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A Black Heart wandering in Silence

Chapter 2: In which the Black Silence displays his skill

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Roland now found himself in an entirely new situation, of which he is following the Kurokumo back to a little establishment they have as a ‘base’ of sorts.

Honestly, he has 0 clue how the events of him revealing he was a Grade 1 led to this, but a thing worthy to mention is the fact that none of them really listened to the part where he said, ‘Grade 1 but retired some time ago’. He didn’t really care, per say, but he found it odd since most Fixers within the City don’t get to retire. They mostly just… die.

But that didn’t matter right now. Looking forwards, he can see 3 of the captain’s subordinates, and barely sees said captain in front of them, since they were covering her back. Perhaps it was a form of avoiding assassination? Dunno.

As Roland looked at the buildings he passed, he noticed most of them were boarded up or protected by poorly made defenses. One could even go so far as to say they could go for 20 Ahn on the market…

Roland looked forwards again and noticed the Kurokumo stopped.

“What’s going on?”

The captain hummed, but he couldn’t really hear that because of the distance. “A gang war, I believe.”

A gang war? Now? Horrible timing honestly.

“Who’s fighting who?” He had to ask to make sure.

The captain gave Roland a curious side-eye. “I believe it’s the Blade Lineage fighting some of us, the Kurokumo.”

The man in a suit walked forwards and set himself aside a subordinate to see better.

Infront of them, a group of Blade Lineage members were fighting a few of the Kurokumo, the Kurokumo being heavily outnumbered.

Roland looked at the captain who sighed, drawing her sword, and began to move forwards. But she looked back first.

“You are not obligated to join us. We will make quick work of this.”

The man in a suit seemed skeptical for a moment, before giving a quick thumbs up and watching as they went into battle.

As the fighting Kurokumo saw how their captain and a few others came to assist, they started fighting back a little bit harder, which left the Blade Lineage a bit surprised, seeing as how conveniently there was a captain right there, but keeping up by fighting back harder as well.

Roland saw as how the fight went on, more Blade Lineage members arrived, and it made one hell of a difference. The captain, Sayo, was fighting multiple at the same time, which seemed to stress her out quite a bit. A few casualties on both sides, however the captain and her subordinates remain alive.

Roland decided it was time to intervene, since they were being so hospital to him, it was time he somehow paid them back even slightly.

And also, because even more Blade Lineage members are coming.

So, it begins.

Sayo, with all her strength and her trusty Kokuuntō, was batting away the Blade Lineage, at times killing several with a few swings.

She wasn’t sure if they could beat them flawlessly, nor a decent victory. It might be a pyrrhic one.

But, still, she kept fighting and slashing to try and keep as many of her subordinates alive as possible.

At some point, she began fighting 5 of them at the same time, perhaps drooling over the possibility of defeating a captain of the Kurokumo. That would be quite the blow against said syndicate, so she truly tried her best at fighting back, but she couldn’t keep up that much with 5 of them, plus the fact that her subordinates just kept getting busy with new arriving Blade Lineage members, seeming to try to focus on winning fights with multiple members.

Sayo decided that it *might* be her end, due to the absolutely disgusting ambush the Blade Lineage are attempting, so she prepares herself to instruct the remaining Kurokumo to retreat.

…Until she sees a bullet whiff past and hit a Blade Lineage member in the head.

She turned ever so slightly to see the shooter, and it was Roland. He wasn’t donning his mask this time, so she could see his expression. However, it was naught but blank. Just him and 2 guns in his hands.

Then, suddenly, as if sound itself couldn’t register his speed, Roland *dashed*.

A new weapon originated in his hand, a lance of sorts. It had impaled a Blade Lineage member who was facing off against her.

Sayo looked at the sudden switch of weaponry as if it was magic, because honestly? It *was* magic. Not a lot of people can just do that, and it’s insanely quick how he can do it.

As the Blade Lineage began to panic, they surrounded Roland, who just scoffed, and brought out 2 new weapons. They seemed to be a mace and an axe, dual wielded.

That’s when it clicked for Sayo. He wasn’t switching weapons ‘quickly’. He was… bringing them from somewhere. His gloves are the source of it, they must be.

That ‘ability’ is the trait of a Color Fixer.

That Color Fixer is the Black Silence.

Everyone seemed on edge at the fact Roland stood in the middle of the battlefield, weapons drawn facing towards the Blade Lineage. The Kurokumo seemed *extremely* cautious, as just 1 minute ago they were fighting what seemed to be a losing battle, to suddenly have a new fighter which killed 2 Blade Lineage members extremely quickly.

Before Sayo could say anything to her subordinates and the others who were fighting before their arrival, Roland moved, dashing forward at an insane speed, rushing towards the Blade Lineage with the 2 weapons in hand.

In mere moments, Roland had crashed against the crowd of Blade Lineage members, picking them off one by one. In a mere *second*, 3 members died instantly.

The Kurokumo watched in awe.

Roland brought out a new weapon. It seemed to be a hammer, close to a sledgehammer. Despite it looking mighty heavy, he swung it around like a stick, hitting the Blade Lineage members and sending them flying, most likely also killing them with the blunt force he inflicted which seemed to be absolutely *brutal.*

Sayo, despite being impressed, looked back at the Kurokumo watching in pure awe. “This is not a fight we can help with right now. Let us not intervene.”

The Kurokumo seemed more than happy to agree, seeing as how they were watching a master of constantly changing weapons reduce the Blade Lineage one by one.

3 members rushed Roland down, but he switched his weapon. It appeared to be a sheathed katana, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

The members kept on rushing in hopes they could take him down before he could unsheathe his blade and fight back, but in a *split second*, Roland was behind them and slashes went through the air.

In just a singular second, 3 members were utterly dismembered, verifying their death by their unmoving vessel.

The remaining Blade Lineage began to retreat, although some stayed to fight. That was when all Hell broke loose.

Roland equipped a greatsword. No, that wasn’t a greatsword. That was something *stronger*, *better*, and much more *fierce* than any greatsword the fighters on both sides have ever seen.

In moment’s notice, Roland crushed the ground with said greatsword, and the impact was too much for 4 Blade Lineage members caught up in its area, causing them to die from the force of the blunt impact.

There were no more Blade Lineage.

Roland won.

Sayo watched as his greatsword left his hand and went to wherever he stores them is.

He was much more than a Grade 1 Fixer.

Perhaps he was the Black Silence, perhaps not.

But one thing is for certain.

He was a master of every single weapon he wielded, using them with absolute precision and execution of their correspondent fighting style.

He was akin to an Office filled with several decently-grading Fixers.

That was the difference between mid to low Grades, barely reaching up to Grade 5, which they dealt with on the occasion, and him. A potential Color Fixer.

And still yet, after that entire massacre, he remained stoic. His expression is not changing. As if he experienced so, so much worse than this.

Perhaps this should be obvious in the City, but at the same time, many a Fixer are considered… sadistic.

Roland turned towards Sayo. “Umm… I saw that you were maybe struggling a bit. I also saw how a lotta reinforcements for that other syndicate came around, so I wanted to… y’know. Help out a bit?”

The Kurokumo just stared. That man had massacred their enemies because they were just *struggling?* Not for his own gain? He helped them because he wanted to and saw them struggle?

That type of sentiment is extremely unusual in the City. He could’ve easily let them to their own devices, possibly let them die and then steal all of their belongings.

“Umm… Captain Sayo, ma’am?”

Sayo turned around, with a look of awe still across her face.

The Kurokumo subordinates replicated that look.

“Who *is* that?”

Sayo turned back to Roland, who seemed to be… robbing the dead Blade Lineage members? Then she turned back to her subordinates.

“A man who will be staying with us temporarily due to some… special agreements.”

A subordinate raised an eyebrow. “Special agreement, ma’am?”

Sayo sighed. “An idiotic affiliate almost started a fight with him.”

A subordinate in the back heard this and winced. He did not want to know what would’ve happened if that fight occurred. Which it almost did. But Roland held that anger down.

2 subordinates came up to Sayo. “Ma’am, we got ambushed by the Blade Lineage here while waiting for you to meet up. Thank you for coming to help us.”

Sayo nodded, and Roland came back to them. He was bloodied, red now covering most of his black suit.

Sayo regarded him for a second, as her subordinates also stared in a sort of awe and wonder of seeing such power.

“What’re you guys looking at?” Roland asked as if he ignored the fact he killed syndicate members as if it was child’s play.

Sayo couldn’t help a snort. “How are we supposed to react to that impressive display you put on for us?”

Roland shrugged. “I dunno. Like I said, I saw more of them coming around and I came to help. I don’t think there’s much reacting needed.”

A subordinate came up, seemingly higher rank than the others. “You say that, but you *literally* made weapons appear in your hands, and you killed them flawlessly, without them even hitting you ONCE.” Said subordinate added a little bit of impact at that ending word.

Roland put up his hands. “I didn’t want them adapting to my fighting style, y’know?”

The subordinate just looked dumbfounded.

A subordinate next to Sayo laughed, albeit slightly. “We have a powerhouse staying with us temporarily? That is very reassuring.” He smiled at the end.

Roland copied his smile. “If you’ll have me.”

“However, if it not too much to ask…” Sayo began.

Roland turned to her, eyebrow raised.

“…Are you truly a Grade 1 or a Color Fixer?” Sayo asked, curiously.

The man in a suit pouted. “I *was* a Grade 1, but let that life go. These gloves were from…” He gulped. “Someone else.”

A subordinate looked at him and realized what his expression meant. “Ah. Deceased?”

Roland smiled, ever so slightly. “Spot on.”

The subordinate bowed his head slightly out of respect. Sayo did the same after a moment of speechlessness.

Roland waved them off. “It’s fine, but they were the Color Fixer who used these gloves. They were the Black Silence. I’m using them now, I guess.”

The subordinate nodded. “I see, well, since we heard from our Captain here that you’re staying with us, might as well introduce ourselves.” Another subordinate came up, with one behind him, seemingly being the leader of the group that was fighting here before they arrived. “I’m Yang, direct subordinate under our miss Sayo here.” The subordinate pointed his thumb at the captain, who pouted in such a manner of address. Seemingly not caring, he pointed his other thumb at the subordinate next to him. “This one’s Gin, another direct subordinate.”

Roland nodded. “Nice to meetcha, I’m Roland, former Grade 1 Fixer, I suppose.”

The subordinate, now identified as Yang, smiled. “Good to have ya, Roland. I suppose there is a reason why you’re laying down in our spots for some time?”

Roland copied his smile. “Yup. Needing to take a break from all this travelling I’ve been doing.”

Gin spoke this time, stoically. “We will provide you with a temporary room until the remainder then.”

The man in a suit threw a thumbs up.

Sayo sighed. “If that’s enough interruptions, let us move back to our settlement.”

The 2 subordinates bowed. “Yes ma’am!” Gin began following, while Yang instructed the other henchmen to form a barrier around them to make sure no ambushes get to them.

Roland followed, seeming in the middle of the group.

Sheesh, what a day. Couldn’t even get a nap in.

 

Notes:

Decided to drop Chapter 2 real fast since I still need general opinions, and for those who aren't saying anything, be able to read more for joy or other purposes.
This one isn't really as detailed, but I have more things on the factory line. Just gotta put myself to work !
...also I glaze the HELL out of Wheels Industry. It's just so god damn cool!