Victoria's chest heaved heavily as she drew in a deep breath and straightened her back. Her mask concealed her face, but her eyes hardened and narrowed as she stood facing the masked man. She parted her legs and stood tall, bracing herself in front of the enemy. She refused to hesitate or waver. The man didn't verbally respond to Victoria's threat, but she observed the slight flinch in his shoulders, causing her lips to curl in a slight smirk.
The man charged ahead. He charged ahead with swift and agile movement and raised his fist to hit her on the ribs. Victoria predicted his movements, so she shifted her body, jumping back. His fist barely contacted her. He simply had skimmed her arm, but because of the force he used, his body had lunged forward, making him lose balance. Fortunately for the masked man, he was skilled enough to keep his balance by quickening his steps forward. While he was regaining his composure, Victoria was analysing his movements. Her gaze darted over the man's back as she tried to identify his weaknesses.
Victoria detected that the man had professional training. Although he wasn't the most skilled, he wasn't an amateur either. She was fortunate enough that she was better trained than that man and that he had underestimated her abilities. Victoria was quick to kick her leg out, aiming for the back of his left knee. She may not have the physical strength that he has, but she was far more ruthless and strategic in her attacks. Her kick knocked him to the ground. He landed on the other knee, letting out a muffled groan.
It was during this opening that Victoria swiftly brought her stretched leg down and made her way to the back of the man that was on his knee. After placing her hands on his neck, she twisted with a quick force, snapping his neck. The crack was deafening, and it reverberated across the terrace, causing her to shudder. Her eyes hardened as she looked at the men who were laying aimlessly on the ground. It was then that she flipped the man's body and stretched out her hand to reach for his mask. She wanted to peel off his mask and see the face of the man who was brave enough to go against the Barone family.
BANG.
Victoria's eyes darted to the direction of where the gunshot came from. The doors of the terrace swung open. As she approached the main hall, the sounds of women screaming and men shouting grew louder. It was then that another gunshot rang out, that Victoria quickened her steps. The doors burst open, and a swarm of well-dressed women spilled out, scrambling to escape the danger. Victoria's heart raced as she ran towards the danger, feeling the jostle of people pushing past her without a second thought.
As she reached the ballroom, there were the same masked men dotted about where the exits were. They were all dressed in the same attire as the ones she fought on the terrace. Her eyes noted they turned tables on their sides, while the men were ushering women to hide behind them. Victoria glared, her eyes shifting across the room, trying to locate her brother. He was where the string quartet was while he was fighting one of the masked men, trying to disarm him of his gun.
She noticed that the doors where she exited were the only ones that were not manned by the masked men. She noted that there were some females that were shakily hiding behind the table. Victoria ran in their directions, joining them behind the table that was tipped on its side. She crouched down placed her back against the smooth table surface. The red-haired women let out a small whimper and flinched as she didn't realise that Victoria was an ally.
"Shhh." Victoria's voice was soft as she placed her index finger to her lips. The woman let out a muffled sob as she brought her hands to her mouth.
"It's going to be alright." She reassured. She jutted her head toward the doors where she came from. The woman's eyes widened in fear. "I need you to dash to that door, it's safe there. Follow the other women when you get outside. There will be men there that will know what to do."
"I'm... I'm..." The woman stuttered as she clenched her eyes close.
"Scared." Victoria whispered. "I know, but the only way for you to help is to get out safely." It frustrated Victoria, as she knew she needed to get to her brother safely. She could not afford for him to die. "Now, I'm going to peek my head out. When I say run, you run as fast as you can."
Without giving the women a chance to speak, she poked her head. She noticed that the masked men were all being surrounded by many of the men that were in attendance of the ball. The exit she came from was still the safest place to escape. None of the men were making their way to those doors. They were closing in on her brother, who was now holding the gun that he disarmed from one of the masked men.
"Now." Victoria bellowed. The woman scrambled to her feet and staggered towards the exit.
Victoria's fingers hastily worked to undo the knots in her corset as she monitored the fleeing woman. Carefully hidden in the centre of her stomach was a long leather handle that she started tugging at. It took a few pulls before she heard the stitching rip. In the blink of an eye, the intricate design of her ballgown became simplistic. The handle simply untangled. A thick, rope-like whip fell from her body. She shook her wrist as she grasped the handle, causing the long strand to shake out like an ocean wave crashing on the shore. Victoria braced herself as she shifted onto the heels of her feet, the heels making a large clank against the marble floors. She poked her head above her table, her back arched as she crouched like a cheetah ready to hunt its prey.
She then started her sprint as she watched her brother fight two of the masked men. Marcello's fingers grasped the trigger of the gun. She watched him flick the trigger with the flick of his finger, only for nothing to come out.
"Fanculo!" She watched his lips mouth as he realised the bullets from the clip ran out. He chucked the gun, and Victoria watched it skid across the marble floor. She shook her head at her brother's stupidity. He knows better than to throw a weapon away. She watched one of the unoccupied masked men make their way to the gun, but Victoria was faster. She ran to the slippery floor. Her silk gown helped her grab the gun before the man could stretch his hand. The whip trailing behind her. Victoria snapped her wrist toward the masked man, smacking his shins, causing him to stumble and land on his knees. She cursed herself for her lack of accuracy, realizing that her attempt at a cheap shot had failed. Regardless, she could temporarily delay his actions, whatever his intentions need to be.
She regained her position and landed on her feet as she came to a halt from sliding across the floor. Marcello was throwing his fists left-right and centre as the masked men honed in on him. He was currently surrounding fighting three men. One of them was steadying his hand as he raised the gun. Victoria's eyes widen as she saw him pull on the trigger, but before he could get a fatal blow, she rammed her whole body into his side, knocking him down on the floor. The gunshot missed her brother and ended up in the ceiling. She swung her hips over the man's chest and raised her hand and put as much force into her fist as it connected with his mask. The mask cracked, revealing a slither of skin. His body relaxed underneath her as his head bounced off the floor.
Marcello's eyes caught his sister's briefly, his eyes widened with relief. He almost forgot how ruthless she was. She was formidable in her hits without hesitation. There was an innate need in Marcello to protect his sister, but he forgot she was brutal. Marcello quickly grabbed a fist that was coming towards his face. He simply used his free hand and returned the favour, raising his knee to his groin for a double blow.
"Where the hell were you?" Marcello's voice bellowed out.
"Busy." She gritted her teeth. She once again raised her hand, snapping the whip once again, but toward her brother. This time, her shot was accurate, aiming for the man that was sneakily standing behind her brother. The man crouched down on the floor as she got a bullseye on his groin. Her brother quickly whipped around and placed his hand on the man's neck. His arms pulled as he broke it. The masked man thumped to the floor.
"Where the hell did you get that whip from?" Marcello questioned as he placed his hand in front of Victoria. She clutched his hand and allowed him to pull her up from the ground.
"Did you really think I would come anywhere unarmed?" She teased.
"What about me? Why did you confiscate my guns before we came?" He said in an irritable tone.
"We can talk about this later." She huffed out as she reached to his chest and pulled off the pin that she attached to her brother. "Anyway, who said you were unarmed?"
Marcello gave her a sceptical look as she watched Victoria throw the pin to the floor. A loud crack echoed off the walls. As the pin crashed to the floor, a thick black smog released, escaping to every corner of the room.
"You couldn't tell me about that before?" Marcello coughed as the smoke filled his lungs.
"You know now." She replied as she pointed toward the terrace where she knew they could escape.