@Irisity@xinnone@YamiNoNeko2341@akirashadowAugust 22 2024 ??? Floor ● Meggido
She cried for help, but no one could save her.
"Please, let her go." Vegnya begged on her knees. Unarmed, she had already tossed her prized Crescent, hoping it would be worth the life of one child. "It's me you want. Just let her go, and you can have me. I will not resist. I will be all yours, just please let the child go."
Even while her vision was obscured by tears, she never took her eyes off the source of her heartache. A tiny blonde girl, having only reached the tender age of 10 years a week ago. Vegnya remembered her warm smile, the way she laughed and cried when her entire guild prepared a huge celebration for her birthday. Now the child wept for her life.
"I told you this day would come," said the tall black-armored intruder, tugging at the girl's hair while pressing a knife to her throat. Though clearly motivated by vengeance, what was most unsettling about his cruelty is that he showed no emotion. No anger, no pleasure, not unlike the natural ferocity of a feeding shark. He was absolutely callous with purpose. Vegnya regretted not putting him down when she had the chance. This was all her fault. "You tried to keep her from me, and now I'm here to claim her. My little Star of Bethlehem."
"Betty!" Vegnya shouted, referring to the girl's chosen username in SAO. "Her name is Betty, and she is not yours. Now give her back. It's me you want, right?"
"What makes you think this is about you?" With a slight flick of the wrist, a glowing red streak appeared under Betty's chin. The girl screamed and struggled as her attacker kept her restrained by the hair. Then it hit her. Through her emotional breakdown, she failed to see what this really about. This wasn't revenge. She wasn't just dealing with a spiteful former comrade. The man was a psycho, and in her self-righteousness, thought it best to keep Betty away from him. This was just the bastard's way of punishing a misbehaved child! "Bethlehem is my daughter. You had no right to kidnap my flesh and blood. And now you have tainted her. I can only do what any loving father should to a dying child. Put her out of her misery."
Vegnya raised her hands in surrender. She tried to remain calm, even as her heart continued to break. All hope of aid went out the door when she sent out her strongest generals on a hunting party. It only dawned on her now that this was all orchestrated; for the past week members of her guild were being slaughtered by red players. She had deployed her most trusted friends, her inner-circle, to avenger their murders. Meggido, the Brotherhood's guild headquarters was emptied out, with only a few guards on duty left behind. She imagined they were already dead if her most private chambers were compromised. She blamed herself for being so predictable.
"Daddy, help me. Daddy!" Betty attempted to flee, but the man kept his grip firm. He had waited too long for this moment, endured so much to let this slip away. "Daddy..."
"Hush, child. Daddy's here. Don't cry no more, I will make it all better." More streaks of shining crimson appeared on Betty, some on her neck and on her arms. Betty's cries of terror only seemed to worsen the punishment. "I said...don't...cry."
"Stop it! Please, stop it! You bastard!" She screamed a litany of angered pleas, attempting to drown out Betty's pining for a father. A question loomed in the back of her mind.
Did she know?"Vegnya, how does it feel to be utterly helpless in the sight of a suffering comrade?" Betty's attacker had ceased his torture, but the girl remained restrained. His question was deliberate, forcing Vegnya to recall a moment when he begged for her help. "You're more powerful than what you present yourself to be, and I might be the only one left alive who knows this. So why don't you help her? You protest, but you do not act. You cry, but you do not fight. I know you very well. I would have been dead the moment I walked through the door."
"Bastard," Vegnya shook her head and sobbed. "I knew you were too dangerous to live."
Betty cried out once more, eliciting even a shriek from Vegnya. The innocent blonde watched as the knife pierced her chest, silent from the shock of it all. Above, a large chunk disappeared from HP bar. "A little something that
Mother did not tell you. My Breaker is the ability to stop yours from working. Since everyone's Breaker is a glitch, you could call me an Anti-Breaker that fixes the system. I am a
Cure to your Breaking disease."
Vegnya could take no more. She charged at the man and raised a fist. It didn't glow as she expected, but she still found the strength to cock it back and ram it at his skull.
No..."You have failed miserably, Vegnya." With a ferocious tug, the knife that already impaled Betty ripped across her chest. A disgusting gurgle came from her throat as she collapsed. His eyes met Vegnya's, her face a display of crippling grief and denial. He took advantage of this and thrust the same knife upward into her chest cavity, impaling his old friend. He watched as her eyes went wide, her jaw dropping from the revelation that he could intensify the pain of his attacks. Her arms trembled when they reached for him, fighting against the mind-numbing agony to stop him. She did not scream. Instead, her eyes rolled back and her breathing became shallow. He pulled out the knife and stepped back as Vegnya hit the floor, taking her place next to his fallen daughter. Without another word he exited the premises.
"Daddy, where are you?" Betty blindly reached out. "Daddy?"
"I'm here, girl. It's okay." Vegnya didn't fight back her sorrow this time. Her eyes were wet with tears, knowing Betty was slowly slipping away after being tortured by her own father. "Stay with me, Betty. Our friends are almost here. Irisity, Ren, Xypher, Akira. They're on their way."
"Daddy, I want to see them." Betty's words were barely audible above a whisper.
"You will," Vegnya lied. "Just hang on a little longer. "
"Can I...can I tell you a secret? I love you. I love you all."
"We all know that, honey. We love you too. You're a our special little girl."
"I love you most...daddy."
"Just hang on, Betty. Everyone's coming to see you. Everyone's----."
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The Cathedral is a building within Meggido, the Brotherhood's hidden headquarters. It was off-limits except to a select few. It was a large gothic structure designed after the Notre Dame in France, complete with naves and seats for a congregation. Within the sanctuary is a large rectangular table in place of an altar, where the inner-circle of the Brotherhood would meet regularly to discuss matters in secret.
Since the majority of the Brotherhood's members were actually non-Breakers, which helps to cast off suspicions from the guild, the most trusted were urged to keep their identities hidden. Whenever they addressed the entire guild, they would don red hooded cloaks and white masks. Their appearance seemed like a secret society of crimson monks.
Vegnya opened her menu and unequipped the <<Regent of the Masquerade>> attire. She now stood in her usual tanktop and capris, with a kimono hanging off her shoulders. She stood at the head of the table as The Brotherhood's
Grand Master.
"May we be guided by the virtues of Love and Loyalty. All right," she smiled.
"Cloaks off and we can get started. Now, as you know today is Betty's birthday. Everyone in the guild has been informed and sworn to secrecy, with a 10% bonus added to their monthly stiphon as an incentive. The <<Party>> begins at 1800 hours/6:00pm. Now, onto other matters...As you all are aware, we have lost six members. Three have been confirmed dead upon viewing their names at the «Monument of Life».
The other three remain AWOL. Iris I had you investigate the case of <<Leonn>>.
Ren,
you were to do the same with <<Hellena>>.
Xypher,
you were on <<Wezker>>.
And Akira should be returning soon from a different assignment. Tell me, Bretheren. What have you found?" 
Shadow Daedalus
