Ch:17 Scrawling

A few hours earlier

"Everyone knows their role, yes?" The commanding voice of Sienna spoke up once the group had made their way inside of the facility.

The group nodded and Maru started summarizing. "Virdis and Orion shutting down the power and alarms, Nyx outside to watch for anyone trying to escape or anyone coming to help and Thalia, Sienna and I going directly to the big frost man himself."

"Good now, split, keep in contact in case anything goes wrong." Sienna commanded, dashing further into the compound with Maru following and Thalia taking a second to start, Nyx used his semblance to reach a better vantage point leaving only Virdis and Orion.

"Comeon kid let's get this over with." Virdis started walking before turning back to Orion. "Oh yeah you should probably draw your bow in case someone unwanted spots us you would draw less annoyances."

Orion nodded and did what was asked of him following along.

After a few minutes of pressure-filled silence they reached a bend in the corridor, Virdis held his gloved hand up signaling to stop, Virdis then slowly peeked around the corner before sighing and just walking around it.

Orion followed slowly peeking around in much the same manner that Virdis just did, the first thing that he spotted was red, red all around, it was almost enough to make him puke, he turned to see Virdis' reaction, the man in question seemed hardly fazed by the bodies of two guards cut into pieces and strewn everywhere, if anything he almost looked disappointed, with his hand on his face and shaking his head, mumbling.

He let out a very large sigh which made Orion flinch. "Guess Maru got here before us." He turned to Orion who he now noticed had a fearful look in his eyes, causing him to sigh again. "You not good with blood and gore, kid?" Orion nodded. "Well sorry you had to see this, that damned idiot Maru probably didn't even think about the fact you kids are here."

Orion slowly calmed down from his initial fright, he turned to Virdis stuttering out. "M-Maru did this?"

Virdis nodded, his expression a mix of annoyance and exasperation. "Yeah, Maru's… a bit intense, to say the least. She doesn't hold back in a fight, and she has a real love for making things red." He paused and looked around the corridor again. "Entirely red."

As they continued to make their way through the darkened corridors, the gruesome scene they had encountered served as a constant reminder of the brutality that Maru was capable of. Orion, although shaken by the sight, was also beginning to understand that he and Thalia were dealing with an incredibly dangerous individual.

Virdis couldn't help but offer a little advice to Orion. "Look, if you're going to work with us, you'll need to grow a thicker skin. This isn't a place for the faint of heart. And despite her crazy antics, Maru's on our side. We have a common goal here."

Orion nodded, trying to muster some courage. "I get it. I'm here to help, and I won't slow you down."

Virdis acknowledged Orion's determination with a nod. "That's the spirit. Just keep your wits about you, and we'll be alright."

The two walked out trying their best to not step on any blood but that was proving near impossible, soon they made their way to the door that the guards were guarding, on it in hastily scrawled writing written in blood that spelt. "Ur welcome and ps u owe me 1."

Virdis just shook his head and opened the door leading the way inside.

The door creaked open, revealing a room bathed in darkness except for the faint, eerie glow coming from a series of computer screens that lined the walls. As Virdis and Orion cautiously stepped inside, they could hear the low hum of the machines and a quiet ventilation system, which somehow made the silence all the more unsettling.

Orion, still shaken from the earlier gruesome scene, gripped his bow tightly. Virdis scanned the room, trying to discern any hidden threats. His eyes landed on a series of control panels that seemed to be connected to the facility's power and alarm systems.

As Orion remained vigilant, Virdis carefully approached the control panels. With his gloved hand, he started examining the various buttons, switches, and displays. The interface was complex, but Virdis had experience in dealing with different kinds of security systems.

After a few tense moments, Virdis's expression shifted to one of triumph as he located the primary power switch. He glanced back at Orion. "Stay alert, kid. I'm about to shut down the power and alarms."

Orion nodded, his grip on his bow unwavering. He kept his senses sharp, ready to react to any sudden developments.

Virdis took a deep breath and pressed the button to shut down the power. The room was plunged into total darkness as the screens went black and the hum of machines ceased. The two being Faunus the darkness didn't affect them as much.

With the power cut, the facility was now deprived of its surveillance and alarms. The silence that followed was almost deafening, but Virdis and Orion knew that their actions would have made Maru, Sienna, and Thalia's mission much easier.

Not long after Virdis shut off the lights the loud sound of a gunshot rang out somewhere further wishing the facility, signaling the start of the fighting.

Virdis turned towards Orion and smirked. "You ready kid?"

Orion looked nervous but determined before he nodded, causing Virdis' smirk to grow. "Well let's get going then before Maru has all the fun."

A/N sorry this is a shorter chapter I have some exams going on for school so that's annoying and is cutting into my time for this but I will continue posting weekly so yeah thanks for reading :)