4,874The facility was quiet for the most part. Six had gone off to explore his current location, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get to know all of it. A scowl was present on his face beneath his helmet when he turned and saw an Engineer float around the corner behind him. It was alone and it started to float closer and closer to him.
His hand slowly went to his Boltshot and when it was several feet away from him, his instincts kicked in and he aimed the weapon at its head. It stopped instantly and his aim never wavered in the slightest, he's seen what they do when they get too close and he wasn't too keen on having one near him. A noise was heard from it and his mind snapped back to the present.
These Engineers weren't the same as the ones on Reach and he had to remember that. However, he wasn't going to let one of these things anywhere close to him. So he simply stepped forward threateningly, causing it to make another noise and float backwards. His message seemed to be understood and it backed around the corner, making him remain on alert for several more seconds before he relaxed a bit.
When it disappeared from his sight, he began to walk again in some random direction. He didn't care where he ended up, all he knew was that he wanted to be away from it. Each step he took in the random direction echoed across the empty metallic halls of the facility. What was once teeming with life from the countless Forerunners, was now an empty husk of what it once was.
He came across a room on the right side and looked inside, seeing nothing but a place for storage. The door was shut and he decided not to snoop around it; sometimes curiosity was one's downfall and he wasn't necessarily interested in it either. His thoughts were somewhere else. Some were on Maaya and the children, while others were on dealing with Hazel and the Headmaster of Mistral. He didn't necessarily feel the need to end the latter's life, but if push came to shove then he'd do it.
His notoriety level was already high from the countless killings he's committed over the years, and no doubt Ozpin's death increased that. People were terrified of his existence; which was good in some cases because it meant they'd avoid him. However, people often sought to destroy what they feared and it was only a matter of time until they targeted others close to him.
Killing Ironwood was out of the question, so he'd break the man instead. Taking the Relic of Creation was something that was going to be difficult on its own, much less finding the Winter Maiden to access the vault. If Auspicious couldn't figure out what to do with them, he'd simply request to destroy them and see if he could convince her to do the same. It was either that or keep them away from Salem's hands.
"Reclaimer." Auspicious' voice echoed and he turned to see her floating down the hallway towards him.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Xiao Long's arm is ready for transport and activation." She said.
"..." He nodded and began to walk towards the center of the facility with her floating next to him. She hummed an unfamiliar tune and he remained quiet, the only sound coming from his boots as they impacted the ground.
"It seems you have a little follower." She mused when she saw an Engineer floating around a corner.
"Tell it to leave me alone. I'm not interested in its companionship." He responded calmly. Although he knew that it was Forerunner in origin, he couldn't help but group it together with the Covenant. To this day, he still harbored a cold hatred to the enemy of humanity. A dark part of him wished he was more brutal when dispatching them and regretted he couldn't take more of them with him before Reach fell.
"They are such precious creatures. How do you not enjoy their presence?" She asked.
"I just don't." He answered and ignored the Huragok, staying on one side of the hallway and well away from it. Nothing was going to change his opinion about the creature and he didn't care how much the Monitor tried to make him think otherwise.
The three managed to make it to the main atrium and the Huragok moved to the others while Six went to the center of the room where a large console was seen. He placed his hand on the controls in front of him and it scanned him before a large hologram of Remnant's globe appeared. It slowly rotated and he looked at a chunk that was highlighted in blue while the rest was in red. All of it still held a detailed map of the world and he held his hand up, immediately taking control of it and he swiped his hand to the right.
It spun in that direction and he observed it a bit before stopping on a certain section in Vale. He zoomed in a bit and crossed his arms while staring at the location for a few minutes before zooming out and swiping his hand to the right then upwards. He expanded Mistral Academy and observed its features for the next several minutes, plotting how he was going to get inside.
"Getting into the vault shouldn't be an issue." She said as a container holding Yang's severed arm floated next to him.
It floated inside a fluid with tubes connecting to it and he grabbed the container, rotating it a bit before shoving it in his bag. Once he was done with it, he'd discard it and go about his day. There was no use in carrying around a severed limb and despite knowing the Monitor could reattach it to its previous owner, the blonde didn't deserve it. She'd have to live her life knowing that a part of her was missing.
"What will happen once we acquire the Relic?" He asked.
"I will conduct several experiments on it and learn as much information as I can. Once I'm done with it, I'll safely dispose of the item. It's a poor attempt at recreating Forerunner technology by the two fools. The sooner I can destroy it, the happier I will be." She explained.
He looked at her and nodded before zooming in on Mistral Academy. That was his destination now and he plotted a course for it, watching as the map console descended into the ground. An objective marker appeared on his helmet and he turned around, walking back to his ship. On his way there, he saw a few of the Huragoks floating nearby and a few of them turned to him; one of them started to approach but he ignored it.
When it floated next to him, he put his hand against its body and gave it a push, watching as it spun around several times before finally being able to stop. Its head wobbled a bit as the dizzying feeling engulfed it. This seemed to send a message to the other ones and they floated away from him, not too keen on being treated in such a way. The Monitor's scolding was blatantly ignored and he continued to make his way towards the section where his ship was at.
Once he dealt with Reinhart, he'd stop by the settlement again. He stopped when he thought about Maaya and the children, then shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. He needed to hurry up and get back to the UNSC...
It was dark when Six saw that the academy was in sight. He flew low enough to the ground to avoid being picked up on any radar and the cloaking device installed in the ship activated when he was within sight of the surrounding area. The ship landed in a spot seven miles from the academy and landed on an open spot hidden by trees. Steam escaped the openings of the doors and he stepped out, checking his TACPAD and looking at the screen.
It was a layout of the academy and he began to make his way towards it, carefully stepping on spots that wouldn't leave too noticeable tracks. He kept his body low to the ground and quietly made his way towards the academy. Crickets chirped loudly in the night and he could hear the hoot of an owl in the distance. The wind whistled as it blew quickly and he let his thoughts wander a bit.
They were mainly focused on how he was going to get the Relic, what he was going to do with it, and how he could use it to his advantage. Cinder had given him some information on them before he left the settlement, stating that she learned from Salem that the Relic had the power to answer whatever question the user wanted every one hundred years. This begged the question as to how she knew about it, a talk that would happen at a later date.
Despite him saving her from Ozpin's torturous clutches, he still didn't necessarily trust her. She was a former underling of Salem so his caution was warranted.
He eventually came across a small cliff that overlooked the academy and saw several students roaming around. Dealing with them non-lethally was the best option for this mission. Rendering them unconscious would not only prevent him from gaining more notoriety, but also avoid having their loved ones recklessly throw their lives away to try and seek revenge.
He looked up and saw a few clouds in the sky before looking back down and at the courtyard. Auspicious popped off the strap of his back and floated next to his head, bumping her chassis against his helmet a few times. He initially ignored her before her gripped her chassis and held her in front of him.
"What?" He asked.
"It seems that the Headmaster is present." She said.
"Then he knows where the vault is located." He said and attached her back onto his strap. Looking around, he found a small slope to his right and slid down it, jumping when he was near the ground and grunting when he impacted it.
His Boltshot was brought out and he held it low, but ready as he silently made his way to the side of the compound. His eyes constantly scanned the area and he followed his objective marker, spotting a small opening in the wall.
He got down on his stomach and began to crawl inside, standing up once he was in. There was a little alleyway and he ducked behind one of the buildings when a student passed by. However, the student seemed to notice and started to walk backwards, stopping when he got to the alley.
Six narrowed his eyes and activated his camo, his suit warbled quietly and he pressed himself against the wall. When the student rounded the corner slowly, he wrapped his hands around the boy's mouth and an arm around his throat.
He applied just enough pressure to cut off airflow but not enough to break his neck. As expected, the boy struggled against the invisible force that was strangling him. However, nobody heard his muffled struggling and after several more seconds, he went limp.
Six slowly lowered his unconscious body and set it against the wall before peeking around the corner. He waited for his Active Camo to recharge before it engaged again and his suit warbled. His footsteps were practically silent as he made his way across the courtyard and towards the main academy building. Going through the front door was a foolish plan since there were several students guarding the entrance.
One of them was a Faunus and he sniffed the air before looking in the direction Six went in. He left his spot and started to follow the direction Six was in, gripping his weapon tightly as he walked to the left side of the building. The scent of pine and oak got stronger with each step. Tension started to build in his system before he rounded the corner and a fist slammed on the side of his head.
His body crumbled to the ground and a few seconds passed before it was dragged out of view.
After that little altercation, he continued on with his objective to acquire the Relic.
All was quiet in the office and Lionheart anxiously rubbed his hands together as he entered. He paced around erratically; this has been his behavior for a while now. Ever since he found out about Ozpin's brutal murder, he had feared for his life. To him, Six wasn't even a man at this point like some described him as.
He was a living nightmare...
A bad dream manifested into the physical realm and he was coming for him next. Not even Salem or her little acolytes could strike this much fear into him. Their threats of violence and death were tame compared to what Six would do to him if he got his hands onto him.
He stopped when he walked by the window and noticed that it was open. The night wind howled quietly and the pale moonlight shimmered inside the otherwise dark office. A sudden wave of terror flooded his system and he couldn't move.
The hairs on his neck stood up instantly and his heart slammed against his ribcage. The frigid feeling of death tickled his skin and kissed it briefly before departing just as quick as it came. A shiver racked his body and he somehow found the strength to slowly turn around.
His pupils shrunk in terror when he saw the door was blocked. He took one step to it before freezing in his tracks and shakily looking in the corner of the room. Nothing but choked noises came from his mouth when he saw it.
In the darkest corner of the room, he saw a cloaked figure. It was large, silent, and had a bag slung over its shoulder. Metal hooks could be seen from it and his soul felt like it had been shattered. Neither one moved and he almost felt like a mouse in front of a cat. He made the mistake of subtly shifting his foot and the figure's head snapped in its direction instantly.
He barely had time to give out a choked gasp as he was suddenly lifted off the ground by his neck. He gagged and kicked as his legs dangled in the air. His heart rate skyrocketed as he stared into the dark abyss of the hood.
"You scream and you will forever fall silent." Six said. His voice barely was above a whisper, but the threat of death came as easy as breathing.
Almost instantly, Lionheart fell silent and went stiff. An unknown pain in his heart and chest surfaced but he ignored it with great effort. All he could do was stare at Six in terror.
"The Relic." Six said. He ignored the violent flinch on Lionheart's face and watched the man squirm uncomfortably with a neutral expression.
"Y-You d-don't understand. These artifacts will throw the world into disarray if they're t-taken. S-Salem will win and I-I'll no longer be of use-" Lionheart stopped himself when he realized his mistake. The atmosphere became heavier than what it originally was and Lionheart felt his soul start to drift from his body.
"Talk." Six ordered coldly and Lionheart froze in his place. His heart slammed against his chest in a painful manner and it got so great that he felt woozy. That deathly aura was so intense that he knew a painful death would only follow should he open his mouth.
Six's patience was growing thinner by the second and his hand shot out, gripping the cowardly Headmaster's shirt and bringing him close. He raised his kukri and flipped it in a reverse grip, the blade gleamed in the moonlight as the tip searched for the first sign of flesh to pierce.
"Reclaimer, wait." Auspicious said suddenly.
"What?" He asked and looked at her when she popped off his bag strap.
"We still need him, remember?" She asked.
"..." He looked at her then back at Lionheart's terrified face before gripping his collar tightly. Even if Lionheart tried to move, he wasn't able to since he was so terrified. His worst nightmare was here and had that little construct not said something, he probably would've been a rest paste smeared across the wood.
"It would be wise if you gave us access to the vault." She said as she looked at Lionheart.
The cowardly man could only make choked noises as he saw Six turn invisible and shoved him towards the door. He anxiously rubbed his hands together as he made his way out of the office and towards the main area. His steps were quiet, timid, but Six's were utterly silent. Like a phantom stalking his every move, he could practically feel death's cold embrace grasping his soul. It was a disturbing in an unknown way, it was as if his mind couldn't comprehend something so dangerous existed and was really behind him.
A rough shove made him stumble a bit and he instantly knew that Six wanted him to move faster, so he did. He eventually made it to the grand hall and saw that it was empty. Both a blessing and a curse, because nobody was here to listen to his pleas or see his terrified expression. They couldn't see that his life was in danger and that the thing behind him was a monster hidden beneath a tattered cloth.
Nobody was here to save him...
"Open it." Six commanded and Lionheart shakily obliged, slid something into a tablet above the statue of Jinn and a series of mechanisms could be heard. Six glanced over the railing before gripping Lionheart's shoulder and practically dragging him towards the elevator. The two entered it and the doors shut, Lionheart pressed the button to the vault frantically when Six ordered him to and before he could dart out when the doors closed, his shirt was grabbed and he was flung into the wall.
Six's active camo deactivated and it was recharging while he just stared ahead. He didn't even so much as spare a glance at Lionheart, the moment the man moved, his hand shot out like a viper and dragged him up the wall. He gagged and kicked his legs while his aura was focused on his throat, doing its best to keep him from being strangled to death. The small dagger clattered to the ground and Six slowly turned his head to him, eyeing him dangerously before dropping him and stepping on his hand.
A crack was heard and Lionheart howled momentarily in pain before he found his collar gripped and he was thrown out of the elevator when the doors opened. He slid across the ground painfully. He didn't even get a chance to sputter anything before Six kicked him in his face on his way to the vault. His body slumped to the ground limply and the circles on the ground began to light up with energy.
It was the same tingly feeling when Six fought Raven and he knew that once he acquired the Relic, he'd need to escape quickly.
"You're not going to get any information out of him?" Auspicious asked as she looked at Lionheart's unconscious body.
"I'd be wasting more time than what I want. Getting the Relic is my top priority. Once I get that, then I can deal with him." He answered as he continued to walk. He wanted to avoid killing Lionheart despite his affiliation with Salem; killing him meant that he'd paint an even bigger target on his back and he'd have even more enemies to deal with. As much as he wanted to kill him, the risk outweighed the reward and the coward was simply an obstacle at this point. Even if he knew anything about Salem, he doubted that their relationship was anything like her and her acolytes. It was simply one through fear and control, the receiver only getting the bare minimum in return of having his pitiful life spared.
The closer he got to the door, the more energy he felt. He got to the door and started at its ancient design, the cracks surrounding it, the brown light that seemed to emit from its closed state, even to the rocks behind it, similar to desert mountains. He brought his bag to the front of him and fished through it, grabbing the container that housed Yang's severed arm and opened it. His hand reached inside the warm fluid and brought the limp appendage out. He rotated it, seemingly observing its somewhat fresh appearance, before he perked up when Auspicious popped off his bag strap.
Her small chassis clicked and several wires popped out. Sharp tips were on the ends and they stabbed into the arm, worming their way through it and several visceral snaps and the shifting of muscle could be heard. A finger twitched, then another, and finally the hand clenched several times. Six placed the hand against the door, practically slapping the palm against it, before Auspicious started to pour in vast amounts of energy.
"This might take some time." She said as she carefully weaved through the pathways of energy in the door using Yang's arm as a conduit.
Six just looked at her before a blip appeared on his radar. Something clattered to the ground and smoked hissed out of a grenade, making him quickly bring his DMR out. He aimed it and carefully looked around before the blip turned red. He fired a single shot into the smoke where the assailant would be. There was a pained grunt and before he could fire another one, a hand gripped his rifle and tore it from his grasp.
A hand wrapped around his throat and flung him back towards the elevator. His body rolled and tumbled before he got to his feet, planting them against the rocky ground. The grating sound of metal scraping against rock echoed throughout the area and he had to roll forward when a large figure shot through the smoke. Their fist clenched tightly and slammed into the spot he was previously at, creating a small crater from the impact alone.
The smoke finally cleared and he saw a tall and muscular middle-age man. His stature was broad despite his age and he had short, brown hair with hazel eyes. He had scars running along his forearms and the sleeves on his olive coat were rolled up. Six narrowed his eyes at the man as he slowly stood up while withdrawing his fist from the crater and clenching it. His knuckles popped loudly and he rotated his wrist before turning to Six.
"You're a lot faster than what some of the others have said. Though, I suppose you needed to be if you killed Tyrian." He said.
"..." Six just stayed quiet, his eyes were on his DMR and the large man looked at the weapon before tossing it near the elevator. A screen appeared on his HUD and he compared several faces before settling on one of them. This was one of Salem's acolytes; he'd need to extract as much information as he could from the man before killing him.
"I suppose I should thank you for killing Ozpin... although you did rob that luxury from me." Hazel gestured.
"..." Six still didn't say anything and brought out his shotgun, loading slugs into it before aiming and firing without warning. He wasn't here to make idle talk with the man, he had an objective to complete and nothing was going to get in his way of completing it. Hazel quickly brought out an energy shield and held it in front of him. He could feel the impact from the slugs and reached in his pocket. He stabbed a Dust crystal into his arm and another in his leg. His muscles bulged and grew as energy flowed through him. He grew at least another foot taller and stood over Six.
An animalistic bellow escaped his throat as he charged at Six. His speed betrayed his size and Six had to duck underneath a horizontal swing before weaving out the way from a downwards one. He jumped back when Hazel stomped the ground below. Taking this as an opportunity, Hazel himself grabbed more crystals before stabbing them into himself without a care for his own wellbeing. He seemed to have gotten faster after he did that and quickly put Six on the defensive, causing the Spartan to constantly evade each strike.
He blocked one of Hazel's vicious hooks and immediately noticed that his shields took a nose dive. The alarms blared in his helmet and he kicked Hazel in his stomach, noticing that he didn't even flinch from the kick. Usually that would be enough for anyone to recoil in pain or even collapse to the ground, yet the man in front of him didn't even seem to be affected by it. It was similar to fighting a Jiralhanae. He jumped back when the man raised his foot and stomped on the ground, creating a small shockwave. While Six was in the air, he jumped towards him and tackled him, seemingly rolling with him and eventually stood over him.
Six held his arms up as Hazel began to strike him, grunting slightly with each hit. He maneuvered his upper body to the right when Hazel brought up both his fists and slammed them down on the ground. Six retaliated by slamming his elbow on the side of Hazel's head. As expected, the man didn't seem to be effected by the pain, but the force was enough to momentarily stun him. Six then began to throw jabs at him, striking him in the nose and jaw multiple times while moving out of the way of the vicious attacks sent his way.
When he saw a small opening, he slammed his hands on Hazel's ears before headbutting him. He managed to get his feet up and planted them on his chest, kicking him away and standing up shortly after. Hazel stood up and spit a glob of blood out before wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He threw his arms up and blocked his face when Six sent a straight to it, making him skid back a few feet before lowering them and staring at Six.
"Tell me, what was it like? To see that bastard's life slip away from his eyes." Hazel said as he flicked his arms several times.
"..." Six just grabbed his Boltshot and aimed it, firing it a few times but frowning slightly when Hazel stomped on the ground and a large chunk of the ground sprang up, acting as a barrier. Sizzling holes were the result of the hard-light impacting the rock and a chunk was broken off. It was flung at Six quickly, almost too quickly for his liking but he ducked underneath it then fired a few more shots at Hazel. One of them hit Hazel in his arm, but the man showed no reaction even though he could smell the burning of his flesh.
Another crystal was stabbed into his and Six narrowed his eyes, bending down slightly before suddenly shooting off like a bullet at the large man. He ducked underneath a hook and had to weave out of the way from a downwards swing. His body maneuvered behind Hazel and gripped one of the large crystals lodged in the back of his shoulder. Planting his foot on the lower part of his back, he yanked the Dust crystal out, watching as blood sprayed momentarily before being sealed up by aura. He threw the ice Dust on near Hazel's feet and froze them to the ground. Another crystal was barely managed to get ripped out before he was swatted away.
Six's body tumbled across the ground and his shields blared loudly in his helmet. He grunted as he landed on his back before rolling out of the way when a large boot slammed on the spot his head was previously at. As soon as he stood up, he was engulfed in a bear hug and lifted into the air. His shields rapidly drained and Six grunted when he could feel the pressure from Hazel's strength. Had he been a normal person, he would've been nothing but a pile of broken bones and mutilated meat at this point. Fighting Salem's acolyte was like fighting an actual Jiralhanae and Six grit his teeth.
He flexed his arms and poured a vast amount of strength to free himself. He reared his arm back and slammed it forward, knocking Hazel's head to the side before following up with another hook, sending his head whipping to the other side. Once he was free from the bear hug, he tackled Hazel onto the ground and stood above him. He began to send a combination of light hits and heavy ones, leaning back suddenly when Hazel sent a violent hook at him. He pinned his arm to the ground before continuing his assault and gave three heavy hits before his neck was gripped tightly.
Six found himself on the ground, with Hazel kneeling over him and held his arms up defensively to shield himself from the hits. He grunted when each strike hit his forearm and when Hazel raised both his arms above his head to deliver a devastating blow, Six leaned his upper body out of the way at the last second. Both hands slammed on the ground and cracked it with ease. Six elbowed Hazel in the side of the jaw before punching him in his ribs a few times before managing to wiggle himself free and plant both his feet on the larger man's chest and flip him behind him.
Both stood up at the same time and Six noticed Hazel beginning to wane a bit. It wasn't noticeable all to much, but it was enough for Six to start to become more aggressive with his approach. He was mainly trying to keep Hazel alive to interrogate him on Salem's whereabouts, but his own body was starting to feel the effects from the man's attacks. It seems that ripping the crystals out of his body seemed to have its effects.
"Did you fight like this when you killed Ozpin?" Hazel asked.
"No." Six answered and sprinted at Hazel. His eyes were locked on him like a killing machine targeting its next victim. He slid underneath Hazel and kicked the back of his knees, gripping two more crystals and tearing them out viciously. He threw them to the side and headbutted Hazel, before grabbing his arm and flipping him over his shoulder and slamming him onto the ground.
"He got my sister killed, you know? Just like hundreds of others through his machinations." Hazel said as he gripped Six by the throat and lifted him into the air.
"..." Six just ignored the monologuing and gripped Hazel's sleeve before planting a foot in his right armpit. He threw his body back and used the weight of his body and armor to fall backwards. He then used the momentum to throw Hazel over his body before standing up.
"It should've been me though. I should've been the one to avenge Gretchen." Hazel said.
"So you joined Salem? An individual who has possibly done more harm than Ozpin?" Six asked as he tilted his head. It was the most he's spoken this entire fight but he frankly didn't want to hear Hazel's backstory. He simply wanted information and the relic.
"She promised me a chance at his head and I took it." Hazel responded.
"You didn't do this to avenge your sister. You did it because of your own selfish desire. You think she would've been proud of you for joining that horrid individual? One that's no better than Ozpin?" Six asked.
It seemed that his words had an effect because the next thing he knew, Hazel was in front of him. He leaned out of the way before bringing his knee up with the swiftness of a fox and the speed of a viper. There was a loud crack and Six knew he shattered a rib. Even though Hazel showed no reaction, he knew that once his semblance finally ended, he'd feel every ounce of pain he's accumulated over the course of their fight. If Hazel wasn't feeling anything, then Six shouldn't have a problem breaking him.
"Pain nullification." Six said as he parried an uppercut.
"What are you rambling about?" Hazel breathed harshly.
"The target shows no outward reaction to the damage he's accumulated. Breaking the talus should render his mobility inefficient. Breaking the individual will have no effect on extracting information." Six mumbled to himself almost silently. He suddenly bent down and brought out his kukri; the blade gleamed in the light before the sound of flesh slicing and bone snapping was heard. He ripped the blade out and blood sprayed in the air, splattering against Six's torso.
Hazel's balance suddenly shifted and he fell onto his knees. He barely caught a glimpse of Six ripping out two more of the Dust crystals in his body before he slammed them together. A thick cloud of steam blanketed the area and Hazel felt weaker than before. The last twenty minutes of their constant battling was starting to take effect. He reached in his pocket to grab a green Dust crystal and was about to stab it into his arm but the sound of slicing met his ears.
Something light falling onto the ground made him look down to see four of his fingers lying motionless on the surface. Blood leaked from the openings and he looked at his hand. Bloody nubs squirted blood and he grunted as he tried to stand up, forcing his aura to start working overtime. A sense of fatigue hit him and he found his Achille's tendons sliced open, making him fall onto the ground once more. His semblance was doing its job in keeping him from feeling it, but he knew that this wasn't a good sign at all.
"Is this how you killed Ozpin? Slinking in the shadows? If I'm to die, at least grant me a more dignified death than that bastard!" Hazel exclaimed. He fell forwards when two metal boots kicked him in the back and made him slam his face onto the ground. Two blades sunk themselves to his hands and pinned them to the ground. He grunted as he tried to free himself but when the steam finally cleared, he saw the extent of the damage he'd received within the last minute.
One of his legs was gone, the stump closed itself due to a combination of his aura naturally working and his semblance. The other was broken in three different places and walking wouldn't mean anything at this point. His head turned towards the front of him and he saw Six just standing there, not moving an inch. He was so still that he could be mistaken as a statue.
"What are you waiting for? Do it." Hazel said.
"No." Six responded.
"Sparing me won't get you anything. Neither will killing me." Hazel shook his head.
"I want to see how long it takes for your Semblance to finally stop working." Six answered. His voice was cold, calculating, but there was an undertone of curiosity in it. Those three things made Hazel momentarily shudder and it seemed that Six noticed. With each step he took, the more pain Hazel seemed to be in and every detail was logged into Six's mind. This fight wasn't easy by any means and Six could already feel the bruises on his skin forming. He wouldn't openly admit it, but fighting someone with the strength of a Brute and the speed of a Huntsman did put him on edge a bit. There was the presence of danger and he knew that one wrong move meant death.
"Just end it, you damn machine." Hazel muttered.
"Not until I get what I want." Six said as he knelt down in front of Hazel. By the time he reached the older man, he took note of the pain written across his face. It seems that his Semblance was finally starting to wear off and everything was slowly starting to hit him.
"And what's that?" Hazel coughed. His mouth tasted metallic and he already knew that there was some internal damage. There was a pressure building in his lungs and he could feel it.
"Information." Six said as he brought out a fire throwing knife. He gripped Hazel's hair and forced his head up painfully.
"Go to hell." Hazel said.
"I do not have the time nor the patience for your games. Salem's location, Watts' as well, and-" Six stopped when Hazel spit a glob of blood onto his visor. The viscous red fluid slowly dribbled down the smooth surface and Six just stared at him emotionlessly.
"Work for it." Hazel coughed out.
"..." Six just activated the Dust in the throwing knife and began to slowly drag it down Hazel's forehead. The burning of flesh was barely enough to make him shout, only grunt, in pain. It was when Six took it a step further and began to drag the superheated blade down Hazel's eye did the man scream for the first time in years. There was a scalding, white hot pain that erupted across the eyeball. He continued to scream as he could feel it start to bubble and burn his nerves before it suddenly ruptured from the heat. Bits and chunks of the fluid and vitreous humor squelched and bubbled as the heat continued to practically boil it.
It only stopped when Hazel said something about Salem. He realized that Six wasn't like others; he wasn't bound by law, factions, or even the natural order. Six wasn't a human in Hazel's perspective, he was an unflinching machine that didn't care about how much suffering it caused, so long as it got what it wanted.
Six just started at Hazel unflinchingly, retaining every single bit of information he said about Salem's location and the whereabouts of Watts. He didn't care about Gretchen or even Hazel at this point, all he cared about was information regarding his next target. However, unlike his previous victims, Hazel wasn't completely loyal to Salem either, he simply sided with her to get revenge on Ozpin.
Once Six got all he could out of Hazel, he grabbed his Boltshot from the ground nearby and walked back up to him. He raised it and aimed it at his head, charging it up and firing once. Hazel barely had time to react or feel any pain as his body started to disintegrate at a molecular level. There was no need to prolong his suffering like those in the past and Six personally told himself that he would stop being so needlessly cruel with his victims. There was no need to play with his food and indulge in the fear that they displayed.
He grabbed his blades and sheathed them before looking back at the spot Lionheart was previously at. He growled under his breath when he realized that he let a target get away. He knew this would only bring about more problems in the future, but he wasn't exactly in a good place at the moment. His gaze trailed down to his hands and saw the blood dribble off the tips of his fingers. He was beginning to wonder why Maaya and the kids enjoyed holding his hands so much.
A monster like him didn't deserve them...
Loud clicking followed by a cheerful shout drew him out of his thoughts and he turned to see the vault door open. He walked up to it and saw a gateway of light slightly blind him before his eyes adjusted to the brightness. Auspicious rattled off that as much as the Brothers were foolish children, they did know how to make a tricky door and she claimed the next one would be easier. He just hummed in response and walked inside, immediately noticing the difference between the interior of the vault and the outside world.
It was a vast desert with no trace of life to be seen. Three circular stone platforms led to a pedestal at the end. Floating on top of the pedestal was the Relic, a golden ornamented lamp that had a blue sphere in the middle. The sand seemed to try and suck him in with each step he took but he continued forward. Each step he took, the more energy he could feel from the artifact. Once he was in front of it, he stared at it for several seconds before gripping it and holding up to eye level.
Before he could observe it more, he noticed the dimension they were in seemed to crack and he turned around and left. The moment his body left the inside of the vault with the Relic, the dimension seemed to cease to exist. He held it up to eye level once more and Auspicious hovered next to him, scanning it and seemingly recoiled.
"There is a being inside." She said.
"Forerunner?" He asked.
"No, a crude attempt at creating them." She said; her voice seemed to take a slightly dark turn and he gently gripped her chassis before putting her on his bag strap.
"Let us return to the Facility." He said.
"Yes..." She whispered and slowly trailed her gaze down to the Relic. Despite her not seeing the individual inside, she could practically feel the anxiety that it was displaying. Auspicious herself was feeling rather... wrathful at the being. Those fools tried to recreate Hope-Among-The-Stars in their own image. They created a bastardized version of her dearest companion and seemingly tainted her holy nature...
Once she was done studying this being... she was going to destroy the artifact the first chance she got.
I humbly apologize for not updating this, everyone. I also apologize for this chapter's quality. I'm rusty as hell when it comes to writing and it's shown here. Yet, I didn't want to just not update this because you guys have actually stuck through it. I just want to say that I'm grateful for everyone sticking with this story, throughout its ups and downs; even the ones in the future, but you guys rock for giving it a read.
I probably wouldn't have gotten this far without some of you and I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
There's... a couple reasons why I don't really update this and I'll start with the biggest one.
1. I really didn't expect to get this far to be honest. At first, it was something I did for fun, then one thing led to another, and then another. At this point, I still don't know where I'll go but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.
2. Life just got in the way. Before, I was in school and everything and didn't have to worry about too much but I grew up. We all did and I just realized that there was more to life than this site, so I made this choice to focus on life first.
3. I just got sick of some of the drama and indulging in it. There's some things I could've done differently and acted more mature about, but the past is the past and I can't change that. Hell, I'll probably still get upset about some things and the way people view the story but ultimately, it's mine and they can't change it.
That's really all, but like I said before, and I might sound like a broken record... but I'm serious when I say thank you guys for this. I'm sorry to those that've been waiting and eventually left, but I'm not dead. Just MIA for the most part.
Anyways, don't have much else to say so? Catch you all on the flip side, everyone. See ya.