knighted01: star falls to heaven

Sutoridah felt Claire before he heard her. When she caught the coin, he gave her a queer look and threw up his hood. Rituals, while a pain in the ass, had to be followed no matter what. 

“Claire St. Cloud,” he began, his voice as rugged as his face, “do you know why you were called here?” 

On a whim, Sutoridah turned on his heel and walked towards the edge of the parking garage. For some reason, every time his boots hit the ground, the entire complex shook ever so slightly. When he reached the edge, he put a foot on the ledge and rested an arm over it, listening to her answer. 

“I don’t recall the St. Cloud’s being too devoted to His Majesty in the past. They put down their bows with all the rest.” As Sutoridah spoke, he stepped fully up onto the ledge. A wind blew past then, pulling lightly at the edges of his cloak. “Why do you come to serve? What makes you want to betray two hundred years of tradition?” 

Sutoridah’s head turned, and beneath the hood a golden tooth glinted. “What keeps Claire St. Cloud in the world of rebellion?” 

“I see.” Sutoridah took a step off the ledge and into the open air. Reishi, invisible, formed beneath his feet, serving as stepping stones through the empty space before the parking garage. “Then maybe you have a knight’s blood in you. If that’s the case, maybe you came to the right place after all. Or not.” 

Suddenly the building began to shake. If Claire focused, she could have likely sensed the lives of two dozen humans within the parking deck. Sutoridah turned and looked the building up and down once before focusing on Claire. “In this building are ten quincy that are here to watch me. If I kill them by destroying this building, I send a clear message to the Vatican. If I kill them without destroying this building, I send an equally clear message to the Vatican. 

“So, do you know why we knights have to destroy the whole building? Do you know why we have to kill innocent and guilty alike, St. Cloud?” 

The parking deck began to shake even more violently now, and dust was falling from the rafters of each level. 

If Sutoridah was any other man, he would have smiled. Instead, all he could offer her was a grunt of approval as the parking garage finally collapsed. The plume of dust it birthed did little to suffocate the screaming of those caught inside, and of those on the streets below. “Knight’s blood indeed.” 

With a flourish of his cloak, Sutoridah allowed a blackness jump from his body. Under the cover of the dust brought on by the destroyed building, the shadow portal formed was completely hidden from the prying eyes of any Vatican nearby. Sutoridah threw back his hood and allowing the passing wind to bring fresh air to him. The smell of corpses was too strong for him these days. 

“If you follow me, your life will change forever St. Cloud. No longer will you be a quincy living with your family. They may even become your enemies in the future. 

“Your mind, body, and soul will belong to His Majesty. Your virginity in taking lives will be taken. Your oaths will be rewritten. Your blade will find purchase in the flesh of hollow, shinigami, and human alike. You think you can take that leap? You think you are ready to become one of us Holy Executioners?”