<2D: 0H: 33M: 39S>
On the roof. Dark skies overhead, the air smelt of coming rain. That mugginess like the swamp before the storm, clouds almost dark as a reaper's shadow.
The reaper stood watching a swirling red gate below; entrance to another world. The van left abandoned by the red vortex.
Baelor had called him, told him everything. The head of the crimson bandits had a heart; Eren couldn't believe that.
However, the task before him took precedent. An evil man had once again proven what lay in the hearts of the rot; those sinister intentions still corrupted this world.
Now standing before the gate the red swirl; distorted. It pulled at the earth around; clumps of earth floated off, but didn't just float in one direction. Rocks circled the red vortex, orbiting like planets. Powerful and ominous, Eren was yet to go through a red gate, this one proved why.
---
Gate info:
Location: School of fallen souls.
Opening time: Twice a year for 10 days
Danger level: B++++++
Owners: Crimson bandits
Last clear: N/A
Rewards: N/A
Special conditions: Once the bell rings, stay out of the sight of the students and teachers, they will hunt you.
Gate closing time: 00: 06: 03: 26
---
Eren noticed a pattern from all the gates the crimson bandits used to conduct their business, barley used, little resources. Shinya was intelligent in that regard; a perfect hiding space.
However, intelligence doesn't ward off fate. There was only one reason this gate is used, and Eren was certain there would be 5 young girls within.
*Step* *Step* *Step*
The Reaper turned to the echoed footsteps. Panic appeared. Eyes heavy in his usual posture, fixed to the red.
"Жнец." (Reaper)
Eren was half expecting a fight; yet his instincts held no warning of any ill intent from Panic.
"Is this gate?" Asking without a doubt to where they stood.
"Why are you here?" The Reaper asked with his guard still raised just a touch.
"I don't harm civilians. Little girl's innocent. You protect civilians, I respect." Panic did not offer a hand, only bowing his head in acknowledgment. The Russian understood he stood before his contract target. But priority lay first, a target and rescuing civilians. An unlikely alliance formed in the shadow.
The pair were swallowed by the gate.
***
Inside:
Looking around the pair were no longer surrounded by the fog of red. Instead, standing within a pristine lobby of wooden floors and high walls. White light glowed in the windowless hall. A school you would find anywhere in Japan; except, there were posters on the walls. Made to look like information, yet there were no words, scribbled of lines and colours. Nonsensical like an imitation of the human form.
Corridors that reached on in every direction, beyond the scope of sight. Most damming of all; above them was an endless sky of railings, going beyond what the eye can see.
"бесконечная школа." (Endless school) Panic muttered. Eyes locked onto the infinite number of stories to be had. Eren on the other hand walked along the empty corridor, deep blue shadows under foot, following a quiet resonance down the halls. Panic followed behind with short; steps, their boots barely making a sound.
Classrooms upon classrooms; students sat writing in unison without pause. Faceless teachers marched in figures 8's around the class, reading from books. This is what some people imagined school to be like. Orderly and studious. Except there was no noise, a ghostly aura of students and teachers, endlessly reading and writing.
All classrooms in unison to a silent pedagogy.
"Do you know we were going?"
"Нет." (No)
6 hours to find their goal and clear out or be stuck in repetition hell for 6 months. Thankfully, Eren could expedite the process. His knights at his command, crawled through shadows awaiting his command.
"Ждать." (Wait) Panic stopped and knelt. Examining a thin gold thread that flowed in all directions, "Bandits use this, follow." Panic took the lead. The knights sank back into the darkness, some disappointed they couldn't serve their master.
Echoes in the distance. They pair ran through halls to follow. Quickening pace through endless loops of corridors.
*Ding* *Dong* *Ding*
School bells rang throughout. It shook the hallways and rippled through the very fabric of the building.
'4th period has now ended for students. Teachers, remain in classroom or report to the staff room.'
When the chimes stopped, doors swung open. Students filled out, orderly, without pause, marching in perfect formation. So fast were their steps that they met Eren and Panic down the corridor, surrounding them.
"Can you fight, Жнец?"
"..."
With teeth barred the students charged in an orderly sprint. A quick whip slash cleaved through a batch of faceless boys. Panic unveiled his powers, cutting the tip of his index finger; a fist formed from the spilt blood. Punching through the bodies of the faceless. Heads snapping off like dandelions.
However, the march continued, classrooms of endless faceless. Charging at the pair without end, more whip cracks and blood fists clashed. Back-to-back the reaper and giant battled endless waves.
Seeping blood from the dead drew to panic; a ball of blood, absorbing more and more. Each splat became a larger globe of red. Eventually, with the march of faceless remaining, panic was ready. Smashing his hand in the middle,
"Кровавый град!" ("Blood rain!") Pinpricks of red pierced through the students. Arrows of blood pierced their bodies, then to their skin and to the surrounding classrooms.
'Good thing he hasn't decided to fight me yet.' More blood flew past him, creating another ball of red. More bodies littered on the floor, bloodless form creating hypovolemic corpses.
"Кровавая стена." ("Blood wall")
The horde was cut off, a wall of blood crashed through the classroom walls, engulfing everything in a red flood. A barrier stood between them.
"We have time now. Come." Panic led. Eren managed to cut through many of them with a simple slash; or five. The remaining were no match for Panic's superior fighting skill and strength.
The gate although meant for higher levelled rankers, was a breeze. Two rankers with specialities in horde clearing made it easier than it would have been for any other.
---
Through many more scores of halls. Some quiet, other flooded with students. Panic had three orbs of blood floating around him, ready to strike.
Eventually, the area grew quiet. No more students, no more teachers, the area itself looked abandoned. Mold and dust forming, almost a quarantine.
Echoes of hushed conversation bounced around the walls. Finally, it seemed they found their target. Panic stopped.
"I leave you now. Rescue girls. You punish them. Leave." Panic returned towards the lobby.
"Why?"
"...I am monster. Reaper is honourable. Girls deserve better then monster." With those words said, Panic disappeared into the endless halls.
"До следующего раза, Жнец. Мы сражаемся на равных." (Until next time, Reaper. We will fight equally)
'Honourable...' No one had every called him such before, none that knew who he was at least. Panic respected him, enough to ensure that Eren would see them free.
Without any more delay he moved with hast. The bandits were cornered and they wouldn't escape him. Down a corridor of mould infested classrooms, there was one door closed, brighter lights compared to the rest. From outside looking in; 6 men spread throughout the room. At the very end of the room; a taller man, high above the rest, dressed well.
'Shinya...'
What drew the eyes of the Reaper however, was a film set. More well established than the one in the warehouse; More lights on stands, several cameras, reflecting plastic to brighten up the mood. Two sets, one a dorm room with a large bed and then another an open white canvas with two chairs. Shinya remained quiet, whilst his lesser men worked to get things set up and ready.
"Are you sure sir? It will definitely make you feel better." Eren recognized the voice. The weasel he let live from the mall. Anger burned within him.
'I should've killed him.'
Despite the masks best efforts to keep seething anger and hatred contained within, some leaked out. Pouring from his very soul like water and running down the crack like roots.
"No. Stop asking. The first rule of running a guild like this is to not get hooked on your own product." Shinya reprimanded.
"Sorry boss, just wondering. Can't let a bunch of fresh young pussies go to waste." A laugh from the crew. All laughing at the situation and discussing on who gets to 'work' first. Whilst Shinya waited impatiently, eyeing on the shadows, wondering what danger lurked within.
*Click*
The door opened slowly. Reaper stood. Silence overtook the bandits. A wave of terror rippled through the crew. Each mouth shut like an iron wall, in their hurry to start anew they had not anticipated his quick intervention. They had 6 hours and they would be safe.
"H-h-he-"
*Shick*
The weasels mouth filled with bone. Coughing and hacking; blood flooded out from the mouth. Dropping dead.
The sudden death kept them frozen. Shock and horror quickly took them, the Reaper struck with cold silence.