Both Maria and Sin were quiet after the relevation, with Maria staring at her servant in disbelief while Sin revved up the engine and drove them back onto the street and further into the night. Maria tried to open her mouth, again and again, but she could not find the right words. Finally she gave up and stared out of the window, her mind racing. They eventually reached the highway into the city as the sun began to rise and traffic picked up around them. Maria was rubbing her eyes as the exhaustion was beginning to settle in. "Where are we going? I really need to see my dad, I've never been gone a whole night, he is probably worried to death about me."
Sin did not take her eyes off the road, though they raced to corner and corner, looking for something at the edge of her vision. "Your ancestor erected many strongholds across the country, my master. Hidden in plain sight and locked for anyone but her true successor. There is no place safer to let you rest, not to mention that they may hold valuable information." They passed into the city, driving past the offices, the mall and onto the hero street. Here Maria averted her gaze from the street, staring down onto her lap, biting her lip. Sin looked back at her with concern, but staid silent and drove faster. Even at this early hour a few heroes already on patrol in their costumes, and every time they passed one Maria tensed up harder, her breath growing uneven. From here they turned west, towards the old town by the riverside. Buildings grew more and more decrepit, polished specialised stores making way for supermarket chains, fast food joints and empty ruins. Every now and then a small group of people stood at the corners of the street, eyeing their car with suspicion. At the riverside they parked the car, Sin left first and opened the door for her master, bowing deeply as she waited for her to exit.
Maria was calm again, furrowing her brows as she looked at the closed and ruined factories that dominated the landscape of this part of town. "This is where the Stronghold is? There's been nothing of value here for a hundred years." Sin was unphased by her remarks and merely motioned towards the gate they had stopped in front of. "A hundred and fifty ago this was a hub of productivity, your family owned this land, it was the perfect place to hide in plain sight. Please follow me closely, my master. Even defences designed by someone as flawless as your ancestor can devolve over the decades."
Maria gulped, following her silently as her shoulders slumped down again. With a single push Sin opened the massive metal gates to the inner yard of the factory. Her eyes darted around as she made her way to the main building, her movements much more natural, fully relaxed. None would be able to notice even a hint of tension from her, yet as Maria looked at her she felt, she knew that her servant was on the highest alert. For she was no longer controlling every smallest movement, any attempt at elegance was gone from her step.
Nothing happened as they passed the yard, though Sin did non immediately open the gate when they reached it. Instead she laid her hand onto it, closing her eyes and muttering quietly to herself in a language Maria could not understand. She did not open her eyes as she looked up and over to Maria. "There are five people inside there. There is no reason for them to squat on your property, may I slaughter them?" Her words caused Maria to gasp, instantly she shook her head. "You can't just..they haven't, done anything!" Sin's eyes opened and for the first time, she looked disappointed with her answer. "They are defiling what is yours with their mere presence. Even I, Sin, was not allowed near this Stronghold by your ancestor, it is absolutely unthinkable that common filth would be here." Her fingers scratched at the gate, her nails tearing into the metal. "It is your orders, my master, I will obey." her voice was low, rolling with anger. "If they are hostile and attack, may I slaughter?"
Maria took a step back, the sudden shift of her servant caused her heart to race with fear once more. "I, if they really, are my enemies then.." she looked away, batting her eyes in shame. "You..may. But please, don't be, cruel.."
She could not see how Sin's lips turned into a wide smile, though she could hear her voice, how it was now dripping with satisfaction. "Your wish is my command." Without waiting for another moment she pushed the gates wide open, marching inside the dilapidated main hall.
A small group of people had made it their home, blankets laid around, ruined furniture had been patched up and refurbished as makeshift beds. A tall man was the first to rise to his feet and approach Sin, a look of anger on his face. "Hey, what do you think you're doing here, we were here first, go scram!" His words only made Sin laugh and bare her fangs. "Take your words and shove them back down your throat, trash. You're nothing but maggots, what the fuck are you thinking to tell me you own this place, huh?" Maria was hiding at the gate, looking at Sin in shock and disbelief. Her words only infuriated the man further, he reached into his pocket. "So you got a death wish huh, sure-" His head was removed from his body before he could finish his words. The others who were awake screamed and scrambled for whatever weapons they had been hoarding, while the rest were torn out of their sleep by the mayhem. But none of them could even make an attempt to defend themselves. Sin moved through and past them as a shimmer, a flicker of death. She pierced a chest, holding the still-beating heart in her hand before crushing it in her palm and was onto the next before the corpse could drop to the floor. Every strike was another kill and within a few moments it was over. Maria staid cowering by the gate, unable to take her eyes away from the carnage, no matter how much she wanted to.
With the group dead Sin began to pile up the corpses and carelessly threw the heads and organs she had removed onto it. "Maggots upon the corpse of grace, you are unfit even for Sin." A single black flame began to flicker in her right hand as she looked upon her work. "Begone, you parasites, mourned by none." With a flick of her fingers the flames spread onto the corpses, devouring flesh, blood and bone. With her work done she returned to the gate and knelt down before her trembling, terrified master. Maria had thrown up and was only able to stand by clinging onto the metal door for dear life. "Why, why did you do that?"
Her words caused Sin to smile. "Your orders were to only kill when they show themselves as your enemy. Is someone who attempts to draw a weapon not a foe? They died painlessly, I can assure you." As her words did nothing calm her master down, her smile faded. She slowly rose to her feet and laid a hand on Marias shoulder. "None are more treacherous than common filth. Your enemies are rich, we cannot have them leave this place having seen you, it would be a needless risk."
Still her words did not cause Maria to cease her shaking, instead her eyes began to well with tears. "My master, It-" Sin stopped herself, staring at Maria with a loss for words. Then she embraced her and made the scales on her arms vanish before laying a hand on the back of her head. "Stay strong, my master. Your path is cruel and it is not easy. You will have to do things you find reprehensible, unimaginable, if you wish to survive and win." Her touch finally returned Maria to her senses, tightly she clung onto her tall servant, burrowing her face in her chest and sobbing, stammering apology after apology. Sin ran a hand through her master's soft, black hair, letting her ramble on until she became completely incoherent. "You are not alone, my master. Your weapon is with you, to carry your burden, until you are strong enough to bear it yourself. You are the heiress of the true queen, my master. Fret not over things that are beneath you."
They stood like this for what felt like an eternity, Maria letting her emotion run wild as Sin held and consoled her. The sun was ascendant and shining into the factory hall when Maria finally regained her composure and took a step back. She dried her tears with her sleeve and took a deep breath, staring into the twilight of the factory. "So, this Stronghold is in there, right? And I will be safe, I will be able to sleep?"
Sin nodded her head and took the first few steps inside, looking back at her master. "There will be a few last hurdles, but for you, the heiress, they should be trivial."
Maria looked back one last time, staring into the bright blue sky, her eyes a silent plea, before she turned her back to it and followed Sin into the factory, her gaze locked straight ahead. She walked without hesitation, through the ash of the bodies and did not even flinch as the heavy gates fell shut behind them, blocking out the rays of the sun. Her heart skipped for a moment at the sound, but all sense of finality in it was lost to her. As heiress she could not concern herself with such trivialities.
