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Killian glanced towards the clock hanging just above what seemed to be some old styled paintings. The guy wrinkled his nose towards the one far left. It wasn't that he hated old farming pictures, it was more of seeing the same things day in and out was getting fairly annoying. Then again once he bought his own apartment, despite the disapproval of his professor, there would be a new personally drawn one every day. The young man shook his head as his legs stretched outwards. One was lying across the couch cushions and the other on the floor.

His newly redone tattoo was once again in full view as his figure loomed slightly forwards. During breakfast the man knew he had ignored the woman’s question completely. So if the girl attempted to ask again he planned on acting like he hadn't heard it.

Azulia watched him from afar pursing her lips in slight annoyance. All she wanted to know where he got the damn tatto, but he was acting like she didn't exist. She huffed and looked away from him. She thought about the letter she finally got to read, still left wondering how her mom and Charles knew each other since the letter just told him his thanks.

She stood up from the chair she sat on and went over to Killian poking his head. “Hey, hey. Don't act like I'm not here. Answer my damn question” She said poking him with each word.

“Question? When did you ask a question kiddo?” He said while glaring at her hand. The man grumbled as he took it gently and shoved it back to her side. Almost on instincts he knew this girl would be nothing but trouble. “If you want to know then why not play a simple game with me?” Killian asked calmly.

“The rules are simple. You expose something from you past before asking a question. I, in return, must answer after learning that small bit about you. Sound fair or do you want to drop the question? After all it's a give and take thing with me.”

“Fine then. When I was around 12 I became curious of what my power was. I knew my mom didn't want me to be in touch with my prae side because of what my dad when I was a child, so I began to do it when my mother was either distracted or not even where I was. I basically learned what little I know about my powers in secret” She said.

“Your turn Killian” She said

He sighed as she spoke. In a way the man hoped she would drop it. Then again at least she was playing by the rules unlike their ever pain in the ass guardian. “If you look closely it's obvious you're half prae. Granted when I first picked you up from the airport I didn't notice. As for your question the tattoo is from a gang I joined years ago. Not one of my proudest moments.” The African American said as he placed a bookmark inside his spot and closed it.

“My turn. Who told you about Charles?”

“My mother’s will. Apparently my mother knew Charles when she lived in Europe growing up, but how they know each other is still unknown to me since she hated talking about her time here. She didn't want my dad, whoever he is, to have custody of me and since he basically vanished, I was given to Charles” She said

“Most times when someone lies they look towards a certain side. If I remember correctly it's towards the left. I could be wrong so I'll get straight to the point on this. As you know Charles made me sit with you two instead of allowing me to go and eat in the kitchen. Since I've already heard this story I wanted to see if any details had changed. So congratulations on telling the truth kiddo. Keep that up and Charles won't drill you for information. What else do you want to know?”

“Not a whole a lot about you. Just enough since we are probably going to be seeing each other every day and I prefer to know some things about the person I will be seeing. I am just that way. Same as my mother was I guess” Azulia shrugged.

“I hope you two are getting along,” Charles’ voice interrupted before Killian could answer. The teenage immortal had traveled, his coat and suitcase placed on the bench at the foyer’s end, as he casually walked toward the living room. His hand raised to tug away the first button on his white, ironed out shirt on his way to check on both of his house guests. Iron grey eyes flickered from one individual to the next, studying them a moment, then carefully retreated toward his room.

The young man grinned as his professor's voice filled the room. In a way he was happy the oldest of the three entered the house. Now the guy didn't have to speak anymore of a time which was mostly in the past. The guy glanced towards him, wanting to chuck something just to see if his friend was still on edge, but decided against it completely. “We’re slowly getting to know one another. She asked about the tattoo you removed and I've had redone. I've also added to it.” He said as he stood up.

Charles words carried back toward them and echoed through the hallway, “Positively I hope, but it’s good to see you two getting to know each other. By the way, I’ll be ordering take out for your dinner tonight, Azulia. What would you like? Any favorites? Killian, you’ll be picking something along the way to the meeting tonight.”

“What's life without some mistakes which can be experienced first hand?” The human asked as he frowned at Chales’ next sentence. “Charles she's what? 13 or 14 at the moment? She's old enough to to come and see what the fuss is about. She can also decide on either going to help or not? Personally I think it's best she comes with instead of being treated as a child.”

Azulia watched as they talked before finally answering. “What meeting are you two talking about. Is it like something like what happened last night? Because if it is, I don't know why I can't go and I just turned 15 Killian so you kinda guessed my age right” She said sitting back looking at her new guardian and Killian.

Charles sighed, then paused as he pulled back to peer around the corner. His lips pressed into a tight frown and began to correct each of them, still fiddling with his shirt, “First off, you two, let’s keep in mind I’m the current guardian of you, Azullia. Second point, if this was the middle ages than yes at the age of fifteen she would’ve been an adult for about a year. A fact that it is the modern age has changed things. I’m currently responsible for your,” He pointed at Azulia, “well being and no, you’re not going.”

He turn jerked back down the hallway, his shirt nearly unbuttoned down the front as he ducked into the bedroom to change. While the door was left open enough for him to continue the conversation, he ducked behind an old fashion dress screen to continue his changing. Already three different sets of outfits had been laid out upon a chair back and were ready to be worn when he was ready.

“Trust me kid. No matter what Mr. I-don't-know-teens saids, you're an adult. They tend to sneak out for nights on end without their parents permission getting into all sorts of trouble. At least that's what I did at your age.” The man said to her with a smirk.

“That clearly turned out well for you…” Charles sarcastically pointed out.

“Care to share with the class, you little shit.” He snared while going into the hallway and standing at the door.

“Watch your language. Now, where did you end up? In a gang, which you’re currently running from and sleeping on your teacher’s property. Now you’re insulting me… brilliant.”

“I've already told you I'm going to move out as soon as I can. After all that girl you saw with me after class was a very good friend. Don't like me around then kick me out already. I did what I had to in order to live.” The man said kicking the door.

Charles began to toss the white shirt to the side, folding it to flop it over the chair edge and continued to work on his pants, “We both know you wouldn’t make it very far. Good friend or not, what happens when your gang comes knocking down on your door? I much rather not find my student dead… or worse.”

When Killian kicked the door, Charles frowned until his lips became a thin line, “Will you stop, Killian. I honestly don’t want to repair the door frame again!”

His tone snapped in warning, the only one that Killian was going to get, as he began to tug on the belt and remove his trousers. He reached for the decided outfit for the operation and pulled them on one by one.

Azulia watched them sighing. “A gang huh. Teens in America that go into gangs are often in jail by my age for the rest of their lives”She said. She was still annoyed that she was being treated like a child. True she was still under the age of 18, but she had already worked and earned money like an adult, did basically everything an adult had to do during the day minus doing taxes since she was still too young to file by herself. She got up and followed after him.

“Eh. Growing up in an orphanage and being bounced from place to place tends to bring out some issues. Most of the houses use you for either images or another paycheck so they don't have to work as hard. You can guess what all the homes I went to was like.” He explained as he mumbled some uncivilized words.

“I thank you that you care a lot about a total stranger like me, but I basically lived like an adult. I'm responsible, I don't drink, do drugs, I definitely haven't had sex like a lot of girls my age who are already pregnant with their first child, so what's wrong with a little meeting unless you plan on doing drugs and drinking then I would be happy to stay here, maybe raid your fridge and watch all the movies I want”Azulia said.

“Azulia, we’ve just met. You and I both haven’t known each other for very long, and we currently lack the time to correct that. Right now, I know very little about your life leading up to this and I much rather not be declared an unfit guardian,” Charles replied, pulling on his jeans and then his shirt, as he began to adjust until they fit well enough.

After being satisfied by what he spotted in the mirror propped up behind him, he began to move out from the screen and into the room. Mentally he was bitterly amused because breaking prisoners out from a local jail was doing exactly that. He coughed then continued, “As for the meeting, I wished it was that simple. I also regret to say that our ice box’s stock is rather low. Take out of your choice it will have to be, just make sure you order it before we leave.”

She looked at Killian and shook her head.“I can take a guess that you have a very bad temper when pushed beyond a certain limit line huh?”Azulia asked.

The man looked at her and thought for a moment. “Only when I speak really. Which as you know isn't often. Charles she's going. My car, my rules.”

“Then neither of you are going and I will walk there,” Charles retorted, his eyebrow raised in a daring gesture and looked to the pair of them. In the background two metallic wolves started to form and materialize, backing his statement. Their glowing eyes stared at the two as he held out his hand to make them heel.

Azulia watched at the wolves appeared out of nowhere very fascinated about it. She never seen that happened before. “That's cool. At least they don't have fur. I have a slight allergy to animal fur. Must be the human part of me” She said rubbing the back of her head.

The man glanced at the dog with a disgusted look then back at the guy. Oh how he hated these golems. Always nipping at your heels with the utmost violence. In a way it was good they were willing to do anything to protect the house but damn they hurt when attacking. “Again my car and my rules. The teenager comes or you’ll be homeless.”

Azulia looked at Killian confused. “And how the hell will he be homeless. Are you an arsenal happy person and light shit on fire or will you just turn on every faucet in the house and let the water flood and damage the house?” She said obviously have watched way too many movies in her life.

“Besides Killian, you are missing one thing about Mr. Charles being homeless, it would be me and Mr. Charles will be homeless. If courts found out, they could take me away and he won't be able to do anything about it” Azulia said.

“Or my golems sit on you until I get back.”

Killian glared at Azulia as she spoke, and then at Charles. His right hand began twitching as small sparks showed in the air. The young man glanced towards the golems, as if measuring the distance between them, before grinding his teeth. “Your shielding her from most of the damn picture Charles. The world isn't full of butterflies and rainbows and its best she learns this now. Because if your daughter doesn't see the full picture she'll make a mistake. One that will cost her either the lives of others or hers.” He snared before walking away.

Charles didn’t react, his eyes hardened and firm on what he felt was right. Just like Killian, both had been denied a childhood so what right did they have risking taking that away from Azulia? It was one of many questions he wanted to ask Killian. However, he wasn’t about to press the already steaming house guest who seemed to back down.

Azulia chased after him and walked beside him. “Hey, thanks for trying to convince to let me go, but it looks like he won't budge Killian. I know the world ain't easy. Hell I been through several school lock downs because a teen brought a gun to school. I seen someone jump from a building not far from my old home was. The world is pretty tough out there for a lot of people and I understand now what it's kinda like to be an orphan as my blood mother got hit by a drunk driver and my father basically abandoned me”

“Hey Killian, even if Charles is my guardian, am I still considered an orphan because my real parents aren't in my life or no. I really don't understand this stuff” She asked.

“Azulia you've never set foot in an orphanage so no. You had somewhere to go. A choice. I didn't at least not really. My parents just up and left. And you don't know what it's like. You've seen only certain things which can be forgotten. Once you see your friends shot up in a drive by shooting that, and only then, will you really understand.”

“That's the thing. I never really had friends so I really don't understand what it's like to be a friend, go out, get to hangout with people. I was either at home, school or work. I would get indifferent when I see people holding hands, or laughing at something another person said. It's like when it comes to that my emotions just...turn off” Azulia looked at him.

“It's best not to get close to anyone. In the end they either leave you once and for all, use you for their own gains, or practically pass away. It's not so bad Azulia. About not having emotions. Makes it much harder for people to read you.” He said looking away for a moment.

“But I do know this, don't let life pass you by like it did mother. Because you never know what good moments you will miss” Azulia said patting his shoulder as gentle as possible.

The young man seemed to freeze as he felt her skin touch his own. This gesture was familiar in a way and yet foreign in others. How could a single girl remind of him of her? They were strangers but in a way they understood each other from the day they met. “You remind me of someone. Someone I fell in love with only to lose her in the end.” He whispered out loud without realizing it.

The guy blinked a few times before nodding. “Sure kid. Whatever you say. Is there anything else you want to know. It can be anything.”

Azulia blinked but didn't comment what he just said. “Was it easy...leaving the gang or did you just find that one window of opportunity to escape?”She asked.

“I was wondering when you would ask this. It was more of an eye opener. You see in order to picture this you needed to be there. It wasn't...how do you say...totally bad. We were more of a family of misfits in a way. Each had joined in order to escape something that we couldn't control ourselves. When I first noticed by recruiter, I was looking down on them but as the years seemed to blend into each other I started wishing to feel something. Anything really.” He explained with a shrug.

“I was hanging out with some friends when it happened. Yes, I was hit as well but not as bad as the others. I held onto one of my buddies as they bled out in my arms. That's when reality hit and my life really began.”

Azulia nodded her head listening to him. “That must have been hard for you. Losing all those people you cared for and who cared for you. It was hard losing my mom. Life just sucks most of the time huh?”She commented as she leaned on the wall.

“Honestly I'm not completely out of the game. There are a few I keep in touch with but no matter how many times I attempt to keep away from them , they just keep coming back. In a way I'm happy they do but I'm still putting them at risk. Something which I never want to do. The one who really raised me was Charles. He was the one who kept me from going to jail and the one who didn't seem keen on letting a 16 year old fugitive ruin his life more.” He said as he looked up at her.

“Charles has been there for me more times than I can count. And I'm grateful for this but it's time to go. Time to keep a distance in order to keep those who you want to keep safe. That's one of the reasons I wanted you to come because once I'm forgotten he’ll need someone to protect him. Even if it looks as if he doesn't.”

“Well it's not the first time I been alone and it might not be the last, I'm fine with staying in the house. Might even take a walk later tonight, get to know this place a lot more. Might look for hiring signs so I can apply for a job if Charles will let me,” She said.

“And by the way Killian, I doubt you could ever be forgotten. He could have easily forgotten my mom, but he didn't and that was well over 15 years ago.” She said going back towards Charles.

Killian bit his lip as he walked towards the woman. His hand then gently placed onto her shoulder, the other on the girl’s upper back, before pulling her into a hug. ”Azulia, for as long as I've know Charles, he hasn't forgotten anyone he's met. Yes, the man will get hurt and tends to heal almost instantly afterwards but I guess that's the price for a person no longer being human. At least not in the death category.”

Azulia blinked when she felt Killian pull her into a hug. Surprised filled her when she heard his words before a smile,lit up on her lips and she wrapped her arms around him returning his hug.

The guy gently kissed her forehead attempting to act like a brotherly figure than a man trying to woe her. “You're rather unforgettable too kiddo. You remind me of someone I once loved. She was stubborn like you but Abigail tend to see the best in everyone. Hell she was the one who tried persuading me to become the gang’s leader just so the death would stop but I refused. Now I wished I did. Maybe then she would have been alive.” He said before releasing her and walking towards the bedroom alone.

Azulia looked at him as he began to walk towards the bed room. She had a feeling they reached an understanding. They both have lost someone they loved very dearly by their actions. Azulia convinced her mom to take the shift so she could get more hours and she was killed on her way home. She wiped her tears and followed after him.

Meanwhile, Charles decided once more try to get into contact with Mr. Cain’s office again. On their way back toward the hallway, they could easily overhear his voice conversing with someone over the phone. Someone stubborn as he tried to reason with them, “I know you’ve said he’s out, but can you tell me when he’ll be back? It’s important I get a hold of Mr. Cain.”

Charles inhaled then sighed, irritation laced his voice, “Yes, I understand, but-”

“Yes… yes… and no, I’m not trying to harass his office but you must- yes. Alright.”

With that, he hung the phone up in a harsh click. He then began to turn to the door as his steps betrayed his approach.

Azulia blinked when she heard his voice talking to someone obviously on the phone as she could only hear his voice. She frowned and looked at Killian wondering who her new guardian was talking to and who this Mr. Cain was. She stayed silent as she continued to eavesdrop and froze when she heard his footsteps approaching the door. She quietly pulled Killian away.

She then turned around and began to walk towards as the door opened. It would look like she was just returning.

Killian didn't pull away from Azulia. His eyes flickered from side to side as questions formed inside his own mind. Cain? Where had he heard that last name before. Wait. Charles couldn’t have meant that mobster of a fox. Could he? The guy bit his lower lip in thought before the girl stopped completely.

“This could end very bad for Charles.” He whispered. “Azulia mind coming with me on a bit of a snooping operation?”

Azulia looked worried and nodded. What could Killian mean? Was Charles was in trouble with someone name Cain. She followed Killian back towards the bedroom being as quiet as she could.

Charles, still irritated, exhaled as the sound of the phone clicked. His hand reached for the hand and gave it a quick twist, pushing outward on his exit. He shifted his eyes side to side before he spoke out loud as he moved down the hallway, [color=#7bcd8]“Alright, since you two are staying, Killian you pay for the food and keep the receipt. I’ll repay you when I get back home. Besides being disgruntled with me, is there anything else you two need?”[/color]

“New paints and pencils would be nice. The ones I bought for christmas are dying on me.” He said in a faked, but still irked tone. In reality this was ploy to keep the teacher away for as long as possible, and giving the two of them extra time to snoop around his room in order to find answers.

The immortal paused, then studied Killian a moment. His hands on his collar and gave it a light tug to keep it from choking him, his figure still and debating on the answer. After several long seconds, Charles subtly nodded his acceptance then breathed through his nose. His foot stepped toward the main entrance door and rested his hand briefly on it when he turned about,[color=#7bcd8] “Take care and I’ll be back as soon as possible, then we can have a talk about this. Please, don’t think about leaving the house. My golems will follow you and when I find you, I’ll haul you back here where I can chew you out over it. Understand?”[/color]

With those last words, he walked out and shut the door behind him.

“What am I? five?”Azulia muttered before looking at Killian. “So where should we start Killian?”She asked him as soon as Charles was out of earshot of them but being quiet enough to where the golems wouldn't hear them.

The man smiled as he glanced at the metal golems. “First we go out to eat and I don't mean take out either. I mean going to a restaurant and eating there so we don't have to clean up. I mean after all I don't know what your favorites are.” He said loudly towards the dogs before lowering his tone.

“There’s this guy I’ve heard of. Someone that every criminal didn't dare to mess with. Mostly due to rumors of him being raised by death himself or some crap. All I know for certain is that we don't want to get on his bad side.”

“Who is this guy and what does he have to do with Charles” She asked looking at him. “I like anything really” She said loudly towards the golems.

The man took the young woman into her new bedroom, shutting the door behind them, before sighing. “There. Hopefully we can sneak out through a window or something. As the answer to your question is unknown. Our loving teacher must have some reason for. Granted there has been one number which he keeps calling constantly. I have a feeling that he's hiding something.”

“Well you are alone in that feeling since I just got here and don't know anyone he knows or what he does in his off hours at work.” Azulia went over to the window and opened it. She expertly popped out the screen. She saw Killian give her a look and she shrugged.

“I often snuck out to the park down the street to practice my magic” She said before anything could be said before getting out the window onto the roof outside.

“That little minx. We’re definitely keeping her around.” He mumbled as he followed her outside and onto the roof. Killian glanced around, looking for those golems and not quite seeing them, before he slowly climbed off down. “Your weren't the only who liked sneaking out. Though in my case it was much easier due to the foster parents not even caring.”

The man glanced around once again and held out his hands. “Jump and I’ll catch you.”

Azulia nodded and jumped down and giggled as she was caught by Killian. “Thanks Killian” She got down and cracked her knuckles. “Ok now where? You know this place better than I do” She asked looking at him .

“I got some general idea on who to call on for that.” He said as two of the metallic golems came into view. The man groaned in disappointment as his eyes glared at the thing he hated most in this world. “So much for our fun. Ready to go for a ride you piece of shit?” The human asked the object. The thing seemed to smile back at him as its tail wagging in the air.

Azulia chuckled and grabbed a large stick not far from where they were. “Hey pretty puppy. Do you wanna play” She said waving the stick in front of it. She threw it far from them. “Go....GET IT!” She said watching it stare at it then her.

“Umm...it’s easier if we take at least a few with us. Or else the others will come after us. Plus where we’re going we’ll need the extra protection. I hate these things.” Killian said as they walked towards the car with their new comrades. He opened the back door and watched them go inside. Then he walked towards the passenger's side and opened it.

Azulia walked over and smiled at him. “Thanks. I think these things are the closest thing I could have as a pet. Just something about their fur made my eyes red and puffy and my skin get all rashy” she said getting into the passenger seat.

She spent the cab ride to the shop on her phone, researching what she could about where she was about to be taking over. She knew well enough that what was reported wasn’t always totally the truth, but it always held some degree of the truth within it.

“Miss?” the voice called from the front seat when they had been sat a moment at their destination and she hadn’t gotten out.

Masha looked up over her glasses at the driver, blinking before she realized what was going on. “Oh yes,” she said, sounding distracted as she climbed out of the car, paying before she closed the door.

She headed into the shop she'd bought and got to work. It wasn't much she needed to do. In fact, she hardly had to do anything. The place had only been up for sale because the owner was moving on to other things, otherwise it was a very successful business that only needed to see their new boss.

After making the calls she needed to for her apartment, she headed back to her hotel to finish up the research she started before. Things outwardly seemed to look good for the place. Their website offered a plethora info about hours and prices and glowing pictures that she was sure didn't truly show where things were at now. But she didn't think any place would promote itself as worse for wear. Perhaps an “under new management/construction”. Which was an idea for her. She'd certainly consider that. She had no intention of totally changing things, but letting outsiders know that new people were in control might bring back in old crowds.

After a while though, she decided the best way to get any info that was actually useful was to just go there herself. She just couldn't indulge as much as she normally did. Which was a pity, but a necessary thing to do. So going with an outfit that was less attention grabbing, but still rather enough to turn a few heads, she headed out to what was soon to be her newest place of business.

When she was dropped off out front of the place, she looked it over with a critical eye. The building itself looked okay, but the business seemed...well lacking certainly was the word for it. It was more to what Darius had said it was than what the website had said. So they were putting on a front then. Hoping that things would pick back up and nothing would have to change. There was a bouncer, and a roped line, but no line. There was no one queuing up to get in. She could hear the music from inside, but there was no rushing crowds either.

Walking towards the door, the sounds of her heels clicking on the concrete, she came at the bouncer like she owned the place. Which, she kinda did. Almost. He gave her an approving look over, eyes lingering on the lacy eyelets of her bar that could be seen easily through her sheer blouse. When she didn’t stop him, he spoke more to her breasts than her face. “Well hello there,” he nearly purred in a deep voice. “I know I ain't seen your beautiful...face around these parts before.”

“You haven't,” she smirked, twirling a long strand of black hair around one finger. “But I'm very interested in coming by more often. Especially if you'll let a girl in for free.”

“No can do, sweetheart,” he sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed that he couldn't. Apparently fear of his boss was bigger than his desire for her. Which she supposed was a good thing.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Your loss.” Once she was inside the darkened interior, she stopped being quite so outwardly confident. She still walked with purpose, she still walked like she knew she looked like a million bucks and that she knew very well she was worth it too.

The place was...well not exactly her taste. Well that wasn’t exactly true. It had a garish, skulls and flames theme. She liked skulls, she liked flames, she liked the idea of it. But it was so cheap and not in the best of conditions either. It was a place that certainly needed her brand of TLC to it. And it certainly needed more people. The place was almost dead.

Sliding up to the bar, she had to snap her fingers to get someone to pay attention to her.

A punk dressedwoman with pink highlights in her raven dark hair, dotted tattoo near the right side of her head’s hairline and about 2-3 piercings decorating her face rose up from behind the counter. She had been bent over cleaning the alcohol refuse spilled across the floor. Her eyes brushed over to the single customer causing her to frown as she propped the broom shaft against the far counter side and pulled up close to the counter. Her figure leaned over it to address the new client with her arms crossed under her decent sized chest.

“You’re new, trying a new place?” Her tag said Nikki which indicated that was her name, “What can I get you?”

Masha had taken the few moments to look the girl over as she'd answered her summons. She wasn't bad. Not her typically interest, but not outside the norm either. “That I am,” she purred, leaning her arms on the counter some. She was still standing, trying to decide if she wanted to climb up on the stool or not. Her heels would at least make that easier. “I'll take a Bloody Mary, with your best vodka, please.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Apologies, the owner,” Nikki’s tone emphasized where the fault lied and tried her best to seem apologetic as she lowered down, her eyes studied where the liquor was, “hasn’t bothered to officially restock anything. The delivery truck is unpredictable as usual. You really, as bad as this sounds, picked another place for your first time out.”

Bottles clinked and rapidly moved, her arms shifting for vodka, only find nothing. A soft moan escaped her lips as she popped back up, seeming to brace for the customer wrath, “And we’re out of vodka… I know we keep beer on tap. I think there’s some wine coolers in the back if I strangle my co-workers for it.”

When Nikki popped back up empty handed, and expressing that beer might be her only option her she wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. But she didn't explode on her, didn't show that wrath that Nikki had braced for and that Masha was totally capable of. “Well then,” she sucking on her tongue for a second. “How do you manage to keep a place going if your management can't be bothered to keep the place stocked? Just get me whatever then, whatever is easiest.”

“I…” Her eyes wandered toward one of the local bouncers, a huge and rather heavily tattooed brutish man, then pulled cautiously back up. However her voice lowered to discreetly convey her thoughts, “Personally, I wondered that myself and found out snooping wasn’t a good idea.”

Her hand shifted across the skin as the makeup concealer rubbed away to reveal a deep, purple black bruise on her forearm. She continued to make her now faked smile and said in a cheery fashion, “I’ll see what I can find. I’m pretty sure there’s some wine coolers I stashed away in back.”

With that, she began to move into the connected room where the employees often took their breaks from the customers. A waft of smoke and sounds of grunt, harsh voices were rumbling quietly when the door opened then once more were muffled out when it closed. In less than half an hour, the woman came swaying back in with a peach navel schnapps bottle and some orange juice. She quickly tossed into the clean mixer, stirred it and then drained it into a fancy wine stem glass with a wiggly stem.

“I’m hoping this will do?” Nikki said, trying to once more sound apologetic, as she slide it over.

When the girl walked off, Masha decided it was best to sit. She looked around her as she waited, taking careful notes in her head of those who were there to drink and those who were there for business, whether their own or their employers. Especially taking note of bulky guards. She liked to rough people up, she enjoyed causing pain. But she did not approve of that sort of roughing up. She had schooled her expression well enough though at Nikki’s change in demeanor and the hint of bruises along her arm. She wasn't going to start something just then.

She had just considered pulling out her cigarettes when the girl returned with her drink parts and mixed it up for her. “That'll do,” she said with a little chuckle and a smirk. “Took you a bit longer than I expected back there though…” It wasn't an outright complaint, and it certainly wasn't an angry one. It was much more and open ended inquiry, one that she hoped would be picked up on.

“I had to… work around a few things,” Nikki said, recalling how one of the thugs got a bit too touchy and she barely made out with the cocktail ingredients. Her head looked toward the door, hinting at something unpleasant, as she then turned to Masha. Getting a bit more casual, she once more leaned and continued to talking in a low tone, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for the pay and other things, I wouldn’t be caught dead here. The management has gone to shit since Mr. Cortes took over.”

One of her dark eyebrows raised up some, tilting her head to the side slightly as she considered what she’d said. So people were hands in an unwelcoming sort of way. She , in general, didn’t mind anyone being handsy with her. But she was a firm believer of handsy only when it was wanted. Or at least not in the workplace, when there was no escaping them. “So you get paid well in both money and other perks, but it seems like you can’t keep customers here.” She said, sounding like she was thinking things through outloud. “I mean, it’s dead. How do you get paid then, if you don’t have the people coming in?”

“Honestly, side money. Mr. Cortes has been using ‘other’ funding to keep this place up and running. I’m a little worried about that honestly because he’s got connections to the Fox, how deep I don’t know because I got a good thrashing for being nosy, and I get the sneaky suspicion Mr. Cortes has been skimming off the top of the ‘benefactor’s’ funds,” Nikki looked up and immediately buttoned up as she noted one of the bouncers looking her way. Her tone became louder, but not enough to sound unusual and addressed Masha, “Are you certain that’s all you want, we got great beer on tap.”

She flashed the brute a smile, fake, then let it curl away when the bouncer looked away. The bartender let out a sigh of relief then continued, “Sorry about that. Mr. Cortes doesn’t like me gossiping or chasing away what little customers we have. He’s made threats that my mouth will end me up in some dark alley if I don’t shut up or stop snooping.”

Nikki bit her lip and scanned the crowd of three or four people, then bent her head down to rub the back of it. Exhaling, she raised upright and tried to remain calm through the panic was clear in her eyes, “Anything you want to know or have I chased you off already?”

Masha listened closely as she spoke. She obviously wasn't very good at being nosy, but she had the gumption for it. Which she supposed was a good thing. It might be something that she could use to her favor in the future. “Upsetting ones possible benefactor and protector is a very dumb idea,” she said more to herself than the girl.

“I agree with you there,” Nikki commented, lifting her head, even when the statement wasn’t toward her. Her nails, decorated with a white background in the center then fading off into black and a skull cut out in the middle, tapped the counter lightly. Her weight leaned toward one side as her other leg circled her straightened one and her eyes darted occasionally to the bouncers to ensure they weren’t spying her giving the customer too much attention.

“Oh there's loads I'd love to know,” she purred, leaning in a little flirty herself. “It takes much more than that to scare me off.”

Nikki immediately jerked her attention fully on Masha at the woman’s words, noting the purr in her tone. Her arms crossed under her chest while she began to curl a long hair strand over her finger and leaned in deeper, “Well, if I’m honest, I have to say you’re the perk of the night. Through you get too curious, it would best to do it outside prying eyes.”

The bartender’s eyes hinted toward someone watching them closer than earlier. A large, horned individual that looked he was part Licenti stared right at the bar. His thick arms were crossed and he tried to give a sloppy air of indifference, but it was obvious he was spying on Nikki.

Masha only glanced over at the brute that was set there to hover over them. Or at least over Nikki. She wondered why they hadn't just fired her if they didn't trust her enough to even work on her own. When Masha looked back to the other woman, she smiled a little slyly. “Well you're very much the perk of my night,” she murmured lowly, though not because she cared if anyone heard.

“A girl always like to hear that. How’s your drink?” Nikki asked as she twisted about, her attention drawn to one of the few patrons in the bar signing for a drink. Her figure moved to fill a mug from the tap as she bounced to the beat, the music starting to pick up. She slid the mug down to the individual who smiled and took a deep draft.

“Wonderful,” she answered, though it was clear by the look on her face that it wasn't the drink she was talking about. She watched her work for a while, still looking around and taking stock of everything while no one knew who she was. It was best that way, to judge what it was they were willing to do when they didn't think they were being watched.

Of course, she called her over now and again for a refill and chat, but her questions were of a far more casual nature. She still wanted to know more, but that wasn't something that she could do now. Or more accurately, wasn't what she was the most interested in doing now. Not when there was a pretty and interesting girl in front of her who seemed to be like Masha in the right ways.

And since she had nothing better to do that evening, and no other exciting prospects at the club, she waited until Nikki was off work. Putting out the last of her cigarette, she smiled at her with a look that was half predator half promise. “Now your place or mine?” she asked with a low, smoky laugh.

---

A dark tinted window sedan rolled up and grounded to a halt on street curb, just outside the Cedarvale Apartment complex. Its motor broke the silence penetrating through the usual busy atmosphere found within the busy neighborhood as everyone had settled down for the night. After several moments, a white haired man, dressed in inconspicuous clothing, casually exited from the well kept car. He let observed the apartment complex a moment then turned his head expectedly back toward it, his voice raspy and hard in tone, “This seems to be the place that Mr. Cortes told us about.”

His thumb wiped at his hawk like nose then idly traced his vivid, deep scar along his upper lip to his cheek bone while waiting. Two more individuals, both males, exited the sedan and looked toward him to lead. Sighing, the head twisted on heel then glided up the small porch steps and attempted to open the door to the lobby. It jiggled, but didn’t give to his attempt to enter.

“Something wrong, Zackary?” Asked Ronald, the individual with a wavy top and shaved sides. A large, decorative tribal tattoo decorated his neck front from his collarbone to his jawline, through partially hidden by his leather jacket collar being propped upright. His blue eyes looked about watchfully during his wait for the door to be open as he stepped back, appearing to head back to the car and bolt from one obstruction in their way.

Zackary sighed, his hand ruffled his combed back hair and short cut hair while he thought. The lock was arcanic compared to those from the business district, one of the sub security companies, and wouldn’t take much to pick. Casually he began to mouth silently an incantation causing a whisper to float directly into Ron’s ear, the man abruptly stopped when his attention caught the information.

“Just bring the lock pick from the car and stand watch. You don’t want me to tell Mr. Cortes you high tailed and ran off, do you?”

Ron tightened his grip, briefly, over the door handle then opened. He ducked in and retrieved the lock picks behind the seat, retreating back upright then quickly passed them off to Zackary. The older man gave a wicked smile and bent over, carefully working on the lock. In a short time it came undone with a click. Satisfied with his work, he carefully made his way in without worry of leaving any evidence behind thanks to the recent collection of technology the Serpientes de Ouroboros traded for. Anyone reasonable would be asleep as they walked into the shabby lobby, the first floor of the cheap place, and drifted to counter.

Zackary’s thin, willowy figure moved toward the counter, noting the numerous mailboxes behind it. His tongue pressed against his heavily scarred cheek as his finger raised in the air and darted from one box to the next, each one named and numbered. His grey eyes crinkled in acknowledgement when his sights came to rest on Nikki Patel’s name at room 006. His lips curled into a toothy, crooked grin.

He moved from the counter, his finger made a crescent circle in the air for the other two to follow him. Without holding back his excitement, he took the stair steps two at a time all the way up to the third floor. The other two hot in his wake. Upon entering the hallway, his eyes swayed back and forth until he noted the door plate with the number he sought. Again the lockpicks came as he lowered to one knee, his fingers professionally manipulating the metal tumblers until the knobs opened with a click and the door leaned outward.

Carefully, they made their way inside.



The sound of running water ceased as Nikki edged into the hallway. She was wearing a sports bra and boxer briefs, the only things she managed to get on during her path to relieve herself. One arm stretched high and over her head, her other crossed over behind her head to add to the afterglow still lingering on her surface. The muscle pulled briefly while she let a deep, lengthy yawn rippled from her mouth. On the way down, her hand ruffled her turned over and dyed purple bangs before they rose up again. She had considered a shower, but her mind didn’t want to wash away the haze from sleep just yet. Her eyes heavily crusted with sleep grit, her hand back rubbed each eye to clear her vision long enough for her to walk back to her bed.

A bed that still held a naked, pretty girl wrapped in the sheets.

Nikki smirked, groggily at the wild night they had and looking forward to the morning to come. Her bare feet padded down the hallway to the bedroom door, pausing a moment in confusion. She turned her eyes to spot the front door slightly a jarred. Every sense jerked awake and her sight narrowed on the scene, knowing full well she had shut and locked it. Carefully, she popped her door open. She leaned down and reached around the doorframe for the basebat which stood there just in case. Her fingers gripped the end just when a cobra seemed to strike.

A man’s hand wrapped about her face. It clasped over her mouth just when she screamed, silencing her. Her arms thrashed about as she heard a dark, eager chuckle in her ear and her figure lifted from her feet. She kicked out to try to knock him off her. The lamp caught the end of her foot causing the hallway lamp to crash loudly, then pop and fizzle out. In complete darkness, Nikki continued to struggle thanks to the fear and desperation pounding at her skull. A sense of survival crept into her usually calm demeanor while she clawed from being pulled back into the kitchen.

Zackary’s voice whispered into her hearing, “Shhhh, stop struggling bitch. Or your little whore in there will be joining you. Mr. Cortes warned you about shooting off your mouth, now you get to pay the price.”

---

Masha had stirred when Nikki had left the bed. She was pretty tipsy when she’d gone to sleep after their fun, but the movement and the loss of heat from the other body that had been next to her shifted her sleep into something a little restless. So when the lamp was pulled down to the floor and destroyed, she sat up with a gasp, blinking to try and remember where she was and what was going on. When her heart rate slowed down she got her brain working enough to figure out that she wasn’t in immediate danger, but her bedmate was missing.

Standing up, she didn't bother with finding clothes. They wouldn't protect her from bullets, and she didn't care if people saw her naked. And it was always more disarming to come into a room sans clothing. So padding softly, she headed towards the bedroom door to peer out. When she saw no one there, she headed for the kitchen because that was the next logical place for her to have gone if there was someone else there. Which she had a very strong feeling that there was.

She moved silently and came upon the backs of two big men. Of course. And there was more. She peered into the kitchen door to see Nikki, her eyes wide in panic being held by a third. “Well gentlemen,” she said without further preamble and stepped into the room, pushing her hands against the mens’s back as she went to move them out of her way. “I’d suggest you start explaining yourselves and just what exactly you’re doing here in the middle of the night. And I will know if you’re lying, so don’t test me.”

Nikki struggled more, her captive’s arm tightened in warning against her middle, as Zackary smiled. His eyes moved up and down Masha’s figure. However the aura it gave off was more like a predator sizing up his next meal than a lustful stare one might’ve expected. His two associates shifted from the sides, allowing Masha to move into the center, and immediately Ronald averted his eyes out of habit. The second, Simone, let a wolfish smirk cross his thin lips at the side.

He was the only one to answer, “This business doesn’t concern you, through you’re part of the reason she’s in this predicament. We’re just going to rough her up a bit then leave. Now, just walk your little ass back into the bedroom or I might just satisfy my needs with your hot little body you’re so willing to flash.”

Masha nodded her head some, looking down for a moment and letting her long hair cover her front some. She turned to face the man who spoke, looking up with a little smirk on her face. She looked him up and said “not sure if you have what it takes to please me.”

“See, I’m not a gentleman. As long as I get off, that’s all that matters,” Simone made it clear he wasn’t the giving type as Ron interrupted his eye fucking.

“We came to do a job. Can we just wrap this up and leave?” The individual with a tattoo on his throat front spoke, not at all pleased to be in this situation from the sound of it, and turned to Masha, “Look, just go. This doesn’t concern you-”

Zackary sudden jerked up when Nikki thrusted her head up, her skull smacking his hawk like nose on the center. Blood squirted out as he pressed his hand to his bridge to stop the nosebleed and jerked his hand out to grip a fistful of her hair. Gripping it, Zackary jerked Nikki back causing her to scream in pain and fall back upon the kitchen floor with a fleshy thump. A small whimper escaped her lips as she felt part of her hair being ripped out while she was hauled back up to her feet.

She winced a little, cringing at the way he jerked Nikki around. She liked it rough just fine, for others mainly, but this was something else. “While you thought this might not have concerned me before,” she started with a low hiss, “you've made it my concern now. Let her go, or I will make you let her go.” The tiny woman started forward, her right hand curling into a claw, and literally turning into one. It was subtle, but her hands went from something that would be slightly annoying to something actually dangerous. She wasn't used to hang to do the dirty work herself, but she didn't have much choice in the moment. Thankfully Nikki seemed the fighter as well.

---

What should have been a normal dinner for the two was turned quickly into a distasteful event. Killian was aware Lynx was in town for some business but little did he know that the young woman would have waltz right into the same restaurant as they went to. After the two were spotted a mischievous grin worked onto the 21 year old blond’s face. Yes, she was in this outlaw game longer than the the young man had been but she didn't have to scar Azulia with such disturbing details of their lives. Especially the part where they had once been a false item to move drugs into another gang’s territory. He groaned as the mutt looked between the two as he parked the car.

“I'm so sorry Azulia. I knew Lynx was in town but I didn't think she would had decided to eat in the Same place as us.”

”It's fine. I don't think I want to see her again” She said. She meant every word since that woman just gave Azulia the creeps and red flags just barking in her head to get away from the 21 year old blonde female. ”Besides her hair looked like that fake type of blonde, like when girls bleach their hair over and over again. At least mine is natural”

“Lynx was always a wild card at heart. She was originally a brunette though after she found out her mother was one of many black market dealers her personally did a whole 180. At least that's what her ex lover said anyways, I'm sure you would like Lady Luck better.” He said as a small chuckle worked from his chest. “She's a spitfire but it's her way of showing she cares.”

Killian glanced upwards at the prison in an attempt to find some of the other people.“I do hope her information about seeing where that guy was last is solid and not false. If it's not we might have to run. Considering the gang I was with is trying to enter the city. So far they haven't gotten in but that won't last.”

Yeah same here” Azulia began to scratch at her skin as it was slowly turn red from rash. ”S shit some of that service dog’s fur must have got onto my skin” She said scratching more, just irritating it even more than before.

“Sorry kiddo. I wasn't aware you were allergic to dogs. Lynx isn't really bind she just uses the dog for show.” He said shifting through the car for some allergy medicine. The man popped a few out of their holder and passed them to Azulia. “I'm kinda thankful I didn't pet it now.”

”thanks. It's not really just dog fur, its animal fur in general I have an allergic reaction to, cats, dogs, monkeys. That why I never really went to zoo growing up. And if animal fur got on my clothes my mom would have to wash them immediately” She said popping the pills into her mouth swallowing them dry as her left eye began to turn red and get puffy.

”It's not life threatening according to my old doctor but he definitely advised against getting pets. I even had to live in a building that allowed no pets”

[color=#FFDAB9]” Well only pets Charles has is those.” He said pointing towards the golems. The man walked over and opened the car door, letting the two outside the car. The human’s head turned towards the building once again with a sour taste inside his mouth.

” This just feels wrong. I've been trying to keep from being placed into a cell most of my life and here I am. Standing on front of the building, which Charles help keep me from about to break people out. Talk about karma.”

Azulia frowned and looked at the place they were at. She scratched more at her arm and frowned. ”I bet. Should I just wait out here or go in?” She asked trying to sooth the area she just scratched by rubbing it gently.

The young man thought for a little bit before allowing the woman to choose herself.”Honestly it doesn't matter where we go. One of these golems will stay due to their prime directive. That's the simple order of protecting you and me. If you want to come along then we’re supposed to meet the others in front of the jail. If you don't feel comfortable with going then you can either stay here or go back to the house.” He said giving her the keys.

In all honestly the guy wished she would choose to come with him but he wasn't going to force her in any way. ”Whichever choice you make please do keep the mutt near you.”

Azulia looked so uncertain. ”Well I don't want Charles to be an unfit guardian if I'm caught but I don't want to be alone my first real night here either. Perhaps there is a way to hide my identity so they would never know and I can still stay with you guys.” She gave Killian a pleading look for him to help her.

”Possibly. I wonder if it's still in the truck.” He said moving toward the truck. The guy opened it wide and pawed the lid, finding the taped flashlight off towards the right, and smirked. He tore it down, turned it on in order to see a bit better with the falling sun, and shone it inside the cramped space. Most of the items were something the corresponded with his past but a single trunk would stick out like a sore thumb.

He slowly cleared the top of it off and inputted the lock’s password. The guy grinned as he brought out a pure black t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and matching pants. In the bottom was a metal bat and a ski mask. ”Not the most stylish thing but it's not the worst thing. I think there's some dark clothing in your size and you can use the mask Az. I have something which I can use for the cameras and right now I'm not too focused on hiding.”

She nodded. She grabbed a black tee shirt, the jacket and the ski mask before jumping back into the car changing as quick as she could. She grabbed a hair tie from her pocket and put her blond hair in a bun that was flat enough to fit the ski mask but made her hair color unknown. She put on the ski mask and got out.

When the girl went inside the car he shifted some more things to the left and brought out a much older outfit. Even though Killian was much older now he knew the leather outfit would fit. Nothing had really changed physically anyways. He walked into the bushes and quickly changed. The jacket was opened as his cotton shirt showed. The pants clung to the man’s hips quite nicely. Just as he finished placing the other set of clothes inside Azulia come out.

”if I had glasses I could hide my eyes, but if they can't identify my hair they can't identify anything because anyone can have my eye color. Do we have any gloves in there?” She asked

“Yep. Here's are the ones that go with those clothes.” He said handing her the only pair of gloves that still have the fingers. The human placed some leather fingerless gloves on and fixed the strap. He then lead her towards the meeting place with the two metallic golems right on their heels.

---

His mind wondering what Aeris was up to Mairyell had finished his preperations for the mission several hours prior and then reconvened with the other members of the 'infiltration team' as it were. He found it interesting that the most seemingly normal out of them, aside from that human who was also...present—oddly enough—was the one leading them. Then again, he supposed that'd keep them realistic as the man was perhaps one of the more fragile members of the group.

As the guards were thrown in he regarded them with what amounted to indifference before picking up the clothes and, rather grudgingly, donning them. When he saw the badge that Charles handed him he chuckled slightly.

However, before he could put it on, the third of their party handed him a picture. He nodded to himself, an eyebrow ever so slightly raised before pushing the picture into place, before clipping the badge onto his chest where it belonged.

Then Charles began to relay his plan as he glanced over the hologram depicting the layout of the prison. He let the man's words sink in as he continued to study it, keeping quiet as he did so. The plan was rough around the edges, but many were. In fact, Mairyell was of the belief that perfect plans simply did not exist. He'd made them before and they always fell apart so, obviously, they had not been perfect.

There was an old military adage that referred to such things. Something like 'no plan survives contact with the enemy,' and he'd found out from experience that such was more often than not true.

Finishing his inspection of the hologram, the hunter looked up at Charles. “Once we're in, I'll help you to cell blocks A and B. I think things will hold together so long as we're all careful and we play our parts. That means we need to keep our nerves about us.” His words had the tone of a professional's, and Mairyell was definitely that. He'd been a hunter for over a hundred years and he was internationally recognized for his skills. The problem would be going unrecognized, of course...it seemed that Charles had a solution to that. “I think all three of us should have the spell cast on us. Better to minimize our chances of being recognized once we pull this off. Especially you two, since I doubt you have lives that let you lay low.”

This in mind he walked to the back of the truck, having stood up, and waited. When they heard a knock from the other side, he knocked back twice, “We're clear,” the hybrid said, “Let's go.”

---

Simone chuckled both at Nikki’s feistiness and Masha’s brazen display of magic. It seemed he was looking forward to placing both bitches back in their places as he let a wolfish and knowing grin cross his lips when he replied, “Looks like kitty got her claws out.”

He had little doubt she could likely maim him with those pretty nails, but he wasn’t worried. Mainly because he was also a mage and a good one. His hand pulled up into a clawed as liquid, greenish in tint, began to form in his palm from his Vis. It sizzled the air giving the impression it might burn off living flesh on contact.

“Are you sure you want to risk scarring that pretty little face of yours?” Simone, hoping she wouldn’t back down.

By this time, behind him, a cat crept closer and into view in the middle of the hallway should Masha glance behind his shoulder. It flicked its tail patiently then lowered its front, its rear wiggling awkwardly in a prepared pounce as its claws extended on its paws.

“It isn’t a risk if you’re not even going to touch me,” she said with confidence. She was sure that he wouldn’t make. She was smaller than him by quite a deal, and she was very quick as well. He’d have to be very fast to hurt her before she hurt him. And she had caught sight of the strange cat behind him as well. She doubted it was Nikki’s, and she didn’t care either way, that cat was here to help. And she trusted in cats more than humans sometimes. They were nature’s perfect predators after all.

She watched the cat for just a second, deciding where she thought it likely to go and pounced herself at Simone in the opposite way so as not to collide with the cat. She went low, aiming for his torso and manhood with her claws.

Simone had been watching, but he honestly didn’t expect the bitch to be stupid enough to try. His figure moved quickly to the right as her claws scraped across his left thigh and spared his nuts on the path down. His acid ball immediately twitched then jerked at her direction, aiming at her face when she went low and forward.

Meanwhile, in a spontaneous reaction, the cat zipped with surprising speed at Ron. Its paw swiped deep and wide at his leg back exposed in the distraction when he jerked to avoid becoming involved with the claw attack. Blood spurted from the wound as the achilles tendon was torn in a shocking reaction causing Ronald to twist his head, trying to see what hit him while his leg collapsed underneath him. He hissed in frustration before he spotted the feline corpse dart under the nearby kitchen table for cover. The thing turned then let out a warning yowl which fell into a loud hiss and darted at Zachary’s legs next.

Masha only had a moment to react to what he was doing, though in that moment she twisted to at least spare her face for whatever was coming at her. A wicked smile spread across her face at the feeling of fabric and flesh tearing under her hands. She was fast enough that most of his acid bypassed her, but it did still do more than graze over her right shoulder as she slammed her slight form into him, digging her claws in deeper with what little weight she had. She knew she needed to disentangle from him soon though, or the stinging pain on her shoulder would be the least of her worries.

The smell of burning flesh brought a smirk to Simone’s lips then quickly died when the pain flooded his senses, the lips turned into a frustrated snarl. His back slammed into the floor tile floor while his left hand reached for the claws drawing dangerously close to his femoral artery. Simone’s fingers wrapped about Masha’s petite wrist then jerked up as he right hand balled into a fist then whacked down on her unprotected shoulders.

She hissed in pain as his fist hit the already burned skin, pulling back as quickly as she could, trying to yank her other arm free of his grasp. “You ass,” she growled, sitting up and slamming her free hand down into his chest, as close as she could get to his windpipe.

Simone gripped her wrist tightly and wrenched it to the side, trying to take the rest of her with it. His hips twisted when he felt her trying to climb up him and reach her hand hit his chest. His other hand reached to stop her other hand and gripped it tightly while he made an attempt to flip her over onto her back.

---

Casually a dark skinned woman, dressed in a black leather capris and lacy, loose tank, pushed the door open. She stepped into the lobby of Cedarvale’s Apartments despite knowing no one was around. Her thick soled boots clicked across the tile floor as she moved deeper in, her dark eyes moved about the scene for any signs of life. At first she didn’t see anyone causing her lips to smile in comfort. Gently she lowered herself into a crouching position and opened her large hand bag’s top.

About six small rodents scampered out, then spread out to complete their preprogrammed task. Each vanished from sight quickly while she rose upright, pretending to have just arrived and wait patiently for additional information. In her wake, a week old cat skirted toward her. His half chewed ear rubbed against Afua’s leg then followed the motion with the rest of his bloated body. From an observer’s standpoint, he appeared to be over fed but on closer inspection they would noticed he was more overripe and seemed ready to spill out at any moment. Feeling the wiry fur brush against her leg, the necromancer lowered once again to pet the corpse affectionately.

As she casually looked towards the front entrance through the pane glass of the door, she could see 2 large black vehicles park in front of the building. Their headlights remained on, as the truck in front trembled as something huge disembarked from the back. It's massive figure slowly walking towards the entrance. The door opened, and a sudden thud made the undead cat turn and hiss in alarm.

“Ow…” The massive wolf-like creature rubbed its head, grimacing. Clearly, it hit its head against the doorframe.

From what she could see though the now open door, the beast covered the entire doorframe and then some, as she could no longer see the street on the other side. Its black fur was pristine, glistening against the dull light of the lobby’s lights. It wore a t-shirt that was probably oversized by human standards, a 6XL, that fit the creature perfectly, with a custom made shoulder holster containing a large hand cannon under the beast’s left armpit.

“I take it, Mr. Crowley might be not much for subtlety?” Afua pointed to the large weapon in the Canine Licenti’s holster, placed on display for everyone to see and likely assume the worst. There was only three individuals that knew where Ms. Patel was: Darius, Mr. Cortes, and Mr. Crowley. It was very slim he was a local in the apartment because she seriously doubted he was stupid enough to forgot about the low door frame and the ledger’s last recorded new tenant was nearly a month ago, plenty of time to get use to it. Mr. Cortes wasn’t accustomed to hiring Licentia due to his racial views so he was the least likely. Darius wouldn’t have sent someone else unless she was made aware and with good reason, her phone silent since she arrived.

That left only one plausible option for the Shetani (demon).

She casually rose upright and turned to face the werewolf, her cat still hissing in irritation at being startled. Her arms crossed over as she then added, “What are you here for?”

The wolf squeezed himself through the door with some effort, he was far too big to just walk through, so he bent his head down and slid in right shoulder and head first. As the ceiling was reasonably high in the lobby, he could stand somewhat upright. Afua could only guess, but it seemed that his height was around 10 feet fully upright.

“If he wanted subtlety, he would have had Mr. Cortes removed by now.” Rubbing his scalp again, he paused on how to word his following sentence. “The men that have decided to get out of bed today and follow through with Mr. Cortes’ orders are to be taken away for interrogation, presented to Mr. Cain in person as a gesture of goodwill in account for an earlier encounter.” He almost dictated that from memory.

“Not without stepping on Darius’ paws,” Afua commented quietly. Darius did his best not to step on Mr. Crowley’s toes in the business district, through he could’ve easily used his connections and contract with Mr. Crowley to create an underground black market. It was something she had wondered about until the Fox told her it was out of respect and understanding that if he fucked with another’s territory, he should expect the same gesture in kind and he didn’t desire an internal war of the wills.

“The gist of it is…” The wolf interrupted Afua’s thoughts. “He wants us to work together to bring those clowns back alive.”

She noted the mention of gesture for an earlier encounter, her eyebrow raised and a dark scowl crossed her expression, “Might you be telling me that Mr. Crowley is partly or fully responsible for the baas’ condition?”

“I don't really know the details about what happened down there, all I know is that he feels partly responsible for something.” The wolf replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Afua inhaled, her feet kicked the floor a moment then placed her hands into her pockets, “There’s better ways to make up for an incident than gift wrapping thugs. Namely if Cortes’ hand is forced, him end up pulling his hand before the baas has any chance for damage control. In the underworld, that’s outright dangerous not to follow your own rules and expect others to, could create more issues than needed.”

She ran her fingers through her dreadlocks a moment then added, “So you’ve got orders to capture them? I’ve been told to merely keep them from hurting a Ms. Vorobyova rather than stop them escaping. Mainly if they are captured, then Mr. Cortes assumes we’re onto his game and springs it early. This way, they can keep their cards hidden until we’re ready.”

A tumbling was heard coming from upstairs, and the Wolf’s ears twitched, focusing on the sounds above. “It seems like they already started…”

“Oh they started already,” Afua said, cryptically, as she eyed the roof area. Her eyes went completely white and hazed over the pupil, adding to her undead motif theme, “My little pet sees them in the kitchen. Ms. Vorobyova be trying to make the scene calmer and warn them off, but they aren’t quite buying it. Oooo, she be a shapeshifter like Mr. Cain too.”

“They’re thugs. They aren’t going to calm down.” Rex replied casually as he drew his revolver.

Afua nodded in agreement, her hand raised out and warned him to pause, “Not yet. They haven’t touched her and Mr. Cain told me to make note of her actions.”

The wolf grumbled. “Fine… I just wanna get this over with, I can’t leave my wife on her own…”

“Sounds you are insecure, through being a bielie I don’t see how-” Afua stopped mid sentence as her eyes widened and she abruptly took off up the stairs, her voice shouting back to Rex, “Come on!”

---

Two dark silhouettes on the skyline, Szayeis and his pet flew, the vampire following him closely despite her want to strike him down. Amused, both by the proceedings of the ongoing Resistance meeting and on what he had to show her as well. Knowing her compassionate nature, she was almost sure to balk at what he was doing. Though that, of course, would only be after they were well away from the little gathering, as it were.

So it was that their flight led them to some of Ominar's outskirts where the nightwalker landed, knowing she would follow. He began walking down the road they had landed upon, its streets eerily empty, a swagger in his step. He had always loved the night. After all, it was when he was strongest.

Aeris' eyes were dark as she dropped to the ground a few feet from Szayeis' form. He began to walk, and she reluctantly followed. Words bubbled up, and then proceeded to get caught in her throat. Slurs, screams, curses, venomous phrases filled her head. How she wanted so badly to say them, to let all of her rage out in one, insidious burst.

She wanted to drown him in the sea that was her rage. More than that, however, she wanted him to feel how she had in her time with him. She wanted him to have the rug he treaded upon ripped from beneath him, allowing her to watch him tumble from his egregious pedestal.

The girl's silence was almost calming, even though he knew that she must be bubbling with frustration and anger beneath the surface. It made him smile to think about. The anger she harbored. It was delicious. He fed on it just like he sometimes fed on her despair. His thoughts drifting to their...time together in the past, Szayeis almost missed the turn, but caught himself in time and took a left and headed down another street before heading down...down down into an abandoned subway tunnel. He continued walking, avoiding the third rail even though it was probably powered down.

After about ten minutes he stopped, turned towards a wall and then casually walked through it. He waited, no longer visible to Aeris, on the other side, grinning to himself as he waited to see what she'd do. Would she follow, or would she think he'd led her on a wild goose chase just to irritate and distract her.

He'd done it before, though he hadn't done so terribly often.

Aeris followed the Nightwalker, trying to quell the rage rolling off her body. As they entered the subway, she tensed. Though it wasn't a super small space, it was closed, and being in a confined space with Szayeis made her extremely uncomfortable. Even still, the Vampire followed him until he reached the wall and went through it, her eyes narrowing.

It wasn't as if she couldn't go through it as well, she just wasn't sure she wanted to.

After a few moments she let out a sigh, before making her way up to, and through the wall, staring expectantly at her "Master."

"Well?"

He just grinned and then continued down the corridor that revealed itself once she had passed through the illusory wall. After about two minutes it opened up into a large artificial cavern, all 90 degree angles and smooth surfaces. He smirked at it, pleased with himself. Further in there were a set of shacks, a few proper buildings, and a multitude of tents.

"Welcome to the headquarters of the second rebellion," he said, sweeping an arm out before him before letting it slip back to his side.

Here and there, she would see people milling about, many of them human and licentia, and many of them clearly rather poor. "They like to call it...Refuge, of course. They like it here. Nice and safe. Of course, most of them are angry enough that they see it as a staging ground."

His cane appeared and he lightly tapped it against the cold stone floor, though no vis spread out or formulated itself as he did so. He just liked how the action felt. He liked how insulting it must have been for Aeris that he would use the object which held her soul core merely to prop himself up. Of course, it surely bothered her that he used it at all.

"Of course, it's not a refuge and a rebellion is a terrible outlet for their anger." He said it rather flippantly, dispelling the cane as he raised a hand and brushed some dust from the arm of his other sleeve. He was clearly looking down on the people before him...and man was there evidence of a lot of people.

At least a couple hundred or so. Far more than the more focused and newer Resistance had gathered. The question was, why was he showing this to her?

As they entered the cavern, Aeris stopped just short of Szayeis' side, her eyes widening at the sight before her. "The... Second Rebellion...?" Her head turned slowly to look at the Nightwalker, eyes still wide.

As Szayeis continued to talk, Aeris' eyes went from wide, to narrow. Something was clearly off.

When he summoned her soul core in his stupid, gaudy cane, she visibly grimaced.

"What are you planning, Szayeis?" Her voice held an accusatory tone, her arms folded.

"Now dear, I'm an honest licenti. I only thought it would be charitable to house my kind, and well, with the sort of power my cane affords me I ended up making too many houses. So I thought to myself, 'Why not allow humans to come as well'. Of course, having loved ones disappear, being evicted, and disallowed a proper life in the city proper people were angry. So I thought perhaps they could use an outlet for all of that pent up rage. I'm sure you understand." He glanced back at her and smiled knowingly, but there was a twinkle in his eye and she'd known him long enough that it would be clear that at least some of what he was saying was a bald faced lie.

However, he clearly intended to force her to pry it out of him. It was more fun that way. She'd suffer more...and he did so enjoy watching her struggle.

Bullshit fell from the Licentia's mouth as per the usual, causing Aeris to roll her eyes. When he had finished speaking, she moved to stand mere inches from him, a look of disgust in her eyes as she glared up at him. "I'm going to ask you again, and this time cut the bullshit." Her voice was cold, stern. She wasn't playing this game tonight.

"What. Are. You. Planning."

In response he bent down, his face mere centimeters from touching hers, his smile as self satisfied as ever. "Or you'll do what exactly?"

"Several things come to mind, Master." She practically spat the title. "The first of which being to find the nearest Prae and tell them your exact location." After a moment of thought, she closed the distance, so their bodies were pretty much touching. "Regardless of what you, or they decided to do to me. Because, guess what? You've done worse than anything they can do, and I'm far from afraid of you."

His smile fell away, but he quickly betrayed just how empty he felt her threat was, by, with the flatest tone possible, saying one word.

"Cute."

He didn't back up either, essentially staring her down. He didn't care if she was in contact with him, it would only make her uncomfortable. He didn't care in the least.

When he spoke again, a wicked smile cast across her face, "Mm. Alright, then." With that, she turned and began walking back toward the surface, memorizing every aspect of their location in both physical senses and vis, so even if he decided to move it, she'd be able to pick it up again.

She didn't get more than ten feet before, without a sound, a pressure, like gravity, pushed her forwards and then down. Szayeis remained where he had been, casting his unamused gaze in her direction, not even the slightest hint of worry showing itself--and she had seen it before. She'd know how to spot it, even with his impeccable acting. "If you truly do not value your freedom and the freedom of your brother, then I will releas eyou and you can report this. You can even report my location. However, I've been double crossed before, and I should inform you that it was by people with far more skill and expertise than yourself, yet here I stand."

"Besides, it is the nature of the master to play with their pet," he finished, speaking frankly. "Of course, if you had properly learned to play the game from our extended time in Torqueo, and you had learned to control your emotions, then perhaps you would have found me far more willing to tell you what you wanted to know. Of course, clearly you are still ruled by your emotions like the rest of your pathetic race."

"Oh, you mean... Nightwalkers? Or Licentia? Because, you can't mean Human, since I am, by your hand, no longer a part of that race."

"So you're presumptious too. Amusing," He walked towards her till he stood beside her, at which point he glanced down at her, with no sympathy in his eyes. It was like she barely mattered at all. Like she was a small thing he could crush with a whim.

As he glanced down at her, he would clearly see the smile she still wore on her face. Not fear. Not anger. Triumph. She hadn't spoken out in such a way in quite a long time. It meant something. She was freeing herself.

Slowly, but surely. One day she would rip out every soul core in his body and, one by one, squeeze them in her grasp until he was on his knees.

He smiled slightly at her defiance, "So young," he said, shaking his head before he turned around, looking once more upon the settlement. "If you were truly a nightwalker, or a licenti--with few exceptions--tearing your core from your body as I have would have caused your body to shift into vis, condense into your core and stay that way until I decided otherwise. However, you are not, you're a hybrid, and for that you must also be human. This gives you a small advantage, but it comes with many...disadvantages as well. For example, you were born human, and so you will forever be troubled by things such as your morality. If the last couple hundred years are any indication you will also be ruled by your emotions, just as you are now."

He shook his head, honestly disappointed.

"I would rather be ruled by my emotions than to be an unfeeling cock-sucker. Let's be honest, what has you ignoring those things inside your head done for you aside from make you sound like a condescending cunt?" She spoke, still smiling. "Are you, perchance, hiding from something? Because, I could understand that. After all, I dealt with your torture for hundreds of years, I was in control of my emotions for a long time. It was a way of coping with what you were doing to me. I shut it out. Tried to ignore it. I didn't face it until Mai helped me to. I'm stronger because I feel, not because I don't."

"Yes, stronger. That's why you're the subservient one. That's why not once in those hundreds of years could you break out and stay out. That's why you're attempting to belittle me to make yourself feel better. Stronger."

"Mm? Have I struck a cord, then? Because, last I checked, asking a question wasn't belittling." The vampire laughed, mirth filling the melody that was her voice. Even in her position, she was still standing against him. She didn't care for his approval. She had resigned herself to the fact, long ago, that she was much weaker than him back then, there was no escape until he grew bored of her. Or, whatever it was that had possessed him to let her out.

"You and I both know I wouldn't have been able to fight you, even if I had wanted to. What made me even weaker then was not listening to my emotions. It was hiding from them."

A small smile formed, but there was no arrogance to it. He knew something she didn't. "Ah, but had you not, it would have destroyed you," he said, "Of course it hardly matters. All you're interested in is my downfall. My death. You want me to pay for what I've done to you...to your brother. To your mother."

"You're damn right, I do. You deserve more than that for what you did to us, what you've done to others. But I'm sure you've justified it in your head somehow."

There was a moment of silence, a long moment, almost as if he was conceding the point, and then he laughed. It was a quiet sound, subdued. It wasn't like the laughter she had been hearing from him. It wasn't a sound begotten from a sadistic enjoyment. It wasn't the sound of victory. It was more like, rather than striking a nerve, she had unknowingly touched something honest in him, something that illicited an earnest reaction.

He chuckled lightly for a moment, his smile soft, eyes gazing forwards, looking at nothing. "I have done terrible things," he said flatly, "...but you are wrong."

"I don't justify them. Not really. I consider them...necessary, sometimes, but that does not mean I always enjoy the terrible things I do. Like you, like everyone, I am flawed, and as much as you would convince yourself that I am the edifice of evil, as many others have before you and many will after, you are wrong."

He turned and glanced at her, "I wish I was," he said, and for once the walls were down, and there was no second guessing if he was lying or not. He wasn't. "I am flawed and I am not good, but I am also not what you think of me. I am the result of a cruel series of events that were outside of my control. Of course, I chose this path because you see, I would prefer to dedicate my life to making the world just a little bit better even if I do not live to see it, even if making that difference means making the world my enemy."

There was a somber air about him as he fell silent...his eyes trained on her, wondering how she would process what he'd told her.

Aeris' eyes moved over Szayeis' face for a long time, her head tilted. Her smile still ever present. "Really? So... you're telling me, you see yourself as some sort of anti-villain? Interesting insight." She responded, genuinely surprised.

He chuckled, "As I said before. So young. If you think that people fit into neat little categories like that, then you are more foolish and naive than I thought. Needless to say, we've gotten quite off topic. Rise. I'll tell you why I've been so generous to these people on our way back up, unless...you'd like to meet some of them." The question was implied, the pressure on her lessening and then vanishing entirely.

"Not today." She spoke in response to his statement about meeting them as she stood, brushing the dust and dirt from her stockings.

"A pity," he said, and then turned, walking back the way they came. He was silent, letting her wonder awhile, until they were halfway back through the subway tunnel at which point he finally broke the silence. "They are a tool," he began, his tone matter of fact, "...that I plan to use to incriminate the prae government and draw more internation attention to their take over of this city."

Aeris balked at his statements. "How exactly are you planning on doing that?" She questioned him, but part of her likely already knew the answer.

"Do you want to sleep tonight?" He said, his expression unreadable.

She chuckled, "That assumes I usually do."

"Heh, fair enough." He paused a moment, only their breath and footsteps breaking the silence for a brief time.

"The prae are going to slaughter them."

Aeris blinked, not entirely surprised by his answer, but still somewhat... confused. "... How? Why?"

"Because as much as you think me a monster, their society has done worse."

"...That only answers one of my questions, Szayeis." She responded, not surpsied by that answer either. The Prae were assholes, she was sure they'd probably done much worse than just subjugating an entire population in one city.

"Because the rebels, as I told you, are angry, and anger loves violence," he glanced at her and smiled faintly. He seemed oddly subdued. Perhaps it was that his attention was divided, or maybe he had something on his mind. Of course, she'd probably take it as one of her silly little victories. It really wasn't.

"They, of their own volition, are going to lead a series of violent raids in the city proper. The prae are going to respond, and a mixture of overzealousness by the prae, and the beauty of crowd mentality will do the rest," he lied, though every word sounded genuine.

The Vampire gave him a sidelong glance, clearly not buying into what he was spinning. She knew him better than that. She couldn't trust him as far as she could throw him.

He met her gaze a moment before looking away. As they approached the stairs that would get them out of the subway, in the moment that he blinked, he decided on his next two destinations for the night. Without asking, entirely to unsettling her, she would find his hand on her shoulder, and then the two of them were gone, briefly engulfed by roiling darkness. Tendrils of wispy shadow that licked at the edges of their vision and against their skin, in her clothes, everywhere, and then there was light and they'd arrived in what appeared to be a mansion.

The nightwalker's hand was no longer touching Aeris. He glanced at her, uncaring of her reaction, "Darius will be by soon. He's going to need a hand."

Aeris' eyes widened at his assertion, ignoring the reaction her body was having to both him, and his disgusting shadows touching her. "Okay." The response was simple, eerily calm.

"Mmm. Good. I'll...see you around," he said, his characteristic smirk forming a moment, before he turned and, in a second, melted into the shadows and was gone. It appeared that his son would be needing a visit.

---

“About time…” Rex growled as he shot past Afua at a speed far faster than she thought a mass of furry muscle could move. His heavy feet pounding against the ground like war drums and shaking the objects in the lobby as he made his way for the stairs, as the elevator wouldn’t hold his weight. Squeezing through the doors to the staircase, he climbed the stairs four steps at a time, quickly reaching the 3rd floor were Masha had been spotted earlier by one of Rex’s men.

His feet pounded down the hallway, the suspended ceiling lights swaying with the shockwaves. Whoever was giving the two ladies a visit, would feel a trembling turning into quakes as something large barreled it’s way towards their room.

Afua, not wanting to collide with great beast of a Licenti, shifted to the side then shot up after him. Her hand went to her pendant at her neck as she summoned a large monster of a creature from within. The animal use to be a lion in the hallway several feet behind him. Much of the flesh was peeled and decayed, revealing the creature much fresher than either of her two cats, as she gestured for it to chase after Rex and assist him.

Meanwhile, in the apartment, Nikki tried to rip free of Zachary as she kicked him in the foot and caused him to let go. She then went for the hallway only to stop at the sound of something huge coming toward them. Her eyes widened into a ‘what the fuck’ expression as the other two men shifted their attention toward the door still ajarred.

Ron looked at Simone, still struggling with Masha, then snapped at the distracted individual, “Simone, stop fucking around with her and get up. We got to go.”

Masha hissed and struggled to free herself from his grip. She was at a disadvantage, being so small and slight that when it came to grappling against someone his size, she was not going to win. And her current position didn't allow her the normal things she used to disarm a man. So there was nothing that she could do but keep up struggling. If he was holding her arms, he couldn't probably do much either. But then...totally not subtle rescue arrived. Or she hoped it was her rescue and not back up for them.

His strength proved the greater too and he flipped her over. She squirmed and shoved her knee up to wherever she could make contact while the little cat launched itself at his unprotected back side. She wasn't certain if she hit anything, but his grip slipped and she was able to get herself out from under him.

Nikki would suddenly feel a gust of wind as the door swung open in a blink, a massive gun pointed relatively towards her. An ear splitting boom went off, shaking the ground from the recoil alone, the bullet wizzing past Nikki’s ear and slamming directly into the side of Simone’s head. As the bullet passed through the other side, his head blossomed like a flour bag, spraying blood and brain matter across the room and into the kitchen.

When the gun went off, the bullet already passed her, Nikki hit the floor quickly and covered her head for protection. She mumbled a curse in her irritation as she looked over her shoulder at the resulting damage.

Time seemed to freeze in place. Simone, his head blown into pieces, stood over Masha with his arms immediately slacked at his side. As if taking a cue from some unseen director, it then slouched and fell across Masha’s body, pinning her to the ground. Any remaining blood started to pool into a puddle across the grimy tile. However, the undead cat didn’t have a chance to even scream as a chunk of its already mutilated figure was taken out. The force of the gun’s fire sent it flying across the tiny kitchen and into the table, its form limped and unmoving like its origins.

Behind Rex, he could hear Afua fall against the wall and yelp in pain. She hadn’t been warned or even thought of disengaging her connection to her undead pet causing her to feel the full effects of the animal’s recent ‘death’. A side effect and flaw of the spell, much to her dislike. She mumbled a few curses in her original language as she nursed a throbbing headache, her lion growling and paced behind the behemoth of a wolf.

“You be warning next time,” Afua snarled during her recovery, her voice struggling with the pain.

Masha gasped at the sound of gunfire. She was not used to it in such a small space and she certainly wasn't used to it without it being ‘silenced’. She clasped hands over her ears as soon as she was able, not even caring about the blood that covered them. Which was good, because in a moment she was covered in blood and grey matter. She didn't even flinch about it. Though when she looked up at his headless body she pouted a little bit in disappointment.

And then he fell on her again, pinning her down and splattering her with more bloody fluid. “Fuck this,” she grumbled, looking around from her perspective, trying to get up again, but unable to move his corpse very easily from her angle. “If it isn’t too much…” she started, forgetting for a moment about the other thugs and the likelihood that everyone else’s ear were ringing like hers were still.

Ron and Zackary stood, silently in shock over the ease which Rex’s gun blew off Simone’s head.The white haired man was the first to snap back into the present as he began to mumble something under his breath, a incantation, for protection. It was only a one shot deal but any physical attacks wouldn’t harm them. Zackary only hoped the gun wasn’t some sort of magitech fuckery, his experience causing him to personally loath it.

Escape was the first thing on Ron’s mind. His figure began to glow and his arm reached out for the older man, wrapping about the shoulder area. He then tugged Zakhary toward the back wall while he jerked the table to the side and sent out of their way. It needed a running start to active which left them both exposed to the gun.

The gun boomed again, the shield deflecting the round and ricocheting it into the wall. As the dust cleared from the wall’s impact, both thugs were gone in a blast of blue energy.

Ron breathed heavily as they materialized again, but this time just outside their sedan. Zackary quickly flipped over the hood and shot toward the driver’s side, aiming to get the car started for a fast getaway. Meanwhile Ron ducked in to sit shotgun. Zackary fumbled with the keys as he tried to insert it into the ignition, Ron’s panicked eyes watching him in growing anxiety. Neither noticed the figure rushing toward them from a dark alley until the window shattered upon Ron’s back.

Promptly, an arm gripped Ron about the neck causing him to choke and be pulled backwards through the window. His arms tried to rip the arm off as his fingers scrambled across metal workings of an Exo Skeleton lacing over the natural uniform. Feet kicking and arms continued to fight against the individual that overpowered him, Zackary finally got the engine running as Ron was hauled out of the sedan.

It suddenly took off, wheels screeching and left black skid marks on the pavement in its departure.

The soldier’s arms wrapped about in a rear choke hold, the right slipped under his chin and wrapped about to pin Ron’s head in place. Naturally the thug tried to fight it. His hands clawed and scratched uselessly across the arms as the man held his ground. A leg kicked out at Ron’s knee causing his figure to lower to the ground.

By the time others were arriving, the younger man was gasping and beginning to fade fast. The last thing Ron heard before he blacked out were garbled, static like words before darkness took him.

---

After Charles finished speaking, he returned his attention to his earlier task. Carefully his knife slipped between the hard plastic and a very thin film, the make shift glue carefully being removed from the card nearest the picture. His tongue rubbed along his inner lip as he his breath stilled in his lungs and peeled the film back to work on the picture. The latter’s adhesive was stronger than the film’s causing him to make numerous cuts. Once done, he slipped his own in then ran his thumb over the film to flatten without staining it with his skin’s oil.

His eyes narrowed in focus to ensure he didn’t make a mistake while he listened to Mairyell’s words. He had just finished his mediocre attempt at replacing the photos in the identification, his right hand flipped his knife back and pocketed it. The other hand gently caressed his thumb to secure it all together. After smoothing the plastic over, he took a moment to think over what Mairyell said.

“I appreciate the assistance. As for this going smoothly, I’m honestly expecting everything to fall apart at the most inopportune moment and things to get rather complicated fast. So my nerves are very alert and why I came prepared with a teleport spell,” Charles explained while Mairyell walked toward the truck back, “Currently if we’re all using distort then I need to touch and trace a sigil into each of your chests in order to cast it. It will only take a few seconds, perhaps longer due to rustiness, but the effect will last up to an hour. Then I have to recast it.”

Raising up as well, Charles gestured for Mr. Hagar to stand so he could the spell. He mumbled something while his finger traced at the chest causing his irises to glow a slight purple showing the spell’s strength as his Vis began to coat the individual. When done, he began to do the same for Mairyell still positioned at the door and finally himself.

His anxiety jumped when the knock happened on the other side of the door, his mouth pressed tightly and watched Mairyell return the gesture twice. He nodded then followed the hybrid out into the cold air of the night. Charles eyes brushed to the sky above. He quickly noted the clouds take on a dark and sinister threat of rain, the weather difficult to predict much like London, causing him to frown at the possibly of rain. The day just continued to reflect his ill thoughts over the resistance’s survival as he stepped off into the pavement and walked behind Mairyell toward their destination.

---

Masha huffed a little bit from her spot under the headless corpse. This was not at all how she liked her night to go. As she looked around and shimmed some, she noticed that the little kitty who’d come to her rescue first was no longer in the room. “Kitty cat?” she asked, blinking some as she managed to shove Simone’s shoulders down enough to at least sit up. “Nikki?” she had kind of forgotten about the girl in the scuffle.

“Here,” Nikki groaned, her hands released her head and gradually pulled up from her crouched down position. She wasn’t one for being shot should the brute of a wolf decided to take another pot shot, “Thankfully I wasn’t shot in the process. As grateful as I am, who the fuck are you two and how the hell did you find my apartment?”

She studied Afua -the woman leaned against the wall of the hallway behind Rex-, the undead lion and the behemoth of a wolf still holding a smoking gun while she made her way to help Masha out from under the corpse. It was disgusting, the blood smeared across her floor and the figure made an unnatural shift in weight when she wrapped up pushing it the rest of the way off.

Rex spun the revolver in his hand and holstered it, squeezing himself through the door and into the tiny hallway. He put his hand to his ear and spoke seemingly to himself. “Phoenix, this is Central. Sitrep?” He paused as he listed to the static response in his ear piece.

“Copy that, good work. Cuff him and rendezvous at extraction…” He let go of his ear and inspected the scene. “We work for Masha, little lady. She's also your new boss.”

Masha let out a little sigh of relief at being helped out. She could have done it herself, but she was not known for her strength and moving 100 plus pounds of literally dead weight was not easy for her. She was even relieved to see that Nikki was fine as well. When Rex spoke though, she shot him a look that said she was about to do to him what he’d just done to Simone. “Gee thanks for that,” she said sarcastically, getting up to her feet a little wobbly and wincing in pain at the movement of her burned shoulder. “Was trying to keep that on the down low and all. But I guess you’re just gonna let the cat out of the bag, idiot.”

Her look glanced out to Afua in the hallway, and then back to Nikki as she offered her a small smile. “I’m sorry about this…” she gestured at the mess of her kitchen and went on “this mess.”

“Cortez already knew. He's a paranoid man.” Rex responded, ignoring the woman’s insult. “A woman asking a lot of questions and checking the place out was pretty obvious for him.”

“Fucking Christ. Part of me wants to scream and shout for you to get out of here, but I'm likely to get fired because of it,” Nikki admitted as her heart gradually stopped trying to kill her with high speeds, her figure rose and surveyed the destruction. The table was broken, blood smeared across the floor and worse turned her once quaint apartment into a crime scene, "I can't get this cleaned up before my boy comes home... He's going to freak. What happens if this gets out, child welfare services will take him away from me."

Finally recovered, Afua focused on her gem and returned the undead lion back to her choker. With a bit of wobbly step, she glided past Rex into the small kitchen with the other women. Her eyes looked at Rex as she spoke, her finger out and pokes the bear wolf's chest, “I am not fond about the experience of being shot. Warn me before you shoot again, that way I can cancel the spell connection. Personally, I prefer you not be shooting them at all."

As Afua twisted about, her eyes caught the shredded remains of the cat's corpse. She leaned down to examine it and tried to raise it up once more. The corpse didn't moved as the second cat darted in, paused briefly to hiss at Rex and skirted over to Afua's leg side to wait.

Rex huffed, ignoring Mr. Cain’s subordinate. “Phoenix, this is Central…” Rex spoke into his ear piece again. “Call in the cleaners, and send two of you up here to keep watch on the apartment incase a child comes by. Tell him to wait in the lobby if his mom is too late to make it downstairs.” The wolf turned to the woman and spoke. “Get dressed fast, and wait for your son in the lobby. We’ll clean up the mess and let you know once the place is spic-n-span.” With that, Rex turned around and left the apartment, his feet stomping down the hall.

“He’s at a friend’s house, I’m not worried about him coming home until around ten am tomorrow,” Nikki shouted at Rex’s retreating back, making sure he heard her. She turned then mumbled, “Asshole…”

Nikki huffed as she turned toward Masha, “Please tell me I don’t have to work with him, he’s a bit of a grump and jerk.”

Afua didn’t expect an answer which is why she had continued to the corpse and didn’t wait for an answer, however she was serious about the forewarning. Her magic had a price. Her lungs coughed a bit as her hand raised toward her mouth, wetness bled across it causing her to pull it back and examine the red fluid popping against her dark chocolate skin. She tsked then wiped it away on her pants to hide the evidence.

Masha continued to look at Rex like he was as stupid as he was acting. She was used to be treated with insensitive, she treated most people with it herself. But she also knew when not to be a bag of dicks as well. “I am so not putting my dress on while covered in someone's brains if you don't mind,” she huffed, pulling a chunk of said brain matter out of her hair and tossing it to the floor.

Rolling her eyes some, she looked back to Nikki and put her hand on her shoulder. “You can come back to my hotel and get cleaned up well there and if you like, you can stay there with the kid too, make a day of it or whatever.” She didn't know kids liked to do anymore and she knew for certain that she'd not even remotely had a normal childhood. “As for working with him...well we can try and avoid it.”

“That’s a relief,” Nikki said then looked at Masha, “I hope you’re not going out naked and I might have an older bathrobe somewhere you can put on.”

She shifted into the bathroom and began to rummage for things, gradually tossing what she didn’t onto the floor and continued speaking, “As for Johnny, he’s happy with a bunch of crayons and paper. My boy likes to draw like you wouldn’t believe.”

After a few moments, she came out with a slightly worn but still in good condition bathrobe. She handed it off to Masha where it covered to about the middle of the woman’s legs giving her enough public modesty for going out into the car.

Afua was currently cleaning up the bits and pieces of the cat. She looked a bit discouraged by the carnage left in the wake, namely that very few pieces were able to be salvage and reformed to another ‘pet’ that needed it. The weapon was certainly effective as she eyed Simone’s corpse like a buyer would parts for a car.

“I don’t mind going naked,” Masha said with a laugh, but she didn’t stop Nikki from going either. Instead just finished pulling what she could out of her hair for the time being, watching Afua with her brief mourning over her cat and the way she looked at Simone like he was nothing more than parts that she could take and use for something else. She hissed slightly every time she lifted her right arm up though as it pulled against the burned flesh there. “Fuck me,” she sighed. “This is not going to leave a nice look to it.”

Taking the robe from Nikki with a thankful little smile, she spoke to Afua. “I’m sorry about your cat,” she said with actual sincerity. “Thank you for sending her to help.”

“She was one of the older ones. One of my first,” Afua said, then nodded her head before she considered asking something, “Would it be hard to ask if I could use the parts of that thing for one of my projects? Considering it be his fault she was murdered, it be only fitting.”

After Masha answered, she then introduced herself, “I be Afua Sane. I work under the baas, Darius, whom you’ve met. He asked me to keep tabs on you as he had a suspicion you would be getting into trouble.”

She held out her hand for Masha to shake.

Masha laughed as she carefully pulled on the robe. “I don’t care what you do with him,” she said. “Least he can be a little helpful.” Once the robe was on she took her outstretched hand and shook it. “Well I’m not pleased that he thought I couldn’t handle myself, but I am thankful you were here.”

“He only told me to involve myself if you looked like you were about to be killed. Considering you be treading water you know little about, or experienced before, trouble be most of what you attract,” Afua leaned down to reach for her cat, the newer corpse purred erratically like a broken toy, as she calmly petted it. Her brown eyes turned toward Masha, “It wasn’t until you were at risk at being… soiled, did that change. I don’t think you would’ve liked his intentions at all.”

She raised up a dark eyebrow at the insinuation that she was in over her head. She didn’t like to think that Darius thought so little of her that he would end someone to follow her around. Arguably, if Nikki hadn’t been one to waggle her tongue so much then they probably wouldn’t have been in trouble like this. So it really wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t because she didn’t know what she was doing. “Well,” she said, her tone heavily annoyed, but not at Afua. “Thank you, regardless. We should probably get out their way though, and I need to see to this nasty burn before infection starts.”

“Sit on the chair and let me take a look at it,” Afua asked as she let her cat fall from the perch it rested in, a yowl of irritation which melted into affectionate nuzzling across Masha’s calf. A need for attention as echos of its former life rang through it causing some personality traits to linger and mimic true life.

Afua turned her back to Masha and reached into a pouch on her belt before she pulled out a leathery looking patch. It was about a few inches wide and long, seemingly able to fit on her shoulder or large area of skin. On closer inspection, it appeared to be dried, preserved human skin.

Masha raised a dubious eyebrow but did as she was told, picking up a chair and setting it upright before sitting herself down, pulling the robe off her shoulder as Afua pulled out something from her belt pouch. “Interesting,” she said with a soft hum, not at all bothered by the idea that she was going to be patched up with someone else’s flesh. She reached her uninjured hand down to run fingers along the back of the little kitty that was rubbing against her absentmindedly. She couldn’t bring her own kitties with her, so she was certainly missing her own furry pets.

“It seems Udo likes you, but I’m surprised you aren’t turned off by his deadness,” Afua commented as she pressed the skin to Masha’s, then inhaled and focused her Vis into it. Her hands glowed a swirling putrid purple that spreaded along the mage’s skin and seemed to draw in her own Vis into accepting the flesh as her own. Gradually the color shifted from the putrid purple to a maroon color that represented Masha well then faded, Afua’s eyes opened when done to reveal how tired she had become from casting spell after spell.

Impatient, Udo leapt upon Masha’s lap and kneaded a bit while he settled into position. His eyes closed to enjoy the warmth of the flesh before he curled into a ball. Afua, noticing it, smirked at the kitty being what he was best: a lazy bum.

“Seems he’s very fond of you, would you like to keep him?” The woman asked politely.

She shrugged a little and regretted it as she did so. “I am no stranger to dead things,” she said with a little smile up at her, watching the shifting colors and the way things started to feel better, even if only a little bit. She looked down at the little cat, running fingers against his ears softly. Or what was there of them. At the offer to keep him, she lit up. “Oh yes please, I had to leave mine behind.”

“Considering I can’t protect you twenty-four seven, it would be suitable. I doubt that will be the last attempt on your life as Mr. Cortes doesn’t take kindly to being demoted,” Afua hinted to what was coming up. As Rex’s men entered, likely the cleaners, she indicated she wanted the corpse for later causing them to wrap it and store it somewhere for the time until she could pick it up. Likely Afua would need Darius to send a refrigeration truck on its way back to the factory where she would transport it to her graveyard homestead. Until then, it was safe and would keep until she was ready.

Afua gestured for the three of them to leave as the cleaners continued to sterilize and make the evidence vanish before their eyes.

---

Darius waited until Masha had entered the taxi and then vanished from his driveway before he moved. Casually, the fox retracted back into the house and turned about to shut the door. It made a heavy thump followed by a sharp click as his anxiety drifted away. The weight of everything fell upon his mind and he found himself surprised he could remain upright. The Abyss scene rushed past him like a slide show, each blunder and mistake became a vivid highlight in his attention causing a disappointment to settle in his pride. So much had happened today and it was hard to fully absorb it then story away.

Even more disturbing were the consequences about to unfold from them.

A weakness washed over him, like every bit of his Vis had been drained, leaving him more tired than usual. It was strange since the boost of Vis should’ve eliminate the physical fatigue by now. Darius frowned deeply then concluded, with a hope, it was because too much had happened today. From Logan’s reveal he was beyond human to the conflict with Krysta, there was too much to fully take in now. On top of it, he had dark, nagging feeling something was terribly wrong. Something he couldn’t place his claw, but rose the very fur on his neck upright and rattled his confidence in overcoming it.

Shoving the creeping feeling from his attention, he exhaled then moved from the door. The fox edged through the foyer and into the entertainment room. He came to a halt near the doorway where, on instinct, his eyes shifted to Logan’s prior location. After the event in the tunnels Darius wasn’t surprised to find the being was gone. He sighed, quietly, in relief, as he was grateful for. It had taken every ounce of will to remain calm earlier, but it wouldn’t last indefinitely.

The Abyss event was a complete blunder on his part, on both sides, as he had prided himself on being prepared for nearly anything and keeping his baser instincts at bay. Now that image was damaged. Darius closed his eyes a moment as he moved toward the discarded wine glasses and water bottle, then made his way back through the foyer into the kitchen’s direction. He carefully placed them all into the sink before he twisted and began to head up the manor’s stairs, his feet dragged the whole way.

Upon entering his bedroom, the distinct musk of fresh soil and dampness caught his attention. He could hardly ignore it as it mingled in his cologne and natural musk, causing his nose to wrinkle in disgust. Darius inhaled a moment then lowered his muzzle to his side, namely where Krysta had managed to strike him.

A dark, but hardly notable spot was there through the thick layered clothing. Immediately he knew that was where the rotten smell originated. Carefully his paw like hand reached through the clothing's neckline and came into contact with the location of Afua’s patch. A slimy, spongy texture connected with his coarse pad. A subtle, unnatural squish sound came from the brush causing him to retract immediately. Bring the quickly rotting flesh patch with it. Every fiber within Darius’ form instantly froze in place as he studied in silent, unreadable horror at the pus yellow and sickly green shade of the torn patch. This wasn’t good. Even when he knew it, his mind still screamed it in his head and echoed for a few seconds.

On his wound, the blood once more began to seep and followed with a stronger decaying scent. Enough that the putrid smell overwhelm the light cologne scent on his person and made him feel like a walking corpse. Within his grip, the usually tough skin became stringy and began to fall apart in his grip. He let it fall from his grasp onto the carpet where it continued to take its accelerated but natural course in decaying.



Aeris shifted about in the bedroom that belonged to her within Darius’ mansion. She had been waiting for him to return home for hours. In that time, she had taken to busying herself by creating Brisn crystals. In front of where she sat on the floor there was a rather sizeable amount of crystals. They were placed in delicate rows, seemingly ordered by their size.

The brightly glowing energy radiated from her hands that she held together in the shape of an upside down pyramid. In the space between her palms the energy collided, and sparks flew, but dissipated before they ever touched anything else in the room. She stared down at the energy, her eyes completely overtaken by it. While they were usually blue, and glowing, in this moment the difference between iris and cornea was indistinguishable. It was as though her eyes were made of Brisn.

In her hands, the energy continued to collide, a sound, only comparable to a welding torch coming from the reaction. Eventually, the sound changed. This change indicated the beginning of the crystallization. At this point, Aeris took a deep breath and then exhaled. Brisn flowed from her mouth toward her hands where this tertiary source of energy pooled into the newly forming crystal, creating not only a hollow area within the crystal itself, but at the same time filling that area and reinforcing the outer crystal.

Once the crystal itself was completely formed, but still pliable, the energy in the hollow section changed. It turned from a glowing center point to a mist, actively swirling inside the crystal. What was left of the glowing energy inside the crystal moved toward the outside, pouring out of the crystal as though it was condensation. As the remaining energy exited the crystal it began to converge on the two midpoints of the outer layer, where it formed a symbol. A rune. Then, the energy dissipated, leaving behind an etching of the rune within either side of the crystal.
Aeris smiled, and put the newly completed crystal in its place among the others. As she did so, the glowing of her eyes receded, returning them to normal. When this change occurred, the vampire’s senses returned to the world around her, and Darius’ scent filled her nostrils. Something about him, however, smelled wrong, inciting her to rise from her position on the floor and walk out of her room. "Darius? Are you here?" The vampire called out to the fox, in part already knowing the answer.

As she waited for a response, she walked toward his room, her body mostly moving without her instruction. As she walked, she wondered just what had happened to the fox. Had Szayeis done something to him? Did someone else?

Darius had crumpled in a corner of his room. His eyes had started to blur and take on a milky white hue, but his ears were still untouched by the decay that ran through his body. Upon hearing hearing Aeris, his figure stirred in the darkness causing him to reach out a hand and grasp the end of the dresser. With very little strength in his limbs, he pulled himself upright to lean heavily on it.

“Aeris?” Darius’ voice sounded raspy and pitiful to his own ears. He could only imagine what it might’ve sounded to Aeris as he shuffled his way to the bedroom door.

At the sound of Darius’ voice through his bedroom door, Aeris’ brow creased in worry. He sounded weak, broken somehow. She tested the doorknob and found that the room itself was unlocked. Good, she didn’t have to break down the door. She inhaled as she pulled the door open, slowly, revealing the fox’s weakened state.

The sight of him caused her to gasp slightly, in turn making her inhale the scent of rotting flesh. She almost gagged on the smell, but was able to hold it back as she moved toward him. He didn’t appear as though he would be able to walk, and making him wait while she went and got her crystals likely wouldn’t have been a good idea. Thus, when she was close enough, she gingerly picked him up, her arms at the middle of his back and under his knees, respectively.

Carefully, she made her way back to her room and laid him on the bed, trying her hardest not to jostle him. Once she had his head propped up on pillows, she moved to grab several large crystals from the selection on the floor. As quickly, but carefully as she could, she set the crystals around his body until they formed an oval that encompassed his entire form.

Throughout the placement and ritual set up, Darius seemed calm and unaffected. His breath was labored and shallower than usual, each inhale a struggle to create while he fought the impulse to shapeshift and heal the growing damage. He had started to realize something: the more Vis that poured through his Ostium, the worse his condition became.

That was simple enough to stop but it didn’t mend the poison’s gradual progression or recover the damage already done. The only show of his discomfort was his fingers tightening into the palm at intervenes the pain was the worst.

Aeris took a calming breath before focusing herself in much the same way she would have if she were creating a crystal. This was just a bit different, however. Slowly, she lifted her right hand, palm up toward the crystal just above his head. Her eyes began to brighten from the center of the pupil, outward, until the entirety of her eyes were once again cast in Brisn.

Without a word, a single continuous beam of Brisn shot out of the center of her hand, and made contact with the crystal above Darius’ head. The crystal began to glow and the energy from her palm split in two directions, hitting the crystals on either side of the first. It continued like this until every crystal around his body was connected by the beam.

Once all the crystals were connected, the energy shot into the center of the oval, coating the fox’s body. At this point, Aeris took a deep breath, and exhaled, once again sending Brisn from her mouth to converge on the center point of the colliding energy as she had done with her crystals earlier.

"Darius, I need you to inhale as deeply as you can. Brisn is going to fill your entire body when you do, though, and it may hurt, but I’ll do my best to help you." Right now she was using pure Brisn, which would cause a great deal of pain to a Licenti, but she had a plan. She just needed him to have faith in her.

Darius’ ear flicked to indicated he heard, however he hadn’t inhaled yet. Several moments passed as his figure laid completely still. Some part of him, chaotic and vicious, resisted causing his muscles to tense before gradually they relaxed. Along with the action, his nostrils inhaled deeply as they could.

As the fox inhaled, pure Brisn would begin to fill his lungs and body. It would likely cause a severe amount of pain considering his Licenti blood, Aeris knew that, but it was the only way this was going to work.

She watched him for a moment as he inhaled, and then she did the same. A shadow rose up from behind her, and wove its way around her right arm until it was just around her wrist. The shadow seemed to sharpen to a point and then slit open her palm where the Brisn beam was coming from, causing her blood to mix with the energy and dying it a scarlet color.

Just as the color changed, the shadow shot itself into the beam, causing yet another change from red to purple. Once the purple beam made contact with the crystals, their colors changed as well, from a sapphire coloration, to amethyst. Then, where his body had been coated in pure Brisn, was now coated in what Aeris had termed “Tained Brisn.”

Using this type of Brisn was the only way she’d figured out how to heal Licentia, since normal Brisn on this magnitude could potentially kill them. She’d never tried it in this ritual before, however, so all she could do was pray.

The rotting stench was the first thing to vanish, fading as the tissue began to heal and revive itself back to its original state. Something dark and discolored poured from the wound in his upper chest, where the arrow had penetrated, then oozed into the makeshift bandage wrapped over it. It stained it completely black. Darius’ vitals began to recover as his expression went from being twisted as if he was inhaling tiny bits of glass to now normal air. Darius’ eyes fluttered open, closed to hide the pain, then shifted his head toward Aeris.

“You know, it’s suppose to be me that should be healing you,” His voice still held the weakness, but a calm had washed over his tone. It appeared the ritual had worked.

The worry on the vampire’s face relaxed a bit as the tension in Darius’ body seemed to drain. However, it was several minutes before she stopped feeding energy into the crystals, and, even then, the Tainted Brisn coating his body would not subside until he was completely healed.

When he spoke, Aeris cracked a smile, a small laugh falling from her lips. "Well, sometimes we have to change roles, Darius." She responded to him, the laugh still in her voice. After a moment, she cleared her throat to speak again, "You’ll be coated in Brisn until you’re completely healed, but if you feel up to it, you could probably get up and walk around, it’s not going to mess anything up." As she explained how the remaining energy would work, she lowered her arm, and dropped to the floor, her left hand resting on her temple.

The ritual took a lot more energy than she had realized. She was likely going to sleep for the next day and a half.

Upon seeing Aeris’ form drop, Darius sat up and shifted to lean down at her. His eyes filled with worry over her abrupt collapse, trying to understand and solve the issue in his mind, while ensuring she hadn’t hurt herself. It was a habit he never bothered to break the moment he realized what Szayeis had done to her. Even when it was a weakness the Nightwalker seemed to take deep satisfaction in exploiting whenever fitting.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Darius lightly chided her, comforted by the fact she didn’t seem only exhausted, “I could’ve called M’ve instead of you exhausting yourself.”

"M’ve would’ve taken too long to get here, and you’d be dead." Aeris’ exhaustion permeated her voice, as her eyes rose up to look at Darius’ face. Her vision was blurring the slightest bit. She’d pass out soon. "Could you call Mai when you get the chance? I haven’t seen him since last night, he’s probably worried." As she spoke, her body teetered forward a bit, making her catch herself with her other hand.

Darius nodded, though he clearly didn’t enjoy the idea, his arms wrapped around her to take the weight she couldn’t and glide her into the bed. His free hand flipped open the sheets so she could lay upon the mattress itself and helped her to climb in until she was comfortable. Once situated, he flipped the blankets back over her weakened form, “I still hate seeing you like this. Besides, at worst I would’ve likely went back into the shard and waited until Szayeis awoke me. I merely underestimated my last encounter and it will not happen again.”

As he wrapped up tucking Aeris in, he then paused to ask another question, “Besides sleep and the Sanguine, is there anything else you need?”

Aeris looked up at Darius from her pillow, half her face sunken into the surface of it. In answer to his question, she simply shook her head. She didn’t feel hungry, though if she did end up needing food, she’d ask when she woke up.

“Very well, I’m not far away. Sleep well and we’ll talk in the morning. I need to tell you something, if you’ve encountered a visit, and I’m sure you’ll want answers over things yourself,” Darius spoke then briefly touched his forehead to hers in a gesture she found familiar, “Thank you, Aeris.”

His figure lifted up then casually left the room, closing the door behind him.

Zeki still stood grinning like a cheshire cat, only dropping slightly as Charles gave a counter offer to those in a van. He wasn't THAT disappointed, but it still squashed some fun messing with the crew. Zeki had a pretty good outlook for their success, not that it particularly mattered. His little lambs just had to make a big enough racket to attract the Prae, but not let them catch them. Zeki had to admit, he was particularly impressed how safe Charle's plan was. There was little chance of failure, even it going south would entail a hasty retreat and a teleport away. He'd give it a B+. It wasn't entertaining enough.

Suddenly his phone went off, his ringtone re-vibrating around the small van. Zeki answered it without second thought, despite the tension of the situation.

"Mr Glaedwine, owner of the Twilight Spirits speaking, how may I help you?

What do you mean you have eyes in the skies?

You got the drones? Really now? What am I suppose to do if I'm useless as your eyes?

Of course its a good thing. Its just rather ominous to have things start off so well. Well, I suppose only one thing for me to do. Goodbye, Roger."

Zeki closed his flip phone, his smile broadening. He called out to Charles and Mairyell leaving, still from inside the van. Zeki really hated doing this, but, there was no real other choice.

"Professor Aeon, it appears you have another recruit going with you. He's a good sport. Just give me a moment to introduce him."

A ghostly flame shone from the back of the van, followed by a sharp yell. One of the men they had captured walked out, wearing sun glasses, and smirking. He spoke with Zeki's voice.

"Mr. Gutierrez reporting for duty."

Zeki, who was obviously the man, groaned as he stretched, looking very much in pain.

"I haven't done that for a few centuries. I was rather fond of that body. Moving in a new one is quite a nuisance."

He flinched again.

"Enough, Mr. Gutierrez, you can have your body back later, I need it for now, quit resisting before I jump into a river with it."

He then called out to the driver of the van.

"You're free to ride Mr. Thomas. Take my body back the shop, I'm rather fond of it. That, and it can't toss me out like this one can."

He then ran to catch up with Charles's group, or at least a fastly sauntered to them.

"Alright, what I can offer, I can neutralize bullets in an area around me. Doesn't help if they can use Anima, but against majority of security guards, it's a definite advantage.

Feel free to factor me in as I'll be coming along.."

---

“Finally…” Rex mumbled to himself as he walked out of the front doors of the Armax Investments & Innovations International building. With the end of his shift, he could now head home and sleep… probably.

He began his walk towards his apartment complex, which was luckily pretty close to his place of work, just a mere block away. It was pretty quiet during this time of night, as most people would have already retreated to their homes. The only ones out were Armax Security patrols. As a large, heavily armed mech stomped past Rex, it’s voxcomm chirped as the pilot spoke. “Have a good evening, Mr. Volt.”

Rex gave the mech a lazy salute, aimed at the cockpit of the warmachine. “Lily should be asleep by now.” Rex mumbled to himself again, somewhat relieved by the thought. As much as Lily didn’t really like living in this district, he felt a warm comfort from the fact that she was safe here. No OCPD to hunt them down and cull them both like animals.

Distracted by the thought, he was already at the doors of the complex, a large skyscraper that almost matched the Armax building in height. He stepped in, passing through the extravagant white and black lobby, and called the elevator. He watch the numbered display above the doors with an empty mind, with the numbers counting down from floor 33 to 1.

The elevator dinged, and the doors almost silently slid open. He stepped in, and hit the button for floor 100, where his penthouse suite was located, and where Lily was, possibly, peacefully dreaming.

---

A single light, pale and centered, illuminated the pages of Lily’s book as her eyes darted from to word, her mind working to piece together the scene within her imagination. Her right arm folded underneath her elbow while she curled her legs underneath her in Rex’s oversized recliner. The seat sank just a bit to give support and comfort, her attention fixed into the world beyond her own.

She had noticed Rex’s absence in the middle of the night. Over the years, she had become accustomed to feeling him beside her and indenting the bed at her side. Now it was hard to sleep without him.

At the sound of the door opening, her thumb rested into the book’s spine and folded it up. She pulled her figure upright, her head turned to the large canine like bear entering the room. A small smirk crossed her lips at seeing him showing him she had been worried. She causally snatched a silver etched leather bookmark and wedged into place before she snapped the hard cover novel called ‘The Succubus’ Heart’ shut. Lily placed it gently down as she edged a leg over the edge of the recliner, touching her sole down on the wooden floor for balance and followed with her other one.

The siren was wearing a silky, transparent cover over a lacy blouse shirt and mini low cut briefs with blacken design of a lotus flower across the front. It was among her favorite lingerie outfits for whenever Rex got home. It showed her shape, curves and more flesh with some her delicate places left to the imagination, waiting for him to unwrap later.

With no surprising grace, she reached her arms up to wrap about his neck. Gently she pulled him down and kissed his elongated nose, her voice a soft whisper, “I missed you. Did you have to work over?”

Her tone was accusing, but rather disappointed and wishful he had been here sooner.

“Mmm, sadly.” Rex said to her softly as he wrapped an arm around her. “It was your tip off, actually. They decided to strike tonight, as Masha had found herself a lady-friend to spend the night with. The bartender talked a little too much, and the bouncers let Cortez know about it.” He sighed. “It got a little messy.”

Lily paused thoughtfully then replied a few moments later, “I knew Ms. Patel was considered reckless and a bit of a gossip, but I was hoping Ms. Vorobyova was wiser to wait. Darius would’ve had to find a replacement for the club and he’s got too few individuals he can trust as it is.”

She let her words sink in before she released Rex, her arms doing it begrudgingly, then gestured toward the recliner, “Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink. You look like you could use a few shots of your whiskey since it ended badly. Besides, I need to talk with you over something I’ve been considering all day.”

Rex smirks as he watches Lily walk away towards the drinks cabinet, clearly admiring her form. “Alright.” He took a seat on his recliner, where Lily sat earlier. It was warm, obviously she was there for quite a while.

Gracefully, Lily glided into the kitchen as she thoughtfully began to form her next conversation in her mind. She had to tread cautiously since it was a very touchy subject since the incident and through she would still likely find a way to make it possible, she didn’t want a fight tonight. A house in conflict was difficult to find peace in.

Her hand opened a cabinet, reached for a large glass (about the size of a 16 oz mug) and the whisky bottle. Due to Rex’s ten foot tall size, nearly everything in their apartment had been pretty much supersized requiring her to use both hands to keep from dropping the glass from higher places. The Siren finally retrieved a metal bowl which she filled with ice enjoying the hum of the ice maker built into the fridge. Collecting them all, she then placed them on a tray she got from a nearly rack and placed them in the center.

She then carried them back into the room before she set it in on the coffee table next to Rex, allowing him to drink. Lilly then moved around the coffee table and took a seat upon the sofa. Adjusting until she was comfortable, she waited until her boyfriend had drank his fill before she began.

“I’ve been considering getting back into singing again. More carefully than I did and I decided to start from the bottom, meaning I need to contact Darius to enlist his help. Thoughts over that?” or issues? Lily didn’t say the last bit out loud, not wanting to jump to conclusions that he’d have issues with her getting into a career that nearly killed her once already.

Rex’s face immediately lit up. “You… wanna get back into it?” He asked rhetorically, seemingly as if to reinstate the fact. He chuckled for a moment and shook his head. “Lily, honey. You have no idea… no idea how much I missed your singing…” His black eyes had a little moisture in them as he said. She hasn’t sung since she was kidnapped, as the whole ordeal left her mentally scared. To Rex, this was progress. She was healing.

He leaned forward with a grin on his face. “You have always loved to entertain… What kind of a moronic ass would I have to be to say no…?”

Lily’s eyes blinked thrice, her mind absorbing his statement, then looking at him with a soften expression. Any tension that had built up in her figure melted away to his acceptance of her choice to want to sing. Honestly, she had expected some resistance or worry to taint the news, but found it a pleasant surprise she was completely wrong. Rex never failed to surprise her sometimes causing her lips to curl in an affectionate and modest smile.

“I was partly worried you might be concerned truthfully,” Lily rose from her seat to walk toward her guy, her hips swaying with each movement, before she lowered down to one side of his lap. She shifted until she comfortable then kissed him again on the cheek, her head moved to lay on his shoulders now that she was able to without forcing him down.

“Considering what happened, I don’t blame you.” He wrapped his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head. “You feel like you’re ready?”

“As humans elegantly put it: Hell if I know for sure. We’ll have to wait and see what comes of my attempt, praying I don’t break down. I can’t avoid it forever as I miss it too damn much and I will not let fear make me its bitch,” Lily’s tone took a sharpness when it came to the last part. She wouldn’t live in fear of something she loved forever causing her to inhale, calming her budding rage and resentment building up inside.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“A few months. It really hit hard when I spotted Ms. Vorobyova and Patel walking from the club, and through the club was in a sorry state... “ She took a breath to let the emotions escape her before they exploded within her, “I had a really bad case of nostalgia wash over me. It hasn’t left unlike other times and I think it might just crush me if I didn’t take the chance.”

“Well, I’m glad that you are finally taking that chance.” Rex replied. “If you want, I can try to be there… If work allows.”

“It would help soothe the nerves and considering I’ve gotten intel that an old ‘client’ is in town, I wouldn’t object in the least. I expect him to eventually pay a visit, but trying to accurately predict when is like trying to predict the future itself. You can only make so many guesses to the outcome and even then, it still manages to surprise you,” Lily didn’t fully believe her description of Szayeis’ unpredictability was accurate, but it was close to enough to how it felt when she originally met him, “I’m curious how Darius has changed without the nightwalker around to continually influence him. I might have a hunch of something about to happen that will toss any future plans into shambles.”

“I don’t think Darius ever changed…” Said the wolf. “He was born Kitsune. I remember you telling me that being born on one side or the other influences their personality.”

“Yes, but they are capable of dual natures. The Kitsune and the Nogitsune will always be apart of him. It’s rare, but possible, that a Kitsune can flip back and forth between its natures,” Lily paused long enough to let out a small yawn, her hand back curled upward to cover her mouth and let it pass. When finished, her closed her eyes as she continued with her thoughts, “If he’s able to do it, he’s going to need help to control it or his Nogitsune will leave Ominar in ruins. I need more information however before I jump ahead of myself. It might’ve been his ties to Szayeis that actually influenced the reaction rather than a hint of something sinister to come.”

Rex yawned widely himself as he leaned back in the recliner, making it’s back fold backwards, putting them both in a lying position. He gently stroked her back as he thought about it. “Heh, look at us. Trying to play heroes…”

Lily chuckled lightly, the effects of staying up washing over her, as she adjusted to get closer to the center of his body, “I wouldn’t say that or we would be saving everyone.”

She loved the sensation of him around her as it brought the memories of safety, warmth and love, things she knew were the basics of life to her. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again, her voice a touch softer now, “The whole ‘saving Darius’, it’s not for him but to keep what we have. To protect our home. A Nogitsune, even a small tailed one, is very… destructive. Not chaotic, but strives on pain, suffering and worse.”

The Siren buried her cheek deeper into the black fur, flattening it out as she began to fall asleep. However, she managed to say one last thing before slumber took her completely, “I don’t want to see it here.”

” Hmmm...There’s only one thing I can help with and that’s more of a last line of defense sort of solution. Though in theory this could cause problems to the allies nearby.” The young man offered up. To be honest he would have liked keeping his abilities a secret from everyone inside this room, even if the outcome was to be successful, there was still a very good chance of people getting captured. Though in this case this was clearly off the table. That and he would have preferred not facing Charles’ wraith after explaining why Azulia was in a place which she wasn’t allowed at in the first place. The guy could be scary enough without much help.

” As for the fence there’s several different ways you can do this. One is finding a spot that’s falling apart, unlikely do this being a prison. Another way is hacking the system from the inside though I doubt the distraction team would be able to do this in their already limited time frame. Our best bet is someone with metal manipulation.” The human said out loud as his eyebrows wrinkled downwards. His eyes shut for a few minutes allowing more thoughts to form thanks to being in his element. ” If no one has that power then I can provide what might be a very successful distraction. All I ask is that after this one of you very fine gentlemen escorts my little sister back home.”

The guy sighed at the idea forming inside his already filled mind. In a way the plan would work without fail but at a very steep price. One which would decide his already fragile fate. Oh how much would the new leader like to take out the only person that could literally destroy him. ’ No. Listen to what the others can provide and form a better plan. One that gets us all out in one piece.’

---

Charles’ eyes turned to Mr. Glaedwine, the eyebrow arched in question and frowned at the unexpected mention of an addition. He paused in following Mairyell, both by the door by now, as he turned to face the Licenti. He was still uneasy of the individual’s nature, and watched carefully over what the Licenti was about to do. When he witnessed one of their captured guards waltz out of the van, his body stiffened at the sight.

He had suspected Mr. Glaedwine was some sort of spiritual Licenti, though having little experience with them he couldn’t be sure, and now the evidence confirmed it to him, “I can’t say I’m pleased with the option you’ve chosen, despite how clever it is. If that man gets killed, I hold you responsible.”

Waiting until Zeki had caught up with them, he then added, “I also don’t have spells to erase memories in your host body on me… so I hope you have a plan to deal with that as well should he remember everything after this.”

Upon hearing the mention of neutralizing the bullets in the area, Charles immediately asked for details to assist his plan, “Is it subtle or obvious neutralizing magic? Because if it’s obvious, I have something that can assist in a bullet deflector. Any other abilities you’re willing, without a price, to share and could be useful?”

Zeki twirled his cane, accidentally dropping it.

"Bloody new body."

He turned to Charles.

"I somehow don't imagine him reporting any of this, he'll be wanted for sooo many crimes after this he probably should lay low. Geists are incredibly rare, even among Licenti. We're too easy to kill, and Torqueo is too cruel a place.

Anyways, the magic you felt at the shop was the same magic. I like to call it Motion Thief. I'll let you figure out how subtle that is. As far as other abilities, I have flames that extinguish Vis, and can cause quite a bit of knockback. Anything else comes with a price. Afterall, trade secrets and such. My kind ARE rather cowardly and secretive. Only reason I let you have that much is I've taken a liking."

Zeki picked the cane back up, twirling it again. That was a bit talkative. Not that anything was exactly damning, how many of them really knew what a Geist was? Even if they did, they probably could have figured it out.

While the vampire hadn't heard the term before, he was fairly sure he'd read it once somewhere, in passing, or encountered one once before. it was hard to say, after all, he'd hunted so many different species of licenti and done a fair bit of research for said hunts that the information, even with his hybrid brain and impeccable memory, was difficult to keep track of. Shaking it off he couldn't help but look away from Zeki's new body even as he addressed them, after all the very idea of another being possessing someone else's body and using it like a meat suit, a puppet, was disgusting to him. Nonetheless he understood the usefulness of the ability and so said nothing in regards to it. Instead he focused in on their objective.

"Alright, so what is the path we're taking in? We need to get things going so we can be in and out almost before they know what hit them," he'd done surveillance missions before, if only to stalk his marks and gather data, he still had a fair amount of experience infiltrating if he had to. Though he did prefer the 'bust down the door,' method, even if it wasn't what he usually used.

While the vampire waited for their response, the 'human' fidgeted a bit, betraying a certain amount of nervousness that the one possessing the man's body--Szayeis--did not actually feel. He had managed to equip himself with a gun--non-lethal ammo to his chagrin--and outfit the man with four enchanted accessories. One of them was a necklace he wore, which concealed both his own licenti vis far better, and the human's vis making him harder to detect and pay attention to; a ring, which applied a shield of vis that dissipated momentum of physical blows when something was about to strike his body; and two other rings, one of which enhanced his hearing, and the other which made the body more agile and quick, ingraining a certain measure of athletic and acrobatic ability into his host.

The combination was going to be useful. "That's a really useful ability Mr. Glaedwine," he said, smiling a bit nervously, as if both taken by the excitement and adrenaline, and also a bit scared of getting caught. Perhaps he was a thrill junkie?

"I, um, managed to get my hands on some VIDCs, or um, vis identification cards. They'll help us bypass any locked doors we meet with though their clearance is only level three. Getting any of the high priority prisoners out would be difficult if not impossible with these cards. So...eheh, yeah. Hope they help," he handed them out and then brought his hands back into his pockets, trying to conceal the fidgeting. He hoped they wouldn't force him to stay back....

Charles took one of the VIDCs as he clipped it to the badge cord on his breast pocket for safekeeping. He made the note about it being only as high as level three, “Block A and B are primarily recent prisoners, with low magic talents or easily containable ones. Anyone of true danger would be in Block C alongside the more hostile prisoners… which in my opinion would cause more life loss than needed.”

Not quite done with Mr. Glaedwine’s last statement, Charles then turned to the Geist to continue, “Geist might seem to be rare in Torqueo, but life finds a way as you’re evidence of that and in my long life I’ve learned extinction doesn’t always mean it is gone.”

The immortal paused to consider what Mairyell had spoken in regards to the current plan, his attention fell into focusing on the situation and silencing him from additional chit chat. He began to clarify with details over the plan, “Currently, we pass through the back areas where supply deliveries are made and... umm, please give me a moment to check something.”

He moved a little past Mairyell as his torso leaned around the corner they collected at, his eyes then swept over the large grounds and found them mostly empty. Only one or two guards caught his attention and both were standing at a set of industrial garage-like doors. Near the man on the far right was a smaller one that was likely locked. Charles hoped that Mr. Hager’s VIDCs would get them through. The odds were in their favor, but he worried they might have security measures for such a thing in the software. It was at this point that his mind mentally wished for the time when it was a simple matter of key and lock rather than a metal box filled with number crunching data. It was difficult to tell how advanced the security was from a mere glance of a prison on the outside or from the intel they had gotten earlier.

Ensuring the men weren’t glancing his way, Charles quickly pointed at that direction long enough for the others to see where it was then jerked back into cover. He waited for several dreadful moments before he began to speak again, “That’s our entrance. It should take us through the kitchens, into a hallway and finally allow us to edge into the hall leading to the prison blocks.”

He inhaled then decided to elaborate more over what he was considering doing, “I have an idea on how to get their attention and lure them away but it requires magic and we will have to move fast or risk being caught,” His eyes flickered back to the side of his vision in thought and recalled his memory, “I didn’t recall any security measures about construct magic, so logically creating a construct to lead them away shouldn’t register with the magical prevention or alarms. Unless someone would like to propose another route to try?”

Zeki finally managed to twirl his cane in a way that was acceptable to him. With a smile, he stored it away. The body was still stiff to him, but it was good enough. He was more an observer than anything. He wanted to see how Charles would do, protecting the immortal was his priority. Immortal or not, being thrown in one of these cells might prove... unpleasant. Still, it was more danger than Zeki normally permitted himself to travel through. He accepted the VIDC. He forced the human to give up some of his vis, just to check he could. The human buckled. Seems like he couldn't do it often. He'd be amazed if he held onto this body for 3 hours under a normal day. Stressed like this? Likely an hour. Zeki much preferred to be away from others when he 'molted'.

He had to laugh at Charles comment on life finding a way. He would have to introduce this professor to Torqueo, to Zeki's seas and lost islands. For a minute, Zeki briefly wandered how much the place had changed? In a millenia? Probably less than this human world had changed in 60 years.

Snapping out of it, Zeki raised an eyebrow at Charles. For a person who'd seemed so pessimistic, he was sure choosing the fiercest route. Zeki would have simply walked in. They did have disguises, cards, and the layout. Still, Charles plan would give them more time inside, just at a much, much riskier rate. For Zeki's purposes, it was more than he could have hoped for. He wasn't letting that slip away.

"Mr. Aeon, you embody everything I love about humans, so many contradictions. I might have an addon. It'd be a bit of a problem for our esteemed prison if no one reported such a construct. I believe I have a duty towards my minimum wage job to report such an incident. If you don't mind, I think I have a role to play then."

“I'm not sure if I should be upset or complimented by that statement. And by all means, take the lead," Charles said as he gestured his hand and watched, “This distort spell, when heavily examined up close and personal, has its flaws. I'm more trying to avoid being discovered before walking inside, as we can pass through casually ignored instead of cross examined. So unless we have a body, I suggest we avoid being stopped at the gates until the escape."

Zeki walked from the group, not letting an alternative be discussed. The important thing was unity. They had five minutes before they had to log in, they should probably act on it.

He approached the check in point, faking a yawn and giving a halfhearted wave to a passing guard. His voice became extremely nasally, and less cheery than normal.

"Hey, vato, don't these late night shifts ever get to you?"

He turned to the guard at the checkpoint, to report in the 'strange' things he'd seen on his way in.

Taking it all in, the hunter watched, and listened, but said nothing further, only nodding to show he was listening. When Zeki began to act, he watched, and then when the licenti was out of sight, listened to the back and forth, readying himself. He began debating which of his abilities he ought to focus on for this, and settled on using his brisn and a small amount of blood for defense, while using his physical prowess to fight. He was faster and stronger than almost anyone they'd come across, he figured, and he was durable enough to get shot plenty of times or tank magic and heal from it rather quickly.

Plus, he'd gone hunting earlier and gotten himself plenty of blood in his core so his regeneration wouldn't be slowing down any time soon. "Charles, do me a favor," he said, turning to the man. He held up one of his hands, holding his fingers together and touching their tips to his thumb. "Do this whenever you think I should break character and take out any opposition. Don't worry, I'll be doing so non-lethally. Probably just knock out whoever we come across and only if necessary. If we're to retreat, I want you to act like you're brushing dust off of your right or left shoulder. Brushing the dirt or dust forwards means we're going that way, backwards is back the way we came, and use right or left shoulder to indicate those directions. Shouldn't be difficult to remember."

He finished, letting his instructions sink in, they were relatively simple, but eminently useful. He'd had to do infiltration contracts a few times, even deep cover ones, where he had to integrate with a group for an extended period of time. So he knew how to signal with squads if necessary so as not to give information away to the opponent. He had just taught the group a few of the more simple signals. "You got all that?" He asked, meeting the man's eyes.

Upon hearing his name, Charles’ attention drifted from Zeki’s retreating figure to Mr. Kasio. His ears were primed for whatever words escaped the hunter’s lips, bad or good. He held strict doubts it would’ve been anything good because the situation they were in was far from anything resembling a good one.

At the display and description of the signs for basic tactical and subtle instructions, he nodded calmly. Though he was young, it was appearance only and his demeanor gave very little away when it came to his own thoughts over the use of his first name or whole display. Instead he merely just accepted them for the moment. In his mind, he made a small file which he set it in a desk drawer, a mental representation of him hiding it just under the surface of his thoughts. When asked if he got all that, Charles then spoke in a manner fitting a teacher, “Easily. Not my first time having to digest information rapidly. Let’s hope this goes well.”

His attention returned to watch Zeki attempt to fool the guards and gain them access into the prison.

Zeki tapped on the glass of the check-in. He saw the security guard's name tag, Dillan. It was time to report Charles' construct he'd promised. Zeki tried his best to make himself freakout and fidget. He really was copying a few cholos he'd seen in his shop. Humans were such fun creatures, thugs never changed. And a minimum wage job like this? He didn't have to guess Mr. Rodriguez's personality too hard. Vulgar, superstitious, and occasional spanglish thrown in. As long as he didn't go specifics, he'd be fine.

"Hey, ese, uh, you might wanna send some peeps to check something out I saw. It was some creepy shit, I thought I saw a giant man thing. I-I heard it, and ain't no way I checking it out without backup. I said messing with these demons or whatever they are was going to lead to crap like that. C-can I get my radio and equipment reeeal quick, hombre?"

The guard raised his head from the magazine he'd been looking, it said 'Bad Gurlz' on it. Looking the guy over with a smug frown, a small speck of frustration came into his expression as he replied. "C'mon man, how you gonna forget your gear like that,” he said, before pressing a button on the panel in front of him, allowing the man he thought was a friend, access. "Also, what's this about creepy shit? One of the stupid things get out somehow?"

"I guess? I dunno, I ain't paid enough to check it out on my own. And don't pretend you ain't ever forgotten your crap. Let me call in someone."

Zeki didn't actually know the man, but it was a good guess. The first rule of infiltration is look like you belonged. Humans were incredibly interesting, wild even, but they were seldom attentive. Zeki, entered, grabbing a radio, pressing the button on the side.

"Uh, backup by the front gate? Something's out there, need a guy or two with me. Think maybe one of them things is out."

Zeki stole the guard's word for the Licenti. It seemed he wasn't liked, what a pity. He hoped Charles got that construct up soon. Sooner people actually started panicking, sooner he'd fit in as just another scared security guard, and less attentive the rest would be. Alert the humans, they'd get tunnel vision. He turned to the guard gate.

"You going to help a brother out? I mean, scared the shit right out of me. Was this giant... thing. I don't know, big clunky, ain't human. Sounded really heavy. Wasn't really gunna look. Think we gotta change the codes or something? I'll go check it out soon as some help arrive."

Because if everyone forgot the code due to a sudden change, the less secure it would be. Zeki loved security, so contradictory.

Charles watched Zeki try to persuade the human to move away from his post. Though he couldn’t hear the conversation being carried out, he had been around long enough to both learn how to lip read and realize things weren’t working smoothly. At least, not in the sense the Poltergeist was hoping.

The professor sighed as he began to focus his Vis into his hand and then formed a shape just a foot from him. It started off wiry and thin, abnormally so when compared to Mairyell, Charles or Hager. Its faceless head shape grew thick, ram like horns about the sides giving it an intimidating appearance. Long fingers edged into claws though they weren’t intended to be functional because Charles had made the golem more for speed than aggression as it stood at attention.

It was see through but had enough Vis to give it a shape and mass in the darkness. From far away, no man could tell it was a construct rather than a living creature. After several seconds of forming and reshaping, Charles uttered a command, “Play the distraction and lead them away.”

Without needing additional encouragement, it took off across the grass into plain view of the guards.

Listening to his fellow guard, the man glanced at his 'co-worker' a moment before sighing, putting down his magazine, lowering his legs from the place they'd been kicked up on and stood exiting his post. "Goddamn, fine. I'm sure it's nothing and you're getting scared of fuckin' hallucinations just like the last guy." He said, nonetheless arming himself with a flashlight, a tazer, and a stun baton. Then, right as he was about to respond about the code, a monster burst out of nowhere, running right at them.

"What in the blood soaked fuck!" The guard yelled, swiping his walkie talkie up to make a call, "Get those men down here quick," he said, before dropping into a stance that was clearly one he'd trained. He looked like he knew what he was doing.

Meanwhile, Mairyell got an idea, but still had to wait a bit longer for the guards to be led away. He began reconsidering it as they waited.

"See, see, ese! That shit's real!"

Zeki started to panic, grabbing a tazer, but so 'frightened' he 'accidentally' shot the camera.

"S-sorry! Got the shakes from that thing!"

Zeki gave a smile, looked like everything was in place, enough vulgarities. He lightly pointed his arm at the security guard who'd turned toward the monster.

"So well trained."

A torrent of fire released from his hand, engulfing the guard. It wasn't hot, however. It was exactly the opposite, touching the fire would give one chills as the will-o-whisp burned away one's vis. Zeki reached out to grab the walkie talkie before it could be pressed, trying to throw it to the ground and stomp on it.

Zeki called out to the group.

"Clear, you have a moment or two over here, mind fetching my cane? Once they pour in, we keep the door open and break in. Think I'll have a quick snack before we get started. No, Charles, haven't violated your rules of engagement."

Zeki knelt over the guard after the fire, an odd smile over his face, despite his body reacting badly, as he reached towards the flames. Tasty.

Without thinking, Charles’ eyes widened in surprise as he watched the blue flames erupt from Zeki and hit the guard full on. His teeth gritted before he uttered a curse in old English then bolted toward the pair. He hoped Mairyell would’ve been smart enough to, mainly due to the younger hybrid being observant in nature, follow him without being told. Charles’ short legs covered the distance surprisingly quickly, his right hand jerked the requested cane into his grasp and seemed ready to give Zeki a few sound wacks with it. He reframed when he arrived next to Zeki.

Irritation laced his growling voice, Charles struggled to keep his rare flare of temper in check, “What did you do?”

Mairyell followed at a decent pace, arriving next to the guy. He glanced down at him and raised an eyebrow, before taking a sniff of the air. "Well, he didn't kill him, the guy's just unconscious. Plus, that's not mundane fire and I don't see any burns." He looked at Zeki as he had a 'snack' and shook his head, "You know, it's a bit demoralizing for a human unfamiliar with such things to watch a licentia feed. Hardly the time for this sort of thing. Course, if you need the vis for spells and it's not killing the guy, I ain't gonna complain." With that he turned away, glancing around, "Also, we don't want to be seen standing over an unconscious guard. Doesn't make for a good look."

That in mind he bent down, picked the guy up, Brisn wreathing his own body to protect him from the flames--as his own magic merely absorbed the effects of Zeki's vis, thus nullifying their intended effect--and then sprinted over out of sight. He stashed the guy by their truck, used some cloth from an extra uniform to gag him and bind him, and then headed back.

"Alright, what did you say we're waiting for exactly?"

"Nothing now. The Golem is doing the rest of the job and currently putting any guard that sights it on a merry little chase. When it's been destroyed or hit by a powerful enough spell, it will vanish without a trace and I will know when that happens," Charles said then began to walk through the door's security and enter the prison, "We're going to have to split up to both take out the security cameras and secure the prisoners. The group who takes out the cameras should note any less guarded route outside which we can secure after releasing a few prisoners and setting them to assist in releasing the rest."

He inhaled then added, "Who wants what task?"

Zeki was glad for Mairyell's explanation, it saved him time and effort. Charles complaining on every little thing seemed more like a Licenti or Prae than human. Eh, immortality was not a kind thing. Not that Zeki would ever give his up. As long as he could feed, and as long as his core was intact, he'd make it. Oh, and as long as he didn't do something stupid, such as charge a jail cell full of magic nullifying fields and the like. If his body died, he wouldn't, but it would leave him vulnerable to literally anything with a hint of knowledge about Vis.

Zeki finished his 'snack', the left over flames Mairyell didn't take. He needed his strength to maintain control over poor Mr. Gutierrez. That, and Zeki hadn't had to feed like a savage in forever, he'd grown significantly weaker.

"Well, let's see, security cameras. If anyone had a different appearance than normal, it would be a wonderful job for them, wouldn't it? Almost as if they couldn't be caught. Meanwhile, would you be a dear and free a few prisoners? I have a delivery girl it would be nice to not worry about. And a tax keeper I want back. Oh, and a few others. Case in point, I have a few friends who would be delighted to be rescued. Hut-hut, let's go."

Zeki marched off, immediately firing a shot from his cane at the first security camera he saw, a burst of air chilled by his flame then expanded. The air cannon seemed adept at its job.

Mairyell nodded, “Alright, let’s get going then, we’ve got people to let loose,” he smirked a bit, the idea of screwing over and oppressing force amusing him greatly. He then started forwards towards into the prison.

Szayeis in his guise caught up to Charles and the others, looking apologetic, “Sorry, I...just kind of froze up. I’m not used to this sort of thing. Also, I managed to get ahold of the contact I had here. In about...” he checked his watch, “...two minutes, the anti-magic fields will be going down.” Anyways, um I’ll go with Zeki. It’ll be better if we’re in two groups of two. That way we can back each other up,” he said, smiling, his hands a bit jittery. He was clearly fighting back a measure of fear. After an awkward moment, he saluted and then followed after Zeki at a jog.

“It’s a lot worse being on the receiving end than actually witnessing it,” Charles couldn’t help murmuring, unsure if Hager was referring to either the clash with the guard or Zeki’s sudden feeding. Within his mind, he couldn’t help trudge up a unpleasant memory and casually began to unlock the drawer. A feminine voice chuckled causing him to abruptly shut in surprise. A little jarred by the vividness of his past, the professor shook his attention from within himself and began to follow Mairyell in a rather quick step to catch up.

---

A long hallway spread out before them, fairly narrow, with plain walls and the occasional cameras which Mairyell had decided to leave alone as breaking them would only arouse more suspicion. Still, he knew that someone would notice the cameras screwing up pretty soon. So the best they could do is move as quickly as they could and hope that Zeki and co would disable the alarms soon. “We should be arriving to the first cell block soon if I’m remembering your little map correctly,” he said, turning to Charles.

“If not, I’ll see if I can create another golem, likely ferret sized, to scout ahead and locate them. Also keep in mind, my map is based on Mr. Gladewine’s information so if it is wrong so was his intel and this could complicate the whole mission,” Charles stated calmly as he stared ahead, his eyes peeled for any guards or checkpoints ahead of them. He didn’t want to catch direct attention or someone was bound to notice the distort spell. Then things would shortly go to hell before they finished up their original goal and put a number of innocent prisoners into harm's way. This was something Charles wanted to avoid, even when they were mostly Licentia, because life was precious no matter the race and the main reason he was against arming the prisoners.

Mentally he kept tabs on his golem outside. It was rounding to the front of the prison building, farthest away from both team’s location, causing the professor to relax some. The thing hadn’t been destroyed yet as it continued to move at a steady pace and keep within range.

Nodding in response, Mairyell continued forwards until suddenly he heard something.

Footsteps.

Narrowing his eyes he sucked in a breath and slowed down, acting casual. Quietly he addressed Charles, “There are guards ahead. Act natural and we should be fine. They’re probably the reinforcements that other guard called for outside.”

“Alright, but easier said than done for me. I’m rather rusty on all my skills so use your best judgement to disarm the situation when it looks like it’s taking a wrong turn,” Charles requested as he tried to act as natural as possible. His mind trying to believe he belonged here and merely doing his job patrolling the corridors.

The Hunter nodded and then went back to the act, falling into it rather naturally, he’d done things like this before so it was somewhat familiar, though he was admittedly a bit rusty himself. Still, his rusty was likely not the same as his companions.

After about a minute a group of five guards turned the corner of an intersection and approached them, continuing through the hallway. Most of them glanced at them and then kept walking, but one, after he’d passed them, frowned. They were about ten feet down the hallway behind the duo when one of them whispered “Hey, any of you recognize those two?”

There was a brief pause and Mairyell, still walking forwards, increasing their distance, narrowed his eyes. Their scents changed and he heard them moving before they had even fully turned around. His senses far keener than those of a human, and his reflexes sharper, he spun in a whirl of motion and in the same motion blue light exuded from his form, manifesting into a wall, and then solidified, just as one of the men fired his pistol--which appeared to be armed with rubber bullets.

The wall blocked the shot, but then something else struck it, and it crumbled. “Shit,” the vampire swore, “One of them has counter magic. Looks like we’ll have to take care of them Charles, before they alert someone else. Heh, on that note,” he smirked, and flicked his finger. Instantly tiny droplets of solid blood shot out and pierced the walkie-talkies of all but one of the guards--as one of them was behind his compatriots.

“Get your shit in gear,” he said as he pushed forwards into a dash to reach the other two men. It appeared that shit was about to hit the proverbial fan.

Charles couldn’t help but sigh when, as predicted, everything crumbled in the moment. He naturally flinched when he heard the shot go off and expected to feel the sting of the bullet penetrated his skin, followed by the wetness of his own blood. That thankfully didn’t happen causing his attention to shift to the three men who had now become an issue and threat to their mission.

Unlike Mairyell, there wasn’t any way Charles could cover the distance between them before someone got off a shot. And with a magical counter, his barriers with his construct magic wasn’t going to be useful in protecting him.

While Mairyell rushed the two men, Charles’ magic activated casting his hands into a slight silver color and eyes in a light purple. Quickly his Vis pooled upon the ground then shot forward along the wall where it came to a halt beside the third guard around his upper torso area.

From the wall, a metal see-through arm with a hand suddenly jerked from it and made to seize the last walkie-talkie. Not likely expecting the surprise attack since Mairyell was charging them directly, it should come as a surprise to the man. When the walkie talkie was in its grip, the fingers and hand would increase its power and crush it beyond use.

Smelling vis Mairyell glanced to the side as he ran, and noticed some moving. He smiled, noting that it was Charles from its scent. Grinning a bit he lunged forwards, taking three shots from rubber bullets, which he shrugged off with no trouble. As he closed the distance one of the guards reacted, drawing his baton. The smell of a new vis signature appearing as he did so. Mairyell brought his arm up and blocked even as a metallic hand reached from the wall, snatched the last walkie-talkie, and crushed it he took a hit. The baton sent a shock through his body, and he gritted his teeth, slamming his fist into the stomach of another guard, who crumpled forwards on his arm, weighing him down. He dashed back in response, but much to his chagrin two guards got past him and began running towards Charles.

Charles merely stood there. His head shook in disappointment that the guards assumed he was the easier target causing him to glare. Suddenly the Vis arm retracted back, following its path back to him like a rubber band snapping back and settled under his figure. Meanwhile there was another mumble, his eyes become brighter purple and four strips of vis extended outward toward the guards coming at him. They divided into two groups, each individual line assigned to one of the guards’ feet, and the moment they darted past the two odd colored spots two arms and hands snapped from the floor to seize the ankles causing them to stop in their tracks. The moment one of them tried to counter magic the spell, appeared to be casting a spell or even attacking with their weapons, Charles would quickly cut the now short distance between him and them.

He had made sure they were just out of arm’s reach when he tangled up their legs, allowing them to be close enough for close range combat but not able to lay a hand upon him unless he closed the gap.

One of the two guards stopped just shy of the point, noting the vis, but his companion--before he could call out--rushed forwards and was grabbed by the ankles causing him to teeter over and fall. He caught himself with his hands and managed to push himself back up.

His companion on the hand, raised an arm and weaved his fingers, then around twenty tendrils of vis shot out from his hand, ten of them striking the hand, whilst four more targeted the strips of colored vis on the ground. In a flash, the energies all dispersed, using up 14 out of twenty of the thin strands of energy. The remaining 6 wrapped around his comrade and then shimmered before seeming to vanish. “Go Jaq!” He called out, and the man nodded, having gotten his bearings, and rushed Charles, having already drawn his baton into one hand.

Meanwhile, Mairyell had managed to knock out one of the guards and was dealing with the other two, who were giving him an inordinate amount of trouble--it appeared both of them were mages of some caliber.

Charles had been about to react but his speed was slower than he had hoped it would’ve been. It appeared he found the one who had the counter magic, at least it seemed so, and that made it easier who was best for Mairyell to take out. The earlier guard seemed to have a slower reaction when it came to stopping himself in mid attack, but the 6 thin strands of energy that wrapped about him made the professor wary.

It was time to test another theory.

When the baton raised then followed with a strike, his right shoulder tensed. Charles then jerked his left shoulder back aided by his left foot stepping in the same direction and pulling him to his opponent’s side as the guard would likely continue forward. Charles’ left arm slapped the man’s forearm hard which should’ve made it redirect to the professor’s torso, at the lower left, and miss directly hitting him.

This should’ve opened the guard’s face side up for an abrupt jab into the ear with Charles’ right fist and possibly daze the target for a moment, allowing Charles two addition strikes: one to the ribs and another to a pressure point on the jawline which disable him quickly. Meanwhile, if any of the strikes failed than Charles was ready for a counter, namely a magical one.

The first strike was a success, and so was the strike to his head, except...the man didn’t react as if in pain, instead his free hand reached out to grab Charles by the shoulder. The mage continued weaving with his hands, patterns of vis beginning to become visible as he did so.

Mairyell slipped out of the way as a baton was thrust at his abdomen. He then grabbed the weapon, pulling the guard to him, before kneeing him roughly in the stomach, immediately flooring the fellow. That left one guy, whose form was wreathed in a writhing mass of black and silver vis. The figure glanced at his comrade and scowled, before walking towards Mairyell. “Heh, any chance you just let me knock you out so we can be done with this?” The vampire quipped, which sadly elicited no response from the approaching guard.

“A shame,” he said, eyes narrowing, his expression growing serious as he crouched down somewhat. The man stopped just out of range and stood watching him. “Think fast,” the vampire said, and then he was a flash of movement.

Charles’ attacks impacted but he noted the reaction was off. The last one, namely on a pressure point, should’ve knocked the man unconscious causing his attention to slip to his peripheral vision and notice the mage still casting. He partly wondered if the spell was affecting the physical condition of his current target like a support spell.

If that was the case, Charles was targeting the wrong individual.

Briefly distracted, Charles hadn’t counted on the lack of muscle memory to be his weakness. In this moment it gave him tunnel vision which when turned away, made him vulnerable to attack and no way to quickly react to an incoming threat fast enough. When the guard's hand made the grab at his shoulder his attention returned to the battle at hand. This was going to hurt. He mumbled quickly under his breath just as he felt the contact of the grip, his construct magic prepared against whatever the guard did next.

Having gotten a hold of Charles, the guard stepped forwards and reeled back his baton in an attempt to strike Charles across the head at an angle. He tightened his grip. The mage had conjured what appeared a ball of writhing bluish energy and was getting ready to aim it in their direction.

Charles did two things. He tilted his head tilted downward and hunched to use his lowered posture to interfere with the angling of the swing at the back of his skull. A transparent vis helmet formed quickly, starting with the back, and fixed itself on his face to protect from additional damage. Meanwhile, through the see through material he could easily spot the mage that had conjured the next spell causing an idea to spring into his mind.

He mumbled another set of words causing another strip of Vis to pool underneath his feet, waiting for the next move. Hoping to keep his next attack from being noticed, Charles allowed the attack to skirt upward (only bruising his head) and the arm to carry on with its momentum on the back lash’s angle. It ultimately opened the guard’s face up for another strike.

The professor’s right hand lashed out at the side of the man’s exposed face, then neck and finally collarbone in three rapid attacks. The whole time his peripheral vision was timing the mage currently holding the writhing sphere of energy and watching for when the mage would release it. He would alter his actions based purely on that.

Charles succeeded, the man’s baton glancing off the vis helm, though it would still knock his head to the side somewhat, disorienting a little due to the strength behind the blow. Of course, the guard wouldn’t be doing much else as the professor managed to hit him again, this time a flicker occurring before the shield of vis faltered. His second strike landed and the guard began to fall back, barely able to breath, before the third strike pushed him away from Charles. The mage fired his sphere of energy directly at Charles, his expression one of intense concentration.

Just when the first guard pushed away, the Vis at Charles’ feet jerked out and promptly snagged the guard’s shirt in the chest area. It jerked with surprising strength putting the man between the professor and the attacking mage. The arm of vis held firmly to ensure the dazed guard didn’t move from the spot he was now tossed into.

“Shit” the mage swore, but he couldn’t stop the projectile, and so it struck his ally. Immediately the blue sphere exploded into a flurry of energetic threads, that swiftly wrapped the guard up, immobilizing him, and then binding him to the ground. Annoyed and somewhat distressed, the mage began gathering vis again.

“Interesting trick.” Charles said, his eyes narrowed on the mage once more casting his spell again. Recalling the time it took to collect Vis and set loose, he started to rush toward the individual to hopefully cut it off before completion. As an added security measure, his outline seemed to glow from his Vis coating him using his impression magic.

His lips mumbled and once more, another strip of Vis darted from underneath him and shot toward the mage. Enroute, the line divided into two then shot at an angle from about a meter from the Mage’s position. They weren’t hands this time but large battering ram like spikes with flat ends aimed at the man’s diaphragm first then his chest. When they hit, they should knock the wind from him and then knock him on his rear.

The mage managed to get a spell off, but not the one he’d used just a moment before. It was a small tangle of vis threads, that suddenly burst outwards as they neared the splitting lines of Charles spell. The threads struck the lines and weakened both, but were not strong enough to outright stop the professor’s attack. So it was that the mage, eyes widening, was struck--the air nearly knocked out of him--and then pushed back by the second strike. He stumbled and, due to the two consecutive strikes, fell back on his ass, barely catching himself. He tried to raise his hands to initiate spellwork, but he would likely be too late--as Charles would have almost entirely closed the distance by that point.

Standing within close proximity to his target, another collection of Vis had skirted along his arm and extended into his hand as an exact replica of a long sword. The blade’s edge was pressed onto the guard’s neck enough that it could’ve drawn blood if pressed harder. His face an intimidating blur with his distort spell, his voice spoke in a commanding and serious manner beyond that of a teacher.

“Suggest you keep your lips firmly shut and your hands held where I can see them, then slowly present them straight out in front of you. Any attempt otherwise… I won’t hesitate to kill you,” Bluff or not, the professor’s tone made it very clear the guard would fall short of alerting his fellow guards or getting another shot in at this range.

The mage nodded slightly, not even bothering to open his mouth, though he swallowed hard and complied with Charles’ requests. Down the hall, Mairyell was dusting his hands off and shaking his head, looking slightly annoyed as he stepped over the many unconscious--and tied up--bodies of the guards he’d been dealing with.

He made his way over to Charles, “I suggest you knock him out and tie him up so we can get on our way. Someone’s going to come down this hall eventually and they’re going to find them so we ought to make this as quick as we can."

Charles had already been intended on it even before Mairyell spoke, but needed to ensure there was no spell coming his direction. His blade slowly removed itself just when his other hand balled into a fist and whipped out in a rapid punch to the side of the head causing the guard to crumple into unconsciousness. After that was done, Charles dismissed the sword completely then used the guard’s own overshirt and belt to tie the guard’s arms and hands behind his back. Naturally he repeated the same method with the earlier put down guard should wake up before they completed their task.

Afterwards, he decided to comment on Mairyell’s suggestion, “It was already on my to do list, but first I didn’t want him discreetly casting a spell during my attempts. Now, time to get this done before the whole prison is breathing down our necks.”

With those last words, Charles moved quickly down the corridor toward the prison cells.

Mairyell followed close behind, keeping himself vigilant so that he’d know before they encountered anyone.

---

Zeki swirled his cane, before suddenly firing at another camera down the hall.

"With the guards out to play, this is almost too easy. Granted, they'll be calling to see what is up with the cameras soon enough, but that construct of his is preeetty nifty, I'd say."

Zeki stretched a bit. So many shots weren't hard, per say, but it had been a long time since he'd had to use any measure of his ability. He'd much rather be doing paperwork, or selling some fabulous service for an exorbitant price. War was boring. The fight that was going to happen after this predictable almost. Zeki didn't know all the twists and turns, but the pattern was there. The emotions were the same. It would be hell on earth for the next little while. There was a reason some people called Torqueo hell. Almost boredly, Zeki turned to his human friend.

"So, you familiar with Licenti? You didn't have a reaction to my little feeding, unlike the professor, or our other friend." Zeki shrugged with his cane. "I mean, I suppose it could be the fear of everything, but you came with me, so.... what's your story? I mean, I suppose we could pass the time with chatter. I'm a humble store owner, I escaped Torqueo to come here... a while ago. I feed with flame, like most geist. And I suppose you could say I'm a human lover to a fault."

The man glanced at Zeki, raising an eyebrow, “Feeding?” He had arrived after Zeki had finished and so hadn’t witnessed the little scene. He’d only noted the Hunter carry what he’d hoped--and then confirmed--was an unconscious body, to a safe hiding place. “Well, uh, my story haha. I try not to share too much to be honest, it’s not safe in my line of business. I gather intel, generally. I did say my profession back at the meeting. I’m a private investigator, a detective, and I’ve got plenty of connections,” he said with a nervous smile, watching the path ahead of them, his body language reinforcing the caution. It seemed like he was genuinely resisting a flight reflex.

Given that Szayeis was letting some of his host body’s emotions slip through, it was indistinguishable from genuine. “Besides, I’m somewhat familiar with Licenti, some of my old clients ranked among your kind. Or well, not Geists, but yeah…” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Szayeis’ senses were picking up on a large number of guards coming from multiple hallways. He smiled internally. “I have picked up a bit of magic here and there, mostly for protecting myself. With the stuff I know...well, there are people who probably don’t want me or my family around, and I never felt like I could just leave my protection up to law enforcement you know?”

The guards were too far away for conventional senses, but Zeki might pick up on them.

“Oh.”

Zeki said almost disappointed. He was hoping for something more. He did have to chuckle at the ‘not safe’ comment. What they were doing was king of that achievement. Zeki, still adjusting to his new host was a little less perceptive than he’d generally be. Normally his eyesight was like a hawk. This Mr. Gutierrez needed new glasses, probably couldn’t afford to take care of himself. Zeki moaned as he finally noticed the guards after a few minutes.

He pulled out his radio, listening for information. They were just two guards making their rounds if any questions were asked. The cane was odd, but not inexplicable. He turned back on his accent to talk to his friend, hoping he’d play along.

“Man, I think this place is cursed. So many of those freaks.”

Zeki just kept walking like he belonged.

Looking confused, the man glanced at Zeki, wondering what he was on about, then his human senses detected footsteps, and his eyes widened, before he tried his best--or what would appear his best--to relax. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. Cursed might be a bit of an understatement though,” he tried, sounding a little uncertain.

Zeki eyed the guards rounding the hallway. Quite a few. Maybe reinforcements for the golem? Well, there was one thing for certain, his friend couldn’t act. Well, Zeki might as well take care of it, he had some experience. He’d once sold a blind man glasses, so this shouldn’t be too hard.

“Hey, what’s up with everyone? We miss a meeting or somet’ing?”

A rather beefy guard led the pack, as it were, his eyes barely grazing over the two before landing on Zeki as he asked a question. “Yeah, called for reinforcements, plus some weird activity or somethin’,” the guy sounded almost unconcerned, though there was a certain eagerness about him. The rest of the guards shifted and murmured behind him.

Szayeis, in his host body, began weaving vis internally, away from anyone’s perception, and also reined back his host’s emotions somewhat, making his act just a little more believable.

Zeki recalled the receptionist ID tag for a moment.

“Oh yeah, Joe said something about that. Sounded crazy, but man, I ain’t gunna ask questions, all these demons here, could be any freakin’ thing. Hey, tell me how that goes man. I gotta finish the rounds real quick, and I’ll be down.”

Zeki walked past him. Hoping to continue his ‘round’. He eyed another camera in the distance, this one would be a bit more annoying, he didn’t want to make it go boom in front of people, and the hall was long enough. Maybe his friend had something for it. Assuming the horde of guards didn’t try to assimilate them.

Some members of the group moved out of the way to let them past, with Szayeis following behind, hidden within his host. The group headed on their way, some of them nodding at the duo before they became preoccupied with their conversations which mostly seemed to involve them wondering what was going on.

The two hardly had a problem as they continued, the security camera’s were initially blamed upon a glitch in the system. Zeki fired at the last one. It felt too easy until a shard of glass from one fell upon a guard’s head several minutes later, a sudden scramble was heard over the radio.

“Well now, that’s our job done. I do suppose we just wait for the dance to start. We’ve done our part. I do wonder how Professor Aeon will proceed?”

---

With the magic nullification field down, the cameras taken care of, and obstacles passed, Charles and Mairyell were able to make their way to the proper cell blocks, but not before two escapes had already occurred.

Earlier, when the null field had gone down it had been the work of a certain harpy prisoner by the name of Drisrea. Once down she had kicked the door of her cell off its hinges, followed by using magic to open a cell opposite hers. Then, splitting from the woman she had rushed through the facility, ambushed the warden, and obtained the prisoner details, after which she had continued on and released a number of actual convicts, who she then whisked away even as the Mairyell and Charles finished releasing the innocents who had been incarcerated.

Providing a distraction, along with one which had already been kicked up outside by Charles construct and the other group of resistance fighters—as it were—Mairyell, Charles, and those in the distraction team managed to make their way to safety, without leaving too many of the liberated behind. However, in the process their de facto leader, Zeki Glaedwine, was apparently captured, though Szayeis managed to escape—host body and all, leaving the Geist for dead. Whether Zeki was properly incarcerated or not—due to his ghostly nature—remains to be seen.

All things considered, the operation had gone surprisingly well, Szayeis' secret infiltration had managed to get what they'd come for, the Resistance had gotten what they'd set out to—cementing their existence and raising morale from the success despite the loss of Zeki. Of course, not all was well that night.

After all, the other shoe had yet to drop. Hopefully when it did, it would not lead to disastrous results. Regardless, the city was put on high alert, though luckily a curfew was not enforced. Where before it had only been police that patrolled, now it would be some of the prae's private forces as well. Still, many families were reunited so things weren't all bad.

Not yet at least.