Ravyn shouldered a worn duffel bag the boss had left for him. His hands moved without much thought, checking the slide of a pistol and loading rounds. He tossed one into the bag, then another.
"You're seriously taking handguns?" Xavier's voice came from the corner wall, laced with a chuckle.. "Boss said we gotta keep it quiet, guns aren't quiet."
Ravyn didn't look up. "You know I like guns, they make the work easy."
Xavier pushed off the wall and walked over, crouching to eye the bag. His hand darted in and pulled out both of the pistols. "You know what's also quicker and cleaner? A blade." He pointed to the katana hanging on the rack. "Use that tonight."
Ravyn sighed. "This isn't a samurai movie, man."
Xavier grinned. "Just take the katana."
Ravyn gave him a long look, then shrugged. "Alright, I'll take it."
Xavier shook his head and shoved a compact sidearm into his own belt. "I'll be taking one just in case..."he said.
The two walked through the streets toward the black car idling under a dead streetlight.
"This job pays too much..." Ravyn muttered, more to himself than to Xavier. "Thirty million for one dude? After this one I'm out. I'm done with… this. That money is enough to give me a normal life for years to come."
Xavier glanced at him. "Normal life? What the hell do you know about normal? All we've ever known is killing to survive. That's who we are, man."
Ravyn shook his head. "No, that's what we were raised to be... it's not who we are. We were kids when they took us in, we couldn't make choices... but now? Now we can choose. And I'm choosing out."
Xavier was quiet for a long moment. And finally, he said, "...I hear you."
They reached Calvess and the hotel without fanfare. The place looked abandoned.
"Where's the security?" Ravyn said, scanning the entrance. "Something's off."
"Paranoia..." Xavier muttered, pulling the door open.
They climbed the staircase until they reached floor twelve. Ravyn's hand brushed the hilt of his katana.
Room 1033. The door loomed before them, Ravyn reached for the handle.
And that's when Xavier shoved him.
Ravyn stumbled forward, crashing into the room. Before he could spin around, the door slammed shut behind him and the lock clicked. He lunged for it, pounding with his fists.
"Xavier! What the hell are you doing? Open the door!"
From the other side, Xavier's voice came. "I'm sorry, Ravyn. Boss made me do it."
Ravyn slammed his shoulder against the door. "Don't bullshit me! Open the damn door!"
A voice came from the shadows of the room.
"Oh… you're already here, young Grantham."
Ravyn spun. A man stepped out from the corner, he was average height and thin. He smiled too.
Ravyn's hand snapped to the katana on his back, blade sliding free with a hiss. "Who the hell are you?"
The man tilted his head. "I'm hunting down and killing everyone tied to Darius Grantham. And you just happened to be his kin."
Ravyn's grip tightened. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about..."
The man's smile sharpened. "You don't have to... but everyone tied to Darius is a threat to the Hall Of Custodia. And threats must be erased."
Ravyn gritted his teeth. "I'd like to see you try, jackass."
He lunged, the katana sliced through the air. And the man dodged every slice.
"You're fast..." he said, then his grin widened. "But not fast enough."
His fist slammed into Ravyn's gut, a brutal blow that knocked the air from his lungs. His other hand shot up, gripping Ravyn by the throat, stopping him from flying backward. The katana clattered to the floor. Ravyn coughed blood, vision swimming.
The man didn't stop. He drove fist after fist into Ravyn's ribs and guts. Pain tore through him and the world was blurring.
With one desperate surge, Ravyn smashed his forehead into the man's face. The grip on his neck loosened. He shoved free, and right when he turned to the door...
Xavier stood there.
Ravyn froze, eyes wide. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were..."
The gunshot cut him off. The first bullet tore into his shoulder, spinning him sideways. He gasped, clutching at the wound. The second slammed into his gut, forcing blood up his throat.
"Xavier…" His voice cracked. "Why…?"
Xavier's hand shook around the gun, his face twisted with something between sorrow and stone. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Boss said… you were going to get us all killed."
Xander fired two more bullets to his chest.
Ravyn collapsed and lood pooled beneath him, the room tilted and the edges of sight went soft. In the silence that swelled the thought came:
This how I'm going, huh? Killed by my own friend... I feel... so lonely.
And my heart is burning... is this how death feels like?
No... not death. This is...
HATRED! I HATE THEM…
I HATE THEM ALL!
They chose to kill me all because of a man who abandoned me?
I WANT THEM TO BURN!
I WANT TO BURN THEM ALL!
BURN! BURN! BURN!
Darkness swallowed him. And tlast sound he made was more thought than voice.