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The Silhouette and The Forge
Chapter 38
Jaina, despite her fear and every part of her telling her to just run and go with the rest of the Court members into the safe tunnels William Silhouette had established that were safe for the members they needed alive.
That or were willing to play by the rules that will be established-- if they get established.
The sound of steel grinding against concrete had her turn to see the weapon that nearly took her head off.
Squelch.
A spray of blood made Jaina step back, having hardened her heart to such sights. Seeing numerous Court members whether they deserved it or not getting cut down fleeing for their lives. The many talons that had followed the rules established by the Court of old were dismantled piece by piece with the grandmasters' own special talons.
Their blood and viscera scattered about the tunnel she chased her prey down had several talons waiting for them. Despite having far more talons coming down the tunnel with her besides her guard escort they were taking loss after loss against the far more capable talons decked out in gaudy gold armor.
She could only roll her eyes at the ridiculous ceremonial armor they wore. It was something that would be on a display rack, not proper attire for the Court's assassins. Despite their superiority over the newly improved talons they did manage to take several of the other talons down at the cost of several of themselves but it was made up for by many more talons coming in from behind to replenish the losses.
They were not entirely dead, but whatever changes to the weapons and equipment the grandmaster had made in their preparations to keep their power they had ensured the loyal talons' healing factor would be taken care of. Wounds they should have healed from took far longer to recover. Enough so they wouldn’t be back in the fight for some time.
Her saving grace was the trump card she had brought along just in case something like this happened.
Jaina watched on in wonder and horror as Raina casually lowered her leg. Standing before them was a pair of legs falling to the floor with blood pooling under it with the torso sliding down the wall trying to crawl at her with its sword in one hand.
Raina gave her a cocky smirk before she vanished. One moment she was gone the next she was leaning on her shoulder acting nonchalant when the numerous crushed traitorous talons all happened at once.
It was like she froze time and the effects of her actions finally caught up with the rest of the world. But Jaina knew what she had done. She moved so fast using the lessons Jaina had gone through with Hong and Ted Grant.
Jaina herself wasn’t the greatest fighter after going through the lessons. She believed herself to be average at best. But with what was coming and William making good suggestions that she should get some training to ensure that if he wasn't around she could defend herself gave her plenty of motivation.
Like how many people don’t view animals as being intelligent. At least not as intelligent as people. Jaina in some ways disagreed. People and animals were similar when death came into the picture they found themselves capable of accomplishing things they didn’t think were possible.
Or in Jaina's case, learning enough to be proficient to a small degree in kung fu and boxing. Despite Jaina's motivation to learn as quickly as she could, Raina on the other hand soaked it up like a sponge. Ever since the day she learned of the accident with her parents dying in that car crash she had been her companion ever since.
When she needed someone to talk to when everyone else just saw her as a puppet, a tool, or someone they could take advantage of and steal her inheritance. Raina was a good listener, protective of her like a sister-- which Jaina thought of her as the same. A tender and affectionate feeling on the other end of their bond could be felt.
But Raina enjoyed the things that Jaina either didn’t have time for or just didn’t care about. She was outspoken, not afraid to speak her mind regardless of whether someone liked it or not. Jaina was reserved, never truly speaking her mind simply because she couldn’t afford to burn bridges.
Raina was honest to herself and to those around her. She enjoyed fighting where Jaina could appreciate a good fencing match; she preferred more brutal forms like boxing. With the short time spent learning under Hong and Ted whom she had heard great things about the latter.
Like being a former heavyweight boxing champion told her he knew what he was doing. Raina through Jaina ate up everything they taught her in that time frame.
Of course, some things she didn’t like. Ted Grant calling her a wallflower didn’t help but she knew he meant nothing bad by it. It was used as motivation to get her to try harder and to see if she could handle the training.
To see if she could tough it out. She did that and then some. It helped that Raina was adamant about not leaving when Jaina believed it might be a waste of time with the state of his gym. Raina was interested enough in fighting to know when something was fake or legitimate.
Ted was the real deal according to her. Jaina now got to see the fruits of her labor with numerous talons charging down the long tunnel.
Raina merely shook her head, chuckling, white hair and rabbit ears flopping and swaying at the motion. A kick sent two swords spinning in the air before she deftly caught them then reappeared behind the talons.
Each of them stepped forward but slowed down before fully stopping. It was a second later that Jaina saw why. The bodies formed grid-like patterns before falling apart into diced cubes with blood just plopping onto the ground like rain against concrete.
The talons charging at them stopped and started backing away. Raina was about to go after them.
Don’t.
Jaina said through the link to her. Raina stopped her happy smile turning into a frown, Jaina feeling her displeasure at being denied to let loose for once.
They never ran away from their enemies. It’s a trap, I need you by my side.
Jaina heard a sigh in her mind.
Way to be a buzzkill Jaina. I finally get to be out and about but you still have to keep me on a leash… maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. I could get William to hold it and we could have some real fun!
Jaina had long since lost her mask in the fighting when a talon got too close for her liking. Unfortunately, Silhouette wasn’t there to stop it like he had with the first talon. Jaina had to pinch the bridge of her nose fighting off the blush that wanted to explode on her face when she felt the desire among other things across her bond.
The tunnel went on for what felt like an eternity. Yet no further sign of the talons that had tried to slow them down up until now. Jaina was getting worried. But she had come this far and she wasn’t about to walk away now.
Especially when the now former grandmaster would be running around planning her and the remains of the Court's downfall along with the rest of Gotham. Jaina did her best to keep the rage inside of her and the thoughts that Raina had shared with her about the possible identity of the old grandmaster.
Samantha Vanaver…
Jaina unconsciously closed and opened her hands feeling the knuckles pop. A part of her hoped that she wasn’t the leader. It would be too cruel to have someone like her hold all that power.
Yet a darker part of her reciprocated through Raina hoping it was. That meant she could bury her hatchet with her once and for all and she could do so without repercussions since Samantha had brought it upon herself.
Raina's smile had grown a bloodthirsty edge to it. She moved almost like she was skipping feelings of giddiness coming from her.
The tunnel began to develop a slope as they moved up. The talons had formed a circle around her and Raina acted like a shield. Many of them had taken the weapons from the fallen talons along the path in her orders.
I hope those weapons work against the talons using them.
You worry too much Jaina! Without them, we can handle what they have to throw at us.
Jaina mentally scoffed at that. Raina was capable. Even before her training she was stronger and faster than Jaina by a landslide. She just lacked the skill to use it beyond a few kung fu movies that Jaina enjoyed when she was younger.
Learning under Hong had shown her that most of it was made up of garbage. Not all of it surprisingly. Hong was a close family friend after her father helped the man and his family get their business going when her father had enjoyed his street stalls.
Hong was a foreigner who had come to Gotham with his family for a better future. Her father was always willing to help those in need especially when they had great potential and could bring in more business not just for her family but the city itself while providing jobs.
Hong was indebted to her family and reached out to her when she was at some of her lowest points in life. He was like an Uncle to her. It was no surprise then that he taught her martial arts.
The tunnel led to a large spacious room. Like the usual decor used by the Court adorned the walls but that’s not what had Jaina's attention. Dozens upon dozens of talons brandished weapons facing her.
Raina let out a loud whistle at the sight before them. “Wow, you guys sure know how to treat a girl.”
“I will admit I didn’t expect you of all to be the one to usurp the Court from me.” The grandmaster’s masculine voice greeted them. “Enjoy the moment while it lasts because this is the end of your treason. Talon, deal with them while I handle the solution Gotham has needed for a long time.”
“Oh come on, you're not even going to stick around for all the fun that is about to happen?” Raina whined at the retreating figures' cape, swishing dramatically before stepping into an elevator, the doors closing behind them.
A chuckle escaped Talon followed by him cracking his knuckles and neck. “You think this is fun now but the main event has just arrived. Remember that boys like playing rough.”
Before Raina could say anything back she was sent flying back landing on all fours. Where she was standing before was Talon himself. Raina touched her mouth pulling it back with blood on her fingertips.
She licked her lip before rising with a blood thirsty grin. “Jaina get going and don’t worry about any of these guys. None of them will follow, I promise.”
Several talons moved to skewer their former general only to hit empty air before their bodies had fallen. Their bodies turned into ribbons like fresh-cut pieces of meat at a supermarket.
“To think these talons were once the pride of the Court and me… well times are changing and you have been replaced.” With those words, the rest of the treasonous talons stepped in each becoming blurs so fast Jaina couldn’t even see their movements.
The only way she could see them was the color of their suits and that was it. Black and gold streaks slam into the tide of her talons. Like those realistic World War Two movies, the bullets could be seen whizzing through the air.
Raina for her part vanished and in her wake broken bodies and severed limbs were left. The trail of carnage led to Talon who had taken out several of her talons before vanishing.
The ringing of metal made Jaina look up. She was greeted by the sight of a blade stopped a foot away from the top of her head. For a moment she saw Raina’s hand wrapped around his wrist before both vanished leaving a gust of wind in their wake.
Several explosions rocked the surrounding space where all of the talons were batted aside by the force. For a moment Jaina believed it was the grandmaster's talons using explosives but none of them had any on them. No shrapnel or scorch marks.
Raina and Talon appeared sliding back on the concrete before sizing one another up, both falling into stances.
Rainas was a classic martial art form with one hand held out the other closer to the chest poised to strike. Talon on the other hand was a mixed form with his hands up like a boxer but his legs and feet were spread apart.
“Don’t think I ever heard of a rabbit-themed villain in Gotham. Who are you?” Talon said gruffly.
A sly smirk greeted him Raina tilted her head acting cute, her rabbit ears flopped down in front of her face. The creak of his hands showed he found it more annoying than anything else.
“White Rabbit and that’s all you need to know. After all, why tell anything more to a dead man who has to rely on performance enhancers to keep up with me?”
Talon let out a feral growl charging her, tossing several knives her way. Jaina looked stoic in the face of all of this with her talons doing their best to keep her safe while fighting back against the horde of traitors before her.
But inside, Jaina was worried for Raina and whether they could win. A reassuring feeling came from her connection with Raina. Ducking under a clawed hand that would have taken her eyes before shooting her a confident look.
You got this Jaina. Give them hell.
Smiling and giving her a nod running through the chaos with her talons putting up better fights compared to before. They were still getting massacred but the enemy talons had to work for it more now than they had before. Her talons used their weapons against them and it worked just as well as it had on them.
They also learned from their mistakes like not trying to take them on alone. Even she wouldn’t have realized how outclassed they were physically by these talons if she had gone only by appearance.
Just another thing to figure out once the dust had settled from this. Several talons go with her, keeping the others from getting to her.
Leaning out of the way almost getting smacked by a severed arm, blood splattered her legs. Fighting off the urge to shiver and immediately get the blood off.
She reached the elevator with the many talons doing their best to keep the others from getting to her, taking out the small device bigger than a hard drive. Silhouette had said it might be needed if she wanted a door opened.
How he managed to find a way past the Court's security was beyond her but she hoped he wasn’t full of it. She took it and pressed the button on the side of it. The tip sprouted several mechanical tendrils that she almost believed were some creature's tentacles.
Placing it near the electronic system trying not to drop it when it creeped her out. She soon got to see it work taking apart the interface with such ease without damaging or destroying a single part of it. It was more like it was dismantling it with such care that it didn’t match up with the speed the tentacles worked.
Metal embedded itself into stone so loud and close that it made her heart leap into her throat. A gust of air parted her hair. She snapped her neck to the right, greeted by the sight of a sword vibrating like it was a tuning fork from the force it had impaled the wall piercing it up to its hilt.
All thoughts froze for what felt like an eternity. She stared up at the soulless eyes of Talon himself.
“You will have to forgive me. I never liked sharing my toys with others. Especially such a durable toy like you.” Raina purred.
She managed to save Jain at the last second, diverting the blow off course. Her foot rested on the handle while she bent and contorted in an impressive display of flexibility holding his hand from stabbing her in the back with his metal talon-like fingers.
Talon growled out straining against Raina who despite looking confident she could feel the concern and worry for her well-being while trying her best to keep him at bay.
Snap out of it. Get out of here so I can go all out.
Jaina finally snapped out of it when Raina was all but begging her to leave. The device seemed to work with the doors opening as she stepped inside with them closing behind her.
“No!” Talon exclaimed, rage clear as day even with his voice modulator.
“Oh don’t worry this is going to be fun,” Raina purred. Talon didn’t waste any time taking his hand off the hilt, bringing it up in a knife strike right for Raina’s throat, “For me that is.”
Her smile was one of grim satisfaction leaping over the strike twisting mid air with a spinning kick. He twisted out of the way, throwing a volley of blades from his other hand. Raina avoided each blade timing the twists and turns of her body enough to avoid the blades where otherwise they would have landed.
Kicking off the wall her elbow slammed into his chest sending him sliding across the floor back into several talons. Kicking off the ground all in one motion not letting up the pressure feeling her heart beat feeling more alive than she had in a long time. Jaina could use a little more of this in her life, to uptight and wound up her sister had become thought Raina.
She needed to learn when to cut loose now and again… at least not on the anniversary. Now her mood was ruined with that memory coming to mind. But it wasn’t all bad this year she mused thinking of William’s night out with Jaina.
Talon, seeing her coming and being the only person she had met that could react and keep up with her besides Silhouette, used his momentum from the rib-shattering blow she gave to gain some distance.
Slamming into one of Jaina’s talons back flipping up and leaping off of it spinning in the air tossing a few throwing stars her way.
Raina ran forward enjoying every moment of this grabbed each star between her fingers then tossed them back at him. Each star sparked off another blade he pulled out deflecting them. Another burst of speed had him keeping up with her before suddenly moving faster like the other times he took a hit of that drug Silhouette had created.
Raina was glad that he comforted Jaina and didn’t take advantage of her dropping her guard and showing her vulnerable side courtesy of the sake in her system. Raina would have stepped in had he done something untoward to Jaina.
She may be attracted to the man, just as Jaina was, but that didn’t mean she would turn a blind eye to him taking advantage of someone she cared deeply for.
Leaping over several swords with a few talons trying to help their leader. Talon taking advantage of her current inability to dodge mid-air came flying through the air sword lashing out.
The two landed apart from one another, the only sound in the room was the clash of metal against metal, flesh and blood hitting the ground. Drops of blood dripped out of a shallow cut on her thigh. Raina tsked, seeing her new outfit already ruined.
“Well, it was nice while it lasted… Now that I think about it it looks even better!” She said cheerfully doing the splits under two horizontal slashes from a pair of talons.
Bringing both hands up grabbing two blades off of them. Two lightning-fast cuts sent their arms and torsos falling to the floor. Several more talons not fighting the others took their chances trying to sneak in some attacks only to be met with parries and counters from her.
She had watched enough of Talon and his minions' swordsmanship to get an idea of how to use one of their weapons. Each attack on her was evaded or blocked then her counterattack happened within mere moments the edges of the blades parting through flesh like it was butter.
Her arms were more like deadly serpents striking out at every victim that came her way thinking they could take her. Leaning out of thrusts or slashes then cutting down most opposition with their wounds not healing like they were before.
Despite the number they had done to Jaina’s loyal servants they gave as good as they got. Raina also managed to take out many of them with Talon keeping his distance trying to sneak in any attacks when he could but none got through her defense.
Unlike the talons whose wounds were far too slow to heal from the blades, Raina's cut wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. It had already scabbed over despite how it shouldn’t have. Raina didn’t exactly know what she was but she did know that when she went back to Jaina anything she had suffered was undone.
It was something they both learned when Raina first came into Jaina's life after the accident. Like Jaina drawing little doodles on her face when she was asleep. She was dismissed then summoned again with none of the permanent marker on her.
So Raina was unconcerned rushing towards the talons before Talon himself realized his blade's properties were not doing whatever it was he expected.
Another hit of jet he rushed for her but it’s too late now. He must have noticed when fighting her the entirety of the time. She was learning and improving her fighting skills the longer the fight dragged on.
At the beginning, Talon had the edge. Raina's strength and speed had always been her strong suit to anyone unaware of her other talents. But Talon had shown just like Hong despite her and Jaina being physically stronger and in better shape than they were, skill can nullify such advantages.
It’s why he almost managed to kill Jaina when she was getting the elevator to work. She had underestimated him, he used a feint, kicked her away with a few of his talons trying to take her down. She rushed faster than she ever had in her life to save her sister.
Just as she underestimated him he too had made that mistake to her relief. He was still moving fast, but he didn’t have the urgency like before, believing Jaina was as good as dead savoring the kill.
She was just glad it hadn’t ended in tragedy when she managed to get there in time to stop the strike from landing.
All without her or Jaina getting cut by the blade when she kicked it off course. Her skills in both hand-to-hand combat had grown by leaps and bounds, but so too had her knowledge in swordsmanship. She was always a fast learner when it came to the more… barbaric arts Jaina didn’t like.
Leaning her head back to avoid the blade point aimed for her throat which missed by a hair's breadth. Another went for her side aiming to spear through her ribs at an angle to get her heart. Sword in hand she brought it up making the blades slide against one another sparks forming between the weapons now in a blade lock.
The other blade came lashing out, almost taking Talon's other arm but he disengaged in time before any damage could be done.
With Jaina gone, she didn’t have to worry about her instead fully focusing on the fight. Before she was having some fun with her slackened leash and the freedom that came with that. Now she was angry.
“Where the hell did that girl find you? Last I checked there were no metahumans in Gotham like you.” He said circling her, cutting down two talons without looking behind himself.
Raina had a smile on her face. It was the kind when someone knew something you didn’t. A joke you just don’t understand but the other person does.
“Around. Does it matter? Or are you just trying to stall hoping the extra talons can compensate for your lack of skill… well I guess you have to find some way to compensate for what you lack.” She said in an unimpressed teasing tone.
Talon growled at being so easily figured out. Ever since he tried to get a free shot on Jaina he had gone on the defensive, staying out of her reach. Any attempt he made was at a distance or when he believed she was too preoccupied to stop him and counter.
The talons around them had made a mess of the room. Blood splattered all over the place, and a mass of limbs and bodies littered the floor. More of her talons than the enemies. Yet it wasn’t an insignificant number either.
Having had her fill of the man she sprinted to him closing the distance far faster than she had before. Using more strength alongside the stance and movements she mimicked from Talon to further increase her speed.
Her blades crossed like scissors, almost taking his head off but he got his sword up in the nick of time stopping the metal jaws from clamping down.
Raina, having not stopped, pushed him across the room. He was struggling every step trying desperately to stop her finding no purchase on the slick blood-covered ground nor any means to overpower her.
Grunting he struggled with the blades slowly getting closer and closer to him trying to pull his head back, stopping when his back hit the wall.
The blades sparked against his like bolts of lightning brushing away the darkness across his masked face. Despite the mask, he looked worried judging by how desperate his movements were. The two swords found purchase in the concrete wall now pinning him in place.
Bringing a knee up to her gut, he instead found empty air, her feet standing on his knee swords buried almost up to the hilt like the concrete was clay. The swords didn’t seem to lose their edge like they should but Jaina couldn't care less about that right now.
It’s time for her to cut loose now that he can no longer run away. “Now don’t worry this will hurt for a long time.” She said with a sachirin grin.
“I can take it! Do your worst for it won’t matter, I will just heal it all back.” He said, sounding defiant to the bitter end.
“Just what I wanted to hear. I like my toys to be extra durable.” She purred.
Hopping off his knee upside down slamming her knee on the top of his head with a sickening crunch. His movements halted for a moment, slumping down like a puppet with its strings cut before he twitched.
He redoubled his efforts to get out of his current predicament now with Raina using him like a punching bag snapping ribs like they were twigs with each punch. The man’s head looked up to the ceiling letting out grunt after grunt.
His hands clambered up trying to grasp anything to make her stop.
“Come on don’t tell me you're out of moves? All that big talk and you leave me wanting more?” She said, sounding disappointed.
Despite the pain he must have been in with his body being broken down only to fix itself so she could do it again he still tried to fight back. Her fists were like artillery salvos with the power in them destroying his body yet they raced towards his body faster and faster like machine gun rounds.
He had given up trying to stop her when his arms and hands had been broken multiple times. A knife snaked out for her throat only for it to stop when she grasped his wrist, crushing it.
The knife dropped out of his ruined hand before she grabbed it and pinned his shoulder into the wall with the blade going deep into his shoulder bone. The clang of steel against steel was enough for her to know the talons were keeping the others from helping him.
Taking a few swords off the ground and pinning him to the wall making his struggles more fun to watch.
“Now don’t go anywhere I will be right back.” She batted her eyelashes at him, sashaying away to deal with the rest of the remaining talons.
It wasn’t long after that Raina wiped her hands off with the now delimbed talons squirming on the ground with a few talons left following her.
“Oh no my guest is trying to leave? So soon? But we just got to the good part.” Raina said to Talon who managed to pry out two swords from his right arm's wrist and elbow joint.
He froze mid attempt trying to get the other swords out keeping his limbs and body pinned to the wall. His wounds like the rest of the talons were not healing nearly as fast as before. Like a deer caught in the headlights, he stared with a sword halfway out of his other arm's shoulder.
Then he yanked the sword out with a wet slick holding the thing at her. “Back demon! I won’t go down without a fight you whore!”
He waved the sword at her but Raina's eyes were wide open before narrowing into pinpricks at him.
“Did you just call me a whore?” She asked, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Dangerous enough that Talon froze for a moment realizing he may have just made the worst mistake of his life.
“… no.”
Raina did a double-take at the shameless denial. “You're going to get it now.” She snarled.
Before he could even say a word the sword found itself a new home buried deep into his mouth and the back of his throat.
An uppercut under his chin made his teeth shatter against the blade, raining against the floor like hail against concrete. “That’s for being a traitor to the Court.”
He groaned half-mumbled like music to her ears.
Double palm strikes shattered his femurs making him scream out in pain even with the sword gagging him. “That’s for trying to kill Jaina!”
He squirmed, sending blood cascading down the wall courtesy of the numerous swords making him look like a pincushion as he struggled to break free.
She wailed into him listing off things that were entirely his fault with many more that weren’t but she needed to vent and what better punching bag than the one hanging from the wall.
She finally relented to Talon's relief. His body looked more like a deflated balloon than a reanimated man’s body in an armored suit. Or what was left of it.
As the punches got faster and stronger the suits' armored plates had crumbled like paper towels soaked in water. Some lay on the ground damaged beyond repair or the few barely hanging onto the suit.
The armored weave was frayed and torn across his body. Even the reinforced mask had shattered parts of it embedded into his face with his healing factor working overtime to get the pieces out. He would hiss at the feeling of metal and glass forced out of his face but the pain from what he just endured made that an impossibility with everything hurting.
His one good eye while the other healed slowly stared at the monster that had been unleashed upon the Court.
He would have been irate at the street walker metahuman for calling him a traitor but his mind was preoccupied with the sight of her stopping and his pain for a moment coming to a halt.
Talon tried to rack his mind for any means to get out of this situation and escape. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. He was going to get her and that usurper back for what they had done--
Talon's thoughts of a brutal retribution ground to a halt seeing through his swollen eye that she was moving backwards. To his horror, she wasn’t done. What Raina was about to do was going to be the final blow before she sent Talon to his final resting place.
The talons around her cleared out of her way. She never once took her gaze off his tired and fearful eye. For Talon all he saw was the devil in her eyes and she looked pissed at him.
A section of the area had the lights destroyed in the middle of all the fighting. She backpedaled into the shadows.
Despite her appearance and outfit being horrible for blending in with the shadows she somehow seamlessly became one with them. Talon found himself dreading what was coming. Seconds ticked by but nothing came.
When the dread building in his gut hit its apex a sound beyond the shifting of his limbless talons could be heard.
Steps.
He still had enough jet in his system to witness her advance. She strided forward long steps covering meters of ground in a fraction of a second. But he saw the evil gleam in her eye.
“This—”
He could only watch on in horror.
Her steps sent ripples through the air from the force of them. The concrete cracked and cratered under her steps.
“Is for—”
Talon tried begging her to stop. He would give her anything or tell her the Court's secrets if she would just not hurt him any further.
“Phhhlm.” He tried to say please but could only spit and choke on the sword shoved into and through the back of his mouth forcing him to watch.
“Trying to kill all of Gotham!” The jet faded away, and her legs became a blur as she zoomed across the concrete.
She shot straight towards him, tears coming out of his eyes trying desperately to reason with her. Her leg reared back putting all of her momentum into it. His other eye opened both wide as saucers begging her not to do what he knew she was aiming for.
Her leg kicked up with the power of a force of nature. That force of nature impacted his family jewels like a meteor hitting a gong.
“UgGhHaAAaAh!” His wails of pain were music to her ears. Louder and louder his wails of pain got hitting higher frequencies before tapering off like he was choking.
She didn’t think a person's voice could go that high a pitch. His eyes rolled into the back of his head with his teeth shattering on the blade in his mouth once again from the pain he was subjected to. It must have felt like they were shoved into his throat before he fell unconscious.
Raina turned away from Talon looking at the elevator then back at his comatose body occasionally twitching.
“… call me a whore.” She muttered under her breath. She liked her clothes a little revealing. Big whoop.
“The rest of you keep an eye on him and these other traitors. I will go after the grandmaster and send any extra talons up. The extra help might be needed.” She ordered the talons who all nodded getting to work making sure none of them could do a thing while she was gone.
She hadn’t failed to notice the quakes coming from below them where the arena was. Whatever is causing it, hopefully Silhouette has it handled.
Focusing her attention on her bond with Jaina. She could feel what she felt during that clash. Fear. Confidence. Apprehension then a cold smoldering fury that put what Raina did to Talon to shame.
Raina needed to get up there to make sure she was alright and find out what was causing such emotions. She wasn’t responding. Whatever was happening had her undivided attention.
Moving to the elevator grunting as she pried the doors open bending the metal around the doors in the process. A moment too long in her opinion but the doors were now open.
Taking a single step only to stop when everything began to shake. She could feel the vibrations of whatever it was deep in her bones.
One moment she was about to ignore it and jump her way up to wherever Jaina was. The next she froze when the earth around her erupted with everything turning red behind her. Jumping back whirling around to see a wall of red where Jaina's talons were once standing with Talon still pinned.
A part of her told her not to touch whatever was setting her on edge. Just as quickly as it appeared it was gone. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she still saw red before clearing it away. Then she saw what it had left in its absence.
A gaping void. No concrete, tunnel, or anything to indicate it had been there. Like it was all her imagination that she ran down the tunnel fighting wave after wave of talons to her heart's content.
She could see the night sky above. Glancing ahead of her she could see the many levels beneath Gotham's streets from the sewers and pipes spilling their contents into the massive hole that was drilled into Gotham.
Taking a step over to look down she is greeted with molten rock not unlike that of a volcano below. Looking on in wonder at what could have done this before something shot up fast from the bottom. The glimpse she saw didn’t make any sense.
It looked like a boy in a suit holding an orange cat in his arms flying up.
Looking further up in hopes she might catch whatever that was seeing a skyscraper like all the others in Gotham standing despite nearly half of it being gone. Like someone took an eraser and just shaved off half of it.
She saw the boy in the suit floating in the air saying something to Samantha Vanaver far above her.
Eyes narrowed, feeling Jaina's fear, she rushed towards the elevator shaft knowing she needed to help her. Hopefully, she can get there in time.
