A T O N E M E N T

[Deleted]

"Caaw, caaw, caaw!"

"Fooboo ba'aq-quasr," Experiment 228 grumbled in Tantalog. As if anyone could sleep with that incessant cawing! 

Lifting his head, Melty rested his chin on the side of his bed and laid still, waiting for the noise to die down. It did not.

He sighed, getting up. So much for waiting it out. 

- - -

Melty could feel the cold seeping into his bones as he trudged down the steps that led to one of the palace's many courtyards. He hated going outside at night. It was always unbearably cold at this hour, and he wasn't allowed to set anything on fire to warm himself. Killjoys.

Suddenly the fur on his spine prickled in alarm. In a split second, Melty went from half awake to fully alert. Was something moving out there? Was something watching him? It came from around the corner. Footsteps? He dropped to a low crouch. His long antennae pricked, nostrils flared, eyes wide open, he warily approached the corner. Then something came into view.

Oh it was just Kattz and Nil. And it looked like they were taking a walk. Melty relaxed, feeling kind of silly for getting so worked up over nothing.

Then Nil shrieked.

[Nil]

Kattz was familiar with the sound. Following his wife’s line of sight, he soon spotted the ‘bot and beasts. Yellow eyes narrowed into slits and a very inhuman growl arose from his throat, though it was all but eclipsed by the uninviting fairy scream.

Nil’s mouth remained gaped, but the sound stopped short, as if a switch had been flicked. Starting from her feet, a sheen of glimmering metal enveloped her body. She became still once she was completely covered, as if she’d turned into a silver statue. The canonfire hit its mark, but did not seem to scratch the metallic fairy, aside from residual sparks that flickered back and forth for seconds after. Being a metal, she was very conductive, but she made the snap decision to silverize herself, feeling the inevitable damage taken would be lessened compared to if it’d struck flesh-and-blood. Though her shield prevented any physical wounds, her health was damaged all the same.

Returning to her mobile non-silver state, she began to lift a foot. At her side, Kattz took a deep inhale before huffing out a thick cloud of obscuring black smoke. The smog filled the area quickly, but one could just catch Nil plowing her foot into the ground, cyan shards erupting from her heel.

Crrrrrrckk…

A sharp sound expanded out from the ground where her foot made contact. A veil of pale blue crackled outward. The ground in front of the Blackblood pair was soon coated with ice, significantly reducing hopes of finding much traction. Kattz’s tiger-like snarl could be heard from the black smoke.

They had not attacked yet, but it was clear they’d fought together before -- and had strategy.

~*~

Shenzi was already making a head on charge for Kattz. She could tell immediately he was not a fighter. Though he was even bigger than most male lions, she felt she could bring him down if she brought her A game.

The smoke cloud only slowed her, as she could still hear the cat-person within. The hyena was stopped once one of her paws skidded on the expanding ice. Shenzi stopped herself as well as she could before rapidly backtracking to avoid the strange slippery substance. It wasn’t long before she was forced right back to where she started.

Ears folded against her head in frustration before they rapidly rotated to one side.

“Caww cawww!!”

The enraged hyena grit her teeth before jumping up in the air, intent on ripping that damn bird to shreds as it made its pass over the area.

[Mortaray]

Oh, how Mortaray wished his counterpart had been there two seconds earlier. Maybe if he had been the damage would not have been as severe, but he was too late. Clopin had appeared from nowhere, lunged and by the time Mort had gone to turn, the scythe sliced through his back, barely missing hitting his spinal column. His body collapsed in a heap on the ground, the thud of his form knocking the wind from his lungs. He couldn't breath as agony shot through the entirety of his back, but then a strangle scream mixed with a sob choked out of him. It felt like a whisper to him above the noise of a battle that quickly erupted. He tried to move, his legs barely responded, muscle torn and cut along his back. Any movement that he did give only made fresh waves of agony shoot through him again.

He froze, useless on the ground. Blood practically gushed from the injury, staining the tile below him a messy red. Eyes closed tightly, teeth bared, every breath became more desperate than the last.

"F-faciler-"

[Taylor]

Yes! Taylor thought to herself, her heart fluttering with excitement and adrenaline. She'd been able to strike Nasira, who was arguably one of the Legion's best soldiers. Before she could celebrate, however, a quick magic strike took down Amber, knocking him out like a ragdoll. It was all so quick that she barely had time to react. But her first instinct was to keep fighting. She had her orders, and she knew that she could return to Amber once Clopin called for them to move out...hopefully.

She then whirled back around, taking a deep breath as she spotted the magic energy in Nasira's palm, threatening to toss her as well. Her eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the necromancer. If she was gonna do this, she'd rather die trying than running away.

But even she had to admit she'd bitten off more than she could chew, especially when some blonde vampire showed up to assist Nasira.

Fuck. Taylor thought to herself, eyes looking from Shiloh to Nasira. The bats dispersed rather quickly, and she managed to swat a few of them away before focusing back on the pair in front of her. Without Amber, they had an unfair advantage over her.

"Oh yeah? Let's see what you've got then, bat girl!" Taylor exclaimed, as she sprung towards the two of them in a straight beeline.

-------

Clopin landed on the marble floor, skidding several feet as he narrowly missed Facilier's magical strike. He kept a firm grip on the scythe, using the momentum of the skid to whirl around to face Facilier.

Mortaray had fallen, and everything had gone to plan, save for one thing; the damn fairy had raised the alarm, and not too long after that, he could spot an abnormally large murder of crows, sounding their cacophonous alarm. The gypsy king knew they only had so long to finish the job before they were completely overtaken by the Legion.

Facilier couldn't even catch Mortaray as the other fell to the ground, completely frozen in place. Blood pooled out below him, and Facilier thought he'd lost Mortaray completely, but the weak voice of the shapeshifter said otherwise. The witch doctor knelt down, pressing his palm to the other's chest, feeling for a heartbeat. There was indeed one, but it was growing slower by the minute. Facilier gritted his teeth in fury, knowing he couldn't do anything. He whirled around to face Clopin.

The gypsy king sneered, which ignited a blazing inferno within Facilier. There was no way in hell he was going to lose his closest confidante to the Rogues.

"You damn gypsy!" Facilier howled, with pure rage. He took off running towards Clopin, violet eyes glowing with imbued magic. With his staff, he shot a powerful blast of dark magic towards Clopin, who swung his scythe down to deflect it. Surprisingly enough, it bounced off the metal, firing back towards Facilier.

The witch doctor absorbed it into the orb at the end of his staff, snarling as his attempt to attack Clopin failed. The gypsy king advanced on Facilier, knowing full well that the other was also of use to the Legion. If he could take out two overseers, he knew that would give his own army more of an upper hand.

[Nasira]

Nasira's hand fell. The necromancer's life began to cascade from the tongue-less mouth on her shoulder to sprinkle the sandstone. There was a paleness to her skin that had not been there before. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and the courtyard spun. Planting a palm on a pillar, Nasira locked her knees. She had taken wounds before but never like this. 

The assassin's dark eyes seemed to sparkle with something akin to greed. She looked like someone who had just found a date tree. She was wary of the palm's sharp spines, but the clusters of sugary fruit were too tempting to ignore. Nasira knew she had landed herself on Clopin Trouillefou's shit list for mauling one of his subordinates. The one who brought the Rogue king her head would be handsomely rewarded.

Nasira's mouth curved into an inviting smile. "Why dilly dally, Rogue? It is rude to keep a king waiting..."

A colony of bats encompassed the shorter woman, and a piebald bat circled Nasira's head before changing her form. Nasira did not dare take her eyes off of her pursuer, but upon hearing the click of boots, she felt a rush of relief. It was Shiloh.

"Nasira, you need to get out of here."

"No." Her smile did not stray, but the necromancer's voice was as unyielding as a rock. She felt, appallingly, weak, but the world would freeze solid before she would admit it.

"As an overseer you're a valuable target to them; they most likely won't hesitate to kill you."

"They'd be stupid not to," Nasira agreed as she looked at the "starry-eyed" Rogue with renewed interest. "And you're not stupid - are you, Rogue?" She made a show of looking around, ignoring the tingling sensation in her shredded shoulder. "Hm, well I suppose waltzing deep into enemy territory is...ill-advised, but let's chalk that up to poor management, shall we?" 

A crow cawed. Then another. And another. Relief swamped Nasira again. Some would have found the sound grating, but it was music to her ears.

"I can make sure this one bleeds."

Nothing would make Nasira happier, of course, and she had confidence in Shiloh's abilities. "I know."

"Oh yeah? Let's see what you've got then, bat girl!"

A flicker of uncertainty did cross Nasira's face when the Rogue charged. Ripping her hand off of the pillar, she swept aptly to the side, expecting Shiloh to do the same. Pivoting, she sent a barrage of dark magic at their target.

[Tucker]

Tucker tosses and turns in the bed he had settled in to sleep for the night until his patrol shift was called upon.

“Grrrr-damn birds!” Tucker growls his head now buried underneath a pillow trying to block out the birds. A moment later screams finally rose the K9 cop from his attempt at sleep and he raced to the window trying to figure out what the hell was going on before finding the mayhem below and he races out the door towards.

“Arrrooo rooo!” Tucker’s shrill howl echoed down the halls alerting any of the other black blood soldiers to the attack.

[Thomas]

"Caaw, caaw, caaw!"

Though Thomas had no way of knowing that the harbingers of death were puppets of the vizier, he intuitively knew something was wrong. The lad stole a look out the window and gave an involuntary cry of horror. They were under attack! He quickly backed away and ducked behind a steel gurney, chest heaving.

Hyperventilating, Thomas put his head in his hands and prayed. Had it not been sacrilegious to think so, Thomas would have thought God had been sleeping for the past year or so. He knew the Lord worked in mysterious ways, but fear took precedence over any other feeling. When was he going to be cut a break?

Then something dreadful occurred to Thomas: this was the perfect opportunity to make a run for it! The Blackblood Legion would be too busy with the Rogues to pay any attention to him. Maybe his prayers had finally been answered.

Thomas thought about it. Was there any incentive for him to stay? He was not really one of them. If given the chance, he'd walk right out of here. Hell, if one of those Rogues had invited him to Paris, he would have gone! The Rogues were a savage bunch, sure, but anything would be better than...this. Thomas felt he had been tricked into joining the legion. Despite promising a better life for those who had been shunned by society for whatever reason, as soon as it was too late for them to turn back, Jafar revealed his true colors: a high-functioning sociopath. Though Jafar had been slain, the Blackblood Legion had not changed for the better. Unless someone as kind as Aurelia or as patient as Edgar took over, he doubted things would.

Thomas shook like a leaf in the wind. If he were caught attempting to escape, it would be no use begging for forgiveness and hoping to be treated like a naughty child, as he had when he learned Maleficent was, allegedly, omniscient. No, desertion was an unforgivable crime, and he would be treated appropriately.

He tried not to think about it. He thought he could do it. He was nimble and quick - provided he could keep from trembling like a mouse.

Thomas slipped noiselessly from his spot. Whatever he decided to do, he should get his gun first.

[Shanty]

Blue optics tighten at the sight of the fae turning to metal, but... the pirate smiles. Smoke billows forward, and where the snarling male and screeching female disappear into the smoke, so does their assailant. Blocked from sight, a noise begins to ripple through the courtyard. Tearing of cloth, a grinding of gears. And weaving through the mist and scuffle....

Singing.

”O’ Death. O-O’ Death...”

Cerulean lights pierce through the smoke, and there’s a low thud as the ground shakes. Machinery hisses lowly, and the lights rock as if skulking forward. They seem to stay low for a moment, before pulling upwards. Far taller than their assailant had been not moments before.

”O’ Death... Won’t you spare me over another....”

A large, metallic claw gently lowers not a foot from Shenzi, pressing against the layer of ice before it cracks under the weight. In the smoke, something looms overhead, like a massive, walking corpse.

“... year.”

With a loud hiss, scalding air shoots out in either direction, missing Shenzi but scattering the smoke and searing the ice into far less threatening puddles.

What stands before them now doesn’t seem to be the simple pirate they’d started with. Instead, a mechanical monstrosity towers over the battlefield on seven limbs. Blue optics stare down at the Blackblood pair, unblinking. Unerring. What had once been a humanoid guise has pulled and torn into a grin-like row of teeth, a row of grinders rolling, backlit in the back of the throat. The creature exuded an oppressive heat, valves hissing and snapping with flame like that of Hell itself. Wires coil and tug, rolling like sinew over bone.

A massive, mechanical corpse.

There’s a loud revving noise as long neck shoots forward, maw wide and grinders spinning towards Nil with deadly intent. The alarm had already been raised, but until Clopin called for anything else, she was going to do her best to keep them away, or kill them in the process.

There was no turning back now.

[Esmeralda]

Blood flashed in an arc through the sky, issuing from Clopin's strike. Aurelio followed up, but he didn't strike at the fallen Mortaray, he lobbed for his bundle of caltrops. They scattered across the ground behind Facilier. With the anger Facilier retaliated with, he doubted the man would try to flee. But it was still a useful counter-measure. It would also hinder any attempt to come to Mortaray and Facilier's aid.

Aurelio spun his quarterstaff, and his ears twitched at the sound of an inhuman shriek, and loud cries of a murder of crows. His mind moved at a thousand miles a minute. Seconds froze and felt like minutes as he ran through his thoughts.

The strength of the assassins was in shadow, and sneak attack. Once discovered they were in danger in a protracted battle. Especially in a protracted battle against the entirety of the Blackblood Legion in their home base. Their mission had been to strike down Mortaray. Well, mission accomplished. Their next mission should be to get out of here... with as few casualties as possible.

All of this ran through his mind in the moments it took for Facilier and Clopin exchange magical blasts. 

"Clopin! We need to leave! The entire army is being alerted! Those birds belong to the Vizier!" Aurelio dashed ahead, standing between Clopin and the gangly voodoo practitioner, staff held defensively, "Collect the others! I'll cover your back!!"

Aurelio didn't have magic like Clopin. He couldn't deflect Facilier's blasts. So... well they say the best defense is a good offense.

The gypsy boy rushed forward, much like Facilier had before, but he moved to get within melee distance to hinder the magic practitioner's long range attacks. Aurelio spun the staff in a whirling dervish to distract and hide where his attack might come from.

Then he attempted to swipe Facilier's feet out from under him.

[Shiloh]

"Oh yeah? Let's see what you've got then, bat girl!"

Shiloh mimicked Nasira's movements, quickly moving out of the way of the young Rogue. A young woman with a tiny knife, against two magic users, she almost felt a twinge of pity, almost.

With a twitch of her hand, a weapon of sorts appeared in her grip. Looking akin to a sword, but instead of a blade, there were many tiny blades that formed a whip, glinting red in the moonlight. She flicked her wrist, aiming for limbs, hoping to immobilize, wound, or at least trip her up.

The alert reached her ears, the cawing was loud and obnoxious, but it was a good sign for them, something that noisy would certainly alert the rest of the Legion.
Now they just had to make sure the trespassers didn't escape.