章 37: The First Step, Part 2- A new addition to the long list of Nightmares.
The landing sequence followed that blind leap I took, replacing the twinkling night sky with a dark frosted park.
My wide eyes had only begun to dart around, a breath about to settle, a-
"Man! The things you do for a cup-o-wine~" resounded a chipper, almost scaring the soul out of my body. My shoulders shook, a gasp was an instant away but mana gushed faster, pausing time along with that gasp, tinting the world blue.
[Fuck-Fuck-Fuck!] My eyes moved, so did the exit point as I scanned the area, praying I wasn't caught the very first second I touched the ground.
And as luck would have it, it turned out the voice came from the other side of the 1-meter tall fence made of bush and flowers, I landed beside.
With a sigh of relief, I canceled the Re-Directive Blink.
The time and the air in my lungs flowed again - she did not see me. I hope not.
[Okay… just stay calm… here goes everything]
Popping the Quick Access Wheel up, I selected Dark Vision, and the next moment, the figure of the woman in question came to view.
On the other side of the fence, she sat on a bench with her back facing me, kicking her feet up and down, rubbing a jar of wine against her cheek. She giggled as though she was drunk already.
And I need intel- and she was the perfect opportunity.
Slow as a ghost, I stood up. The invested mana was back, Corvo's Blade was clutched in my right hand, and with a deep breath, Blink's Exit Point was ready and shinging, aimed just behind the woman -
-Swish!
My hands rushed to the neck the second I Blinked-Out, sword on her throat, a hand clutching her mouth- freezing the giggles in silent trembles, "You move- I slit. Nod if you understand," I whispered in the calmest voice, but the quivers were still there.
My heart thumped even harder as her trembles ceased. With a deep sigh, the woman complied and craned a nod, and my grip on her mouth loosened.
And the moment it did, she cackled, "Dude, your breath stinks! Ever heard'a toothbrush? Mint? And what's up with the trembles on the blade? You never did this before, have you?"
"Sorry for the bad breath… you see, I was puking my guts out a minute ago," I giggled back, "and yeah, I'm panicking… So, I highly recommend that you stay still, or things will get red. As you know, panicked people make the stupidest mistakes."
That wiped the grin off her face. Her crescent smiling eyes flashed a second of fear themselves as she said, "Fine! Got'chya… what do you want? The heaven between my legs?"
"Don't flatter yourself… your chest so broad and flat, I thought you're a man until you spoke," I whispered, slap-pasting the smirk with gritted teeth. But the trembling blade drawing a small cut kept her still, "I want intel," I stated, edging the blade closer for another cut, "But before that… stretch your hands straight with the jar in hands. And you make even a single funny twitch-"
"Yeah-Yeah" She inhaled a deep sigh, swallowing the trembling rage, she followed, "And why should I tell you a word? I know where this goes… done it myself a couple'a times. I'll die anyway, might as well scream and fuck it all for you before goin'up to moomey~"
"Then scream and die!" I replied as my blade came alive.
"No wai!"
"Uh-huh…"
"Let's make a deal!" she quivered amidst the drops of cold sweat rolling down her neck, "Let's both make a pledge on our Falnas… I'll tell you everything you ask! And I'll tell the truth… I won't tell anyone what happened here, and you pledge to let me go unhurt!"
[Jackpot!] Even the trembles of my blade ceased, "Lovely~… you go first."
"Okay," the woman whispered, "I Silluesta Marn, pledge to my Falna- to my God's blessings and to his name I'll answer to all your questions with no lies and deceit, and will tell no one in any way about this encounter, or my Falna may cease to exist."
And the next moment, a golden haze gathered around her before sinking into her body. Taking a deep breath, she then opened her eyes and said, "There! Now it's your turn."
I too took a deep breath, "I Corvo Attano, pledge to my Falna- to my God's blessings and to his name that once you, Silluesta Marn has answered my questions, I will let you go unharmed."
Same as her. A golden haze appeared around me too, like a million fireflies dancing, but did not sink in- it faded just as it came a second later. And since her back was facing me, she saw nothing but the haze appearing.
Silluesta's muscles lost the tension right then and there- legs crossed, her grin back, she spoke, "Now… shoot away boy. I don't have all night."
"What's the security like in the mansion?"
"ooh-hoo~ That's one big pair you have down there, hun," She whistled, "Entry after 8 is prohibited… So, you'll find only our captain and Soma in there at this hour."
"Name the ones involved in tonight's assault on Liliruca Arde."
"Holy shit! Is that what this all about? fuc-" But her words crawled back down as blade inched closer, ready to bleed them open along with her neck.
"Answer the question!"
"Look! I don't know who went! I just heard they messed her up real bad! That's all!"
"Next question, where is Caneo Belway?"
"C'mon man, I'm not all-knowing!" but the new deeper cut begged to differ, "Okay! Building C, room no. 15! That's where he should be! It's past 2 fuckin' AM!"
"His friends?"
"He runs around with two, Shaam and Rey… three of'em are neighbors! That's all!"
"Indeed, that's all," I said, sighing. I got what I wanted fairly easily.
"Okay! Great!" she chippered, "Get the blade off! Now!"
"Ah! Right!" I feigned, "As a token of appreciation… I'll let you in on a secrete~"
"Th-the blade, man!" her shoulders shuddered.
As I whispered, "I don't have a Falna."
-Slish!
/ Argus! /
Blood splattered all across as the woman gargled in her own blood, eyes stretched open. The jar fell off her hands- clutched tight, she choked her own neck. Legs thrashed wild. Body arched, twitching.
-KATCH!
My left hand Flickered the Karambit out, and I shoved it into the back of her shuddering neck, wrenching the blood and neck all open!
She died on the spot.
Something in me died alongside her… an unfeeling void took its place. I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly never thought… I'll just stand there, and gaze into her still wide-open eyes glaring desperation, terror, and betrayal- and feel nothing.
An hour has passed since the monsters went loose, I thought they got bored and went back to their cages… but I guess not.
/ There was no need for you to-! /
[Yes, there was no need… it doesn't matter how or what I feel. How worse can things get? Another addition to my long list of nightmares? Or karma hits and they butcher me like an animal… doesn't matter. I'm here to kill and kill alone, and kill I shall! Even if I end up a mere murderer!... Everything would've been different if only I had gathered the courage all those years ago. So, even if tonight hollows me empty… Soma Familia ends tonight!]
And that's how the first Primary Objective was achieved- Gather intel on current locations of the primary targets.
My hand reached out to her eyes, closing them in the gentlest touch before I walked away, setting sights on the mansion 50 meters away.
And the math began.
As cool as Blink Propulsion was, it took a ridiculous amount of calculation done in my mind… all in 30 seconds if I'm airborne. Every Blink was calculated, and a single mistake meant death.
So I began running the formulas of Projectile Motion in my head.
Took of few seconds, but I found the perfect angle.
And so with that, I initiated another Blink Propulsion but not before Flickering-Out a water bottle, a mint candy, and the Stamina Potion and throwing them all into my mouth.
.
The roof of the mansion was flat, extending 70 meters. And ahead stood another small garden between the mansion and Caneo Belway.
"C building, room 15… approximate distance, 100 meters," I whispered, crouched on the roof… dead eyes, gazing at the four buildings ahead. Even my heart seemed to have died.
Walking on the roof was out of the question, there's no telling if someone below might listen, for example- Soma.
So I Blinked my way to the other side of the roof with patience I never knew I had. Possible detection served as a good motivation as well. The whole process took 7 Blinks, or say about 35 seconds, but I traversed it- no noise made.
From what I remembered from the anime, Soma and his 'lab' occupied the top floor of the mansion and had an open balcony to it- something I can use to get to him.
And the floor below must be where Zanis is. But Caneo must die first.
So, once at the other side, I laid prone on the edge, gazing at the brightly lit park ahead.
Even past 2, the park still had many people strolling around. Some sat in circles on the grass, playing cards and board games- some laid on the benches in a drunken stupor- couples making out behind the trees and bushes… not a care in the world as though no one in the city got the balls to waltz in here- all messed in the head and sharp metal his hands.
After the park were the four buildings. What I thought was a fountain, turned out to be a white marble statue of Soma, standing tall with a cup of wine in his hands.
"The C building should be behind the one on my left…" I mused, activating Re-Directive Blink and aiming a Blink Propulsion.
'Flying' was a much safer option than traversing the park.
And so the scenery changed, flipping the twinkling park with a similarly twinkling night sky. Wild winds once again began their assault on my eyes and ears, but I kept them forced open- squinting as I reached the peak of the jump and let the gravity hurl me to my destination.
No one knew… no one saw the silhouette, black as the night, flying over their head… on its way to murder their own.
And a few seconds later, I was almost on the building I assumed C.
But when was the last time things went my way?
Just as I was about to land… the exit point just a meter above the roof- out of the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of a man staring right at me as he stood beside the stair room, eyes wide open, his cigarette barely dangling from his gaping mouth.
[Fuck me silly!] I couldn't help but curse. With no other choice, I switched the already deadly landing sequence with an even more terrifying stunt.
The Exit Point moved and settled just a meter above and in front of the dumbstruck man before I initiated Blink Assault.
-KLARRRTH!
Before he could even utter a single squeak, the axe I swung tore through his body, bursting his skull like a melon filled with brain and blood- ripping his and lungs in two, drenching me bloody- wrenching his gut open, letting loose mess inside, and then the balls. Blood and entrails dressed my body as though a blast of nade, dyeing me red and gooey along with the floor and walls behind.
But before I could even wipe the blood off my face-
"What the hell was that? Box, you there?" yelled a man, his steps dashing through the steps leading up.
And the second his face came to view-
-SIWSH!-KLARK!-ACK!
With pinpoint accuracy, I pulled the trigger, raging a bolt out from the muzzle, splintering his skull through- blasting his brain out in a firework of white goo.
But it wasn't the end of it.
"What the-!" resounded another voice from the stair room, just I had taken a breath.
And before that breath could even settle, mana flooded the Outsider's Mark, stopping time before things spiraled out of control, while it spiraled a blue tornado before me.
As I took the moment and assessed, the man turned out to be standing just behind the guy I shot.
[Damn it!!] He was too far in for me to repeat what I did earlier. So with no other alternative on the matter, I braced myself and Blinked-out just outside the entrance- trigger finger ready to pull.
And there he was, in a mad stumbling rush downstairs.
And I had no time to aim.
-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH! - AHK!
So I pulled the trigger thrice, hoping to land a head shot. And a bolt connected, plunging itself through his eye- bursting out of his skull as the man fell in faint twitches.
But his body falling down thrashing from upstairs alerted three more.
Rapid footsteps echoed from below. Trampling all over my heart- my hands and shoulders shook… but I rushed ahead still.
"There!" yelled the middle one in the line of three the second he caught sight of me, as I reached the floor below. But that's all he was able to.
-BLINK ASSAULT-
More blood splashed on my face the second I Blinked-Out as I shoved both my swords through their throats and bashed my head into the middle one's nose using the magic's strike enhancement- squashing his nose flat in a bloody mess.
-AH!
Splattering him in the blood of his still twitching and gargling friends, my bash flung him on his back as he clutched his nose for his dear life.
But I never stood still.
An axe appeared raised high in my hands before I hurled it spinning at his face in a full-body motion- the axe spun through the air for a second before plunging itself into his skull, crushing it two, silencing his dreadful cries with a staple of death.
And just as I sucked a lung full of air-
"Shud'up! I'm try'na sleep'ere!" came another voice from my left as a door opened and a man walked out, still groaning.
[Oh, gimme a break!] His steps froze, so did mine as I activated Re-Directive Blink, and aimed a Blink Assault right in front of him, half a meter above.
-KARLTCH!
In reverse grip, I Flickered a blade out and shoved it all the way down through his skull and throat before pushing it like a lever- splattering blood all across amidst the crackling of bones as I wrenched it out of his body in an upward swing.
"They're dead!" came a shrill cry, snapping my head left- a woman stood there horror-stricken- trembling she stood in front of the river of blood and brains I waded in seconds.
And a second later, our eyes met. Color left her face that very instant as my blood dripping face slowly turned to her. Her gaping mouth opened and close… desperate to let out a scream but not even a squeak came out and the next second… I Blinked.
-KLISHH! –Phlssh!
My sword slashed, ripping her head off her body, sending it spinning in the air, raining blood all over, while I stood beside her headless body erupting a maddened shower of blood. I stood there, head up, eyes closed, letting the blood drown me red. And then-
-Thud!–Thud!
Both her pale-horrified face and her body fell on the floor with a loud thud as my eyes slowly opened. [That's all, I guess]
No one else came, and I took the moment and satisfied the oxygen craving of my lungs, the first one since the killing began. My blood dripping hands were quivering through the sheer adrenalin flooding every inch of my body… lungs hurt so much so that the pungent stench of blood and brains didn't even matter.
But the tension never left my body, nor did I stood still. Flickering-Out the crossbow, I began reloading it while I flipped through the surroundings using Dark Vision.
"No one on the floor?" I mumbled, breathing hard until-
-Tap-Tap-Tap…
Light but rushed footsteps echoed through the corridor, sending the adrenalin into another bloodthirsty frenzy.
And the next second, Dark Vision picked-up a woman jogging upstairs.
Growling through gritted teeth, I waited, glaring at the stairs… and just as her figure came to view, I Blinked right behind her.
-SWISH!
My blade tore through the air but stayed just a centimeter away from her neck, halting her steps right then and there- before she could even let out a gasp, I whispered in her ear, "You know what to do, and what not to, don't you?"
The woman in black and white froze, terror-stricken she gaped at the blood trickling away through the crushed skulls, ripped throats, and that headless body.
"I asked you a question!" I growled.
"M-M'Lord! I'm just a maid! Just a maid! Please don't! I have a 3 year old! Please! I'll tell no one!" she trembled… shuddered under the cold, red-wet blade rested on her neck.
"Then answer a question… is this the C Building?"
"No! It's the one on the left! Please, sir! I'm begging you!" she sobbed, tears and snots trailing down her face.
"Thank you for that, M'Lady!" While I grinned as my blade came alive. I got what I wanted.
-SWISH!–Thud!
Her eyes rolled up, mouth agape, her body lost tension before she fell on the floor, unmoving as I slammed the pommel of my blade on the back of her head.
[I hope I didn't traumatize her, and break her skull… it was my first time after all] Just to be sure, I Flickered-Out a Healing Potion before slipping half of it on her head, before turning left.
I now know the exact position of my first primary target- Caneo Belway
"Enjoy the last of your sleep… you raccooniey motherfucker… I'm gonna butcher my way through you! And I promise, your death won't be pretty!"
クリエイターの想い 
An_Imperfectionist
An_Imperfectionist Word Count: 3059..... Kill Count: 9
Was that a little too brutal? LOL!
And sorry for the delay... it was my little sister's birthday. As a compensation... here's bigger chapter!
Drop a review if you're enjoying the story so far~
週次パワーステータス
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