allies in this city."

[Shin]

“I left the organization.” Shin explained.

“It’s a long story… and I was attempting to leave this place, but…” Shin shrugged his shoulders and gave a deep sigh as he leaned his weight on the wall, he was so tired.

“.. I ended up back here, in that hospital bed. I had a terrible pain, vomited and then blacked out. I had thought Sturm could give me some answers and explain things for me. But that man is an enigma…no pun intended.”

Shin leaned heavily against the wall and let his weary legs get a bit of a rest as he once again began to control his breathing and try to focus himself. “I thought following you would get me out of this place, but it’s like a maze and even if I did get outside I’d have no idea where to go.”

[Nayt]

"You've . . . left the organization?" Exitus replied.

He folded his arms over his chest and thought on this for some time. He couldn't quite remember how to deal with that sort of problem. Truth be told, he didn't know if he'd even been briefed on it before at all. Such a thing simply didn't happen.

"Why?" he asked.

The idea genuinely bothered him. He couldn't think of any reason to abandon or betray the organization; to his knowledge, they served an entirely noble purpose. They kept the world at large wholly independent; angels and demons and shades and lumen all sought their realm, almost all with ill intent, and the organization kept them out. They committed political assassinations, silent wars, and guided events of the global climate from behind the scenes to ensure that these otherworldly people had no stake in the world of Man.

Why would someone want out of that? Anyone who had a sort of noble heart would have agreed that they were right in what they did--that protecting the world of Man from the Outside was right.

[Shin]

“I’m tired Exitus…” Shin said as he put his back flat to the wall and allowed himself to slide down to a sitting position.

“I feel like there is more going on. More than they are telling us.” Shin shrugged and gave a helpless sigh. It wasn’t that Shin didn’t care about protecting the realm, he certainly did, but there had to be a different way to do it. Other then Exitus Shin didn’t particularly trust any of the other Enigmas, he hadn’t met many of them either.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I want out… live my own life. It may sound selfish…” Shin didn’t finish his sentence. He stopped to take a couple deep breaths and then just sat there. If Exitus was down here on Silvers behalf then the man wasn’t going to lead Shin out of here, not while he had a mission to do at least. Which meant Shin would be stuck down here even longer … or at least until he found Sturm, he still believed he could get some answers from the man.

“I’d come with you, but I don’t think I would be much help. Not until my strength returns at least.”

[Nayt]

Exitus was quiet whilst Shin talked. He kept his arms over his chest and his left ear always facing Shin. He still needed to keep an ear out for distant sounds. In the absence of vision, he'd perfected his sense of hearing. Something moving a quarter of a mile away would not go unheard by Exitus.

"More they're not telling us . . .?" he finally asked.

Exitus couldn't exactly imagine a reason why to keep people like he and Shin in the dark. About anything, really. But what if there was a chance of it? What if there were things that Sturm left unsaid, and Silver simply didn't mention? But . . . Silver wouldn't have intentionally kept secrets. The man was more approachable than any other member of their organization. It often just required a simple question to get a simple answer, and now that Shin mentioned it, Exitus had a few simple questions to ask Silver, too.

Namely, memories. Exitus had no idea how old he was. Twenty years ago, his body was just the same as this current one. Ageless . . . or unaging, perhaps? For as long as he could remember, he was like this. His name had no explanation. He'd all the ethnic traits of Cizokians, but no home in Cizok to account for. His only home seemed to be within the Sky Temple, though the woman he encountered recently suggested otherwise. Exitus mostly shrugged her off, but now that Shin reminded him, he was curious about her.

"Sometimes, I feel the same," Exitus nodded; he paused at length and added soon after, "What of this, then, Shiden? We can work together for the mission here, then we can approach Silver with our concerns."

It was much better idea than something rash, like Shin was suggesting. Leaving the organization on grounds of suspicion was a dangerous and irrational thing to do. With people as approachable as Silver amongst their superiors, it made little sense to leave without questioning him, first.

[Shin]

Shin thought about Exitu’s proposal in length before replying. “I do not know what help I could offer. I do not even have the Shiden Blade.” Shin gestured to the empty scabbard at his side. Slowly, despite his words, Shin rose to his feet and patted the dirt off of him as he rose.

“What does Silver have you doing?” Shin asked. He could just stay here and …what? Roam around until he found his way out or he happened upon someone else? No, he would take his chances with his friend Exitus; at least then he knew he was safe and even maybe he would find answers.

It was troubling him that he couldn’t access his bodies natural Chi lines, if he closed his eyes and concentrated he could feel the energy but grasping it was akin to trying to grab a rushing river, it just didn’t work. This was not to say Shin was completely useless, he was tired and weaponless but Shin did not some hand to hand combat and he still had his speed and skill to fall back on should the need arise, heck, like Exitus, he even had use of the Jagon…though he was no where as nearly skilled with it as his counter part.

“Let us move and talk. I do not want to waste anymore of your time.” Shin spoke, gesturing towards the direction Exitus had been walking before.

[Nayt]

Odd. Exitus figured Shin would have his blade on him at all times. He wasn't sure what happened to it, but if Shin lost it somehow, it was probably lost in a traumatic or simply embarrassing way. Perhaps even both. So he didn't ask . . . for now. Touchy subjects were sometimes best left for later.

What Exitus did do about Shin's problem, however, was give him a new weapon. He unfolded his arms and worked the sash that strapped his blade to his hip. It took only a few tugs to get it released, after which Exitus handed the blade Shiden's way. He could tell exactly where Shin was, but he could not tell what he did and did not have on his person. Seconds before, Shin gestured to something, but Exitus didn't notice. He heard the movement the of fabric of Shin's clothes, but he had no picture of Shin's form. He didn't know the man still had a scabbard and couldn't tell when that he was gesturing or motioning in any direction in particular.

It was uncanny, how a blind man could walk and navigate just as well as one so gifted with eyes. Shin would find that it was also a sharply different direction than before: to the immediately left, away from Sturm's facility, but not the direction he was moving in before. Chances were he was just trying back then to lead Shin into a trap.

It wasn't until after they were half a block's way down the road--as scant and dark of a road as it was--that Exitus even began to answer Shin's question. The man had no reason to hide details from Shiden and he'd no intentions of it, either. Speaking such details too close to Sturm's facility could have been problematic, however:

"I am here," Exitus paused, made sure he couldn't hear anyone following him or ruffling about in the vicinity, "To kill Tyrian Sturm."

[Shin]

Shin should have guessed Exitus was leading him in a different direction then where he was actually headed, the man had superb hearing and had probably known he was being followed the entire time. He straightened himself the best he could, though Exitus couldn’t see what he looked like, Shin didn’t want to look like complete shit if they ran into someone, though that is exactly how he felt.

Shin took the blade from Exitus, a guilty feeling found its way into his stomach. He hated that he was depending on someone else, it should have made him feel better that it was a friend, but it didn’t. As he followed his friend he worked the Katana into his own belt, placing it just over his empty sheath.

Shins own sense of hearing was above natural, nowhere near Exitus’s, but good enough to allow him to follow the man as he positioned the weapon and made it easily accessible for an Iaijutsu draw. When the two finally stopped Shin looked up to Exitus, still waiting an answer.

“That’s…no easy task..” Shin wasn’t sure how he felt about that, he wanted Sturm dead for his own personal reasons, but to send Exitus here alone against someone like Sturm. Shin had faced Exitus before, and had been beaten by Sturm before as well and though Exitus couldn’t see his face he gave the blind man a very confused look. “…how do you plan to do that?”

[Nayt]

There was no extra convincing required for Exitus. He knew how deadly Sturm was. He'd fought him before. The defeat was almost embarrassing. Sturm had to do very little to take Exitus down; he displayed no signs of supernatural power. He simply knew what to do and when to do it. If Exitus attacked, Tyrian Sturm so quickly knew how to evade or push it back in a way that left Exitus completely open for attack--and through this means, soundly defeated Exitus without even the slightest damage taken, himself.

No, Exitus was not going to attempt a direct attack on Sturm again. Doing so was like suicide, he'd discerned after the battle. Not even the Jagon deterred the man's perceptive and analytical capabilities.

"Time," Exitus replied.

He trailed off and paused at length, if only to think about what he just said. He'd gone into the facility with a reason. He'd planted what he needed to plant, and now it was time to hope for the best, that Tyrian Sturm would succumb quicker than he'd realize what was happening.

"Provided we've time left at all. . ." Exitus trailed off. Sturm was a dangerous man. There was no telling what he might do next, and if Shin and Exitus would wind up in his way . . .

IV.4 The Seeds of Doubt

And so it happened: a Gartel struck down two of his fellows. They challenged his knowledge, purpose, and capabilities--and then he responded by challenging theirs just the same. An ego-less man challenged the pride of his fellows in self defense, then with unforeseen swiftness, struck them down when they physically challenged him--and all with an antagonizing smirk upon his lips. He had an unorthodox, otherworldly fighting style, a nearly unlimited source of weapons, and the most awkward ability to talk someone into experiencing the heaviest guilt imaginable. Of course, he spared his fellows, but not without wounding them enough to give them no further reason to second guess his inclusion within the organization.

This Gartel's name was Brenden. He was perhaps the most untrustworthy man alive, yet the single most useful man within their organization. He was Sobiadin's primary connection to Tyrian Sturm, one of the best researchers they could possibly fund. Keeping him under control was a primary task of theirs, and there were fewer people capable of infrastructural sabotage than Brenden.

His opponents were those of Feires and--after a bit more coaxing--Naav.

They hadn't been much trouble.

Brenden stood at the far end of the entry hall. They'd fought in the first floor entry-hall of Sturm's facility, commotion which inadvertently allowed one man to enter the facility elsewhere and leave with another man--both entirely unseen and unharmed. Brenden's blades had all but dissipated by then, even the smaller chakram-blade he'd held for the short duration of the battle. From under his hood, he looked down on his fellows with a satisfied smirk, the sort that both challenged them to try having at him again and displayed a characteristic knowing, that this wasn't going to happen again between them.

[Sage]

He didn't need to be standing to bring down everything Sturm had around them, hell, he didn't even need to be conscious. He was a silent man, softspoken for fear of revealing his ignorance in most things, but he was physically strong, and he had his pride. His eyes fluttered closed as he breathed deeply, the walls all around them beginning to tremble and wheeze dust into the narrow, eerily lit hallway.

Feires groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. He had his pride, as well, given back to him along with his life after a thorough trouncing from a smug little brat. But he was clever, far more intelligent than Naav could ever hope to be, and he knew when the time for defiance and retaliation was done. With a single motion he stumbled backward into a wall of black, daring one last glance at Naav, knowing he would likely never see him again.

As if on cue, however, a second portal made up of nothingness appeared where Feries' had disappeared into a violet haze. A tiny figure appeared from it, it's thick leather robe much like that of it's Superiors, aside from the fact that it was not black, but a brilliant red. Wispy, strawberry blonde curls cascaded from beneath the crimson hood, and as she lifted her gaze to them she revealed emerald green orbs. Searching, curious eyes found Brenden first, and then the shaking in the walls. Naught but a look at Naav, and the trembling ceased and the wounded giant, defiant to the last would be dragged away into her entrance by a parade of hungry Grims, loyal to the girl.

" Thirtee-- " And the gravel-throated final thought of Naav was silenced as the howling dark blinked out of existence. Her voice, as sweet as any child's could be addressed Brenden. She was the lowest of the ranks still attributed directly to Sobiadin's Organization, though she only remained so because, usually, she refused to play his games and advance.

" Sobiadin sent me to make sure no one ended up too dead. I'm surprised to see it was Naav's gigantic rear on the ground, and not yours. An interesting development. "