Valorie gritted her teeth; the phone in her hand shook with in anger.
What the fuck is he thinking? she thought, slamming the expensive phone down on the table hard enough to shake the glass of water and rattle her silverware. A plate of half-eaten plum chicken sat steaming in front of her. The waitress had kept harassing her, so Valorie had ordered a plate to just to shut her up. It turned out to be a good move, for when the sweet and tangy smell of the sauce had hit her nostrils it reminded her that her last meal had been the other morning. It was nothing special, really, but after having gone without food for more than a day and then some it seemed like the greatest meal ever made--until her handler in the police, Rich, had texted her back. The food soured. She regretted passing the bottle off to that bitch. She picked back up her phone. Miraculously, the screen was intact. She looked at the text log again--maybe that malt liquor had hit her harder than it felt. Certainly she was mistaken.
Rich: Don’t do anything stupid.
I’m sending someone to help.
“Tch, like I’m listening to you,” muttered Valorie, stuffing the phone into her jacket. Her plan would work. She would sneak Gish out of the front and then let the Rats in through the back. They would wreck some of his toys, feel better about themselves, and then they would all get stoned. Valorie smiled. Good karma to put the mind in a good state often led to the best trips. She could not wait to spend the night curled up on her couch with Sammy on her lap and an empty baggie of Fairy Dust next to her catatonic body. It had been days, weeks since she had some dust. But first she’d--
What is this idiot doing!? Valorie’s jaw dropped. She bolted up from her chair, knocking it to the floor with a clatter as she stormed out of the building.
“I’m just having a cigarette,” she said dismissively back as the waitress shouted after her, knowing fully well that she was not setting a foot back in that restaurant. Her feet pounded against the street. One of the Rats had wandered out of hiding, ducking behind a streetlight in a failed attempt to act like a secret agent stalking across a road. “The fuck are you doing,” said Valorie, her voice registering at a note only a few steps below a dog whistle. “Get back, you idiot, get back.”
“Someone went in,” said the Rat, dimly.
“No shit somebody went in, it’s an apartment building.” Valorie kicked him in the leg. “Go, back, get back. Before anybody sees you. Nooooooow.”
“Nobody’s here,” said the Rat.
He was wrong. Vigilance watched the scene from the roof as the young woman in a red jacket grabbed the man in a black sweatshirt by the hood and dragged him towards a side alley. Her radio crackled to life once again; one of Nyxvira’s watch dogs calling to check up. She ignored it. The radio beeped again. Grabbing it, her voice dragged out from behind her mask: “All clear here.” She’d wait until the entire group revealed itself. Then, she would take them all out in one fell swoop. She could see the man talking to the goblin through the window. He wasn’t with the Rats; he didn’t have the air of filth radiating from him.
Valorie huffed as she turned the corner from where she had deposited the stray Rat. Casting obvious, suspicious glances around to make sure that none of the other Rats could see her the woman ducked into the apartment building. If one Rat would wander than the others would, too. It was amazing how the same people who could sit on a couch all day and watch the wallpaper couldn’t wait twenty fucking minutes for a more apt time to commit a crime.
I can’t stand impatience people, thought Valorie as she bumped against some spinster as she pounded down the hallway towards Gish’s apartment. Coming upon the door the woman did not knock; she did not even slow down. It dawned on her as she pushed through the miraculously unlocked door that she never did think of how she’d convince the goblin to trust her.
Might as well try everything.
The goblin’s generosity surprised Sander, but his information on Nichole even more so. It could be a joke; Gish was pulling his leg here. Goblins weren’t really known for their hospitality. Or he just didn’t think Sander was a worthwhile customer and decided to get rid of him.
“Are you sur-“-He began, then cut himself off suddenly, turning to the closed door.
Black smoke coiled and spread, engulfing the wooden panel. A split second later, Valorie barged in. It dispersed.
As Gish simmered back down from his quick laugh he heard an unfamiliar sound. His front door had swung open. 'Who in the fuck uses the front' he quickly uttered. He hopped off his stool in an instant and wrapped around into the the doorway that connected his kitchen to the front door via a short hallway.
There stood a young woman, thin as a rail with rather pale skin. Gish took a breath with mouth agape ready to lay into her for just bursting through his front door of all places, but she beat him to the punch. That's twice in one night he felt a little piece of himself die inside.
“Whatever you do don’t fucking shoot me, okay, look I may not look it but I’m actually here to help trust me I actually work for some good dudes okay well I wouldn’t say they’re good actually they’re kind of dicks but they’re good for you, uh, I don’t even know what that means but listen you gotta trust me I’m here to help you out okay so there are a bunch of angry dudes waiting out back ready to come in and beat the living shit out of all of your scary, scary guns--please, seriously, do not shoot me I’d be
so pissed off if you did--and then they’re going to beat the living shit out of you but if you come with me I can get you out of here okay even though I’m kind of just winging this--
Sander!?”
She spoke so quickly that Gish stared in awe for a few moments, mouth still half open. Hands and fingers pointing and whizzing around as she spoke of friends, bosses, guns, beatings, shooting, and Sander. Gish did a quick double take between the two as they obviously knew each other.
The sight of her corpse supplier stopped her just long enough to catch her breath, lowerer her flailing arms, and gave the light bulb in her head time to actually flicker on. She turned to the goblin. It wasn’t her first time seeing one ever. There were plenty of pictures of goblins on the Internet, including some that she would very much like to forget ever seeing from her days of perusing the Deep Web. Yet this was her first time ever seeing one in real life. It was strange, but the first thing she noticed was his teeth. How the hell did a goblin have a brighter smile than her? Even if she was a few inches taller, that was still a kick in her ego’s gut. She pointed to Sander and gave a half-smile.
“We’re business partners. Sander and Pierce Protection Agency,” said Valorie, realizing that she didn’t know or didn’t remember Sander’s last name. She stomped her foot down. “Listen, a bunch of Rats are posted up right outside. It’s clear out front, but we gotta go now. We’ll keep you safe.” She shot Sander a pleading look and spoke through gritted teeth. “Right,
partner?”
When she finally re-iterated and gave him the brass tax that people were coming to fuck him up, Gish's mind raced and he stared off for a moment. Sander was stunned. For the longest of time, Sander just stood there like an idiot, eyes widened and mouth barely closed. Only when he heard his name did he manage to regain some resemblance of intelligence and stutter out a few words.
“Eh…Um… I…Ah”- He blinked owlishly, gaze dancing back and forth between his ‘partner’ and the goblin. His mind roared, urging him to calm down and take in the situation before anyone got shot. Because from he managed to salvage from Valorie’s ramblings, someone might get shot very, very soon.-“Of course.”- He finally managed, narrowing his eyes at the necromancer slightly, before turning to Gish-“I’m sure my partner here will give us a very detailed explanation once we’re in the clear.”
Valorie gave an affirmative nod, the smile on her face widening in a devious way. She turned to Gish.
He'd always planned for the case of when a person would turn on him, but he only ever expected to have trouble from a single individual, never a whole crew. He never thought he would draw that kind of attention. For a moment he didn't even know if he could trust this girl.
Though, as was practice in his business, one has to come to trust strangers often with not selling you out to the cops or other riff raff. He knew he didn't stand a chance against a crew of people, he knew he was looking at death on one hand, and only probable death on the other.
He reached under his workbench and revealed a fresh, brand new cigar. It was one he had been saving for an occasion like this, his death. Given to him a long time ago, he knew little about it other than it was expensive and fancy. He pinched it between his lips and snapped his fingers hard at the end of it. The cigar lit effortlessly, he remembered something about a sort of dragon extract coated in the tip.
"Alright bird, lead the way. And elp' yourself to a piece if you think we'll need it." he said sternly, motioning to the weapons he had lining the hallway walls.
He didn’t really understand what Valorie was trying to pull here. It could be a ruse from the Rats; luring the owner away with cheap tricks before another group came charging in and robbed the place. He wouldn’t put it pass them. The Rats were a gang of hedonist; they would do anything for the next high. Valorie could certainly do better, but then again, it was her choice.
Fortunately, the goblin decided to go along without much fuss. Which was quite odd, considering the whole situation. Then again, it was the goblin’s shop. His choice to throw it away. He even offered them some items from his shop. Sander glanced briefly through the display, before stopping on an old hunting rifle at the back. Fingers of shadow wrapped around the trigger. He swallowed drily, turning back to the door with a brisk snap of his head.
“We probably won’t.”
Hopefully. Still, Sander reached into his leather coat and undo a strap on his shoulder holster. Just in case.
“Aha, I think I’ll pass, thanks,” said Valorie, the gun she already had weighing heavy in her purse. “Look, we should--S-S-SHIT, GO!”
The back door flew open with a bang. They hadn’t waited for her signal. Of course they hadn’t waited for her signal.
Stupid fucking junkies, thought Valorie as she grabbed Gish by his hand and dragged him out the front.
Sander was turned away from the back door when it happened. He didn’t see anything, but the telltale sound of wooden door being kicked open was hard to miss. Beside him, Valorie had already begun to drag the goblin to the front door, so he followed suit while one hand creeping into his jacket, wrapping around the gun. He found himself surprisingly calm as he flicked the safety off. From then on, it was easy. He just followed Valorie’s lead, occasionally glancing behind them to check for pursuers. They were followed, predictably. There were figures in black hoodies just around the corner. The thugs weren’t content with just the shop. So it turned out Valorie was sincere all along. That, or this was a very, very elaborated ruse. But such thing felt rather far beyond the capabilities of an average Rat.
“Valorie.”- He used her full name this time, his voice a low grumbling, full of uncharacteristic irritation.-“Your friends.”
Deal with them before I do, but that was left unsaid.
One.“They aren’t my,” she turned on her heels just in time to see three Rats turn around the corner, “my...friends. Uh, hey guys, I mean, what the fuck are you doing?”
“What the fuck are you doing?” yelled one of the Rats. It was the girl whose parade Valorie had rained on earlier. From the sound of her voice, she had been hitting the bottle pretty hard while they had been waiting. She was backed by the boy Gish had insulted earlier and the Rat that had wandered out stupidly into the middle of the street earlier. In the distance, something sounding like metal sparking against metal rang out. “I knew we couldn’t trust you!”
Two.“Wait, wait, wait, I can explain. This isn’t what it looks like,” said Valorie. A loud noise went off in the background from Gish’s workshop. She heard a yell forward by two more loud bangs.
Three.“Looks like you’re a fucking gobo-lover,” said one of the guys. The one who had visited Gish earlier. Valorie quickly let go of Gish’s hands. She gave a sideways glance to Sander that was supposed to communicate something along the lines of “Trust me, I got this.” Instead, all it said was that she was way in over her head and drowning fast.
Something caught her eye. Shaking, she rose her hand and pointed behind the girl.
“B-b-b-behind,” was all that Valorie could meekly mutter.
“I’m not drunk enough to fall for that, you fucking sl--”
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air. That sound. Valorie had never heard that sound before. It was the sound of someone dying. She knew she should take this time to just run. She knew she should just turn and run and get the fuck away from here as quick as possible. She knew she was just a little kid playing the role of a tough ganger. She knew she was in over her head. She knew she was going to get herself killed. Yet, Valorie had to see death. It could be a breakthrough, it could be the thing she needed. She had to see it, she had to see it. As if in a trance, the woman pushed the goblin towards Sander. She did not know if her partner took the hint to grab him and go or not; she didn’t care. She had to know what death looked like.
For a second, time stood still. Valorie’s eyes wavered as she focused on the figure: a tall, slender in dark form fitting armor with the face of a skull. The masked figure was clutching the girl Rat Valorie had hassled earlier as the two male Rats slowly turned to face the reaper. She was still screaming as the nasty, serrated edge of the being’s blade that was shoved through her back was ripped out through her side, viscous splattering across the street as the screaming subsided. The light in the girl’s eyes disappeared; the corners of Valorie’s lips twitched. Her heart thudded against her chest in a mix of fear and excitement. The dead girl’s grip on the bottle still in her hand faded; as it shattered against the street time resumed its normal pace.
Four.One of the boys turned to run towards Valorie. His head popped in a spray of pink mist as a bullet entered his drugged brain and ricocheted around the polluted mass before erupting out the front of his skull. Valorie could feel the warmth of his blood as it splattered against her face. She could taste the cooper flavor on her lips.
Five. The other boy had tried to swing at the masked bounty killer with his steel pipe. Vigiliance sheared through the blade and then sheared through the boy.
Six. Valorie’s mind raced. Her eyes danced trying to not miss a second of the massacre. She could smell the sickening sweet scent of death. She could hear the dying moans of the last boy. All of this. She needed to remember all of this. This would be the breakthrough that she needed, all thanks to--
“Oh F-” started Valorie, her better senses finally kicking in.
“Seven,” said the masked woman, leveling her gun at Valorie.
Valorie’s ears were ringing as she dove through a door on her side into an old warehouse. She didn’t have time to look and see if Sander or Gish had run away. She didn’t have time to look at the dull, burning sensation that was aching through her shoulder where the bullet had grazed her. She didn’t have time to look as she ran through the warehouse, stumbling behind cover as another gunshot rang out. She didn’t have time to think as her hand grabbed the syringe of Demon’s Blood in her pocket, pushed up her sleeve, and jammed the needle into her arm. The effect was almost instant. She no longer needed time to think or look; she’d have all the time in the world after she killed this bitch. Grinning devilishly with unbridled confidence, Valorie pulled the gun out of her purse and flipped the safety off. She crouched down low and then, hearing Vigilance’s boots crack against broken glass on the warehouse floor, sprung into action. Jumping higher than she ever had in her life, Valorie’s finger squeezed. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Vigilance knew right away that the Rat had jammed herself full of Demon’s Blood. No human could hop like that. She twisted into cover as the bullets rang out throughout the warehouse. Two of the shots went completely wide, burrowing themselves into the far wall of the warehouse. The other bullet hit the ground by her feet. Vigilance returned fire, moving from cover to cover as the two progressed through the warehouse. The Rat slid underneath a table, firing twice at the she-elf. Bang. Bang. Another bullet whizzed by Vigilance. One struck her in her armor. It hurt like a bitch, but she shook it off and returned fire. The Rat had already vanished. Vigilance looked around. The warehouse was dark, lit only by the street lights coming in through the cracked industrial windows. Vigilance stilled her breath. She listened. She could pick up the Rat’s rapid heartbeat almost instantly--it was too close.
Valorie leapt down from the rafters above on top of Vigilance, bending the barrel of one of her pistols and ripping the other from her hand. The she-elf tried to flip the Rat over her back, but Valorie grip was too strong. She had never killed anyone before, but the Demon’s Blood coursing through her veins told her it would feel amazing. She drove her gun underneath Vigilance’s mask, promising herself that she’d resurrect the bastard again just to watch them die once more after this. A shudder went through her body as she pulled the trigger.
Click.
Click click.
Clickclickclickclickclickclickclick.
Vigilance flipped onto her back. Valorie was more surprised than hurt by the hit, but it gave Vigilance enough time to slip free and draw her blades, but not enough time to block a flying knee from the Rat. Vigilance felt her armor cave a bit as the force of the strike knocked the wind out of her. Valorie felt blood drip from her leg. Another flesh wound, or the Demon’s Blood didn’t let her notice it as anything else. Vigilance recovered in time to bat a crate out of the air with her sword; the follow up knocked one of the swords from her hands. Another fucking crate flew through the air, Vigilance leapt out of the way...and right into a shoulder check from Valorie. She heard something crack as she hit a wall and knew from the pain that it wasn’t her armor. There was no fucking way she was going to let herself get beaten by some junkie bitch. She reached down to grab her sword, her body shaking with anger.
“Looking for this?” growled Valorie, waving the iron sword around like a toy. An unlit cigarette was pursed between her lips as she sat on her haunches on top of a table. “I heard about you. You think you’re some tough scary bitch because you dress like a fucking goth and murder some stupid little fucking druggies. Well, I’ll have you know that I’m not your normal stupid little fucking druggy.”
She hopped down from the table, put the point of the sword in towards the ground, and stepped on the blade until it snapped under foot.
That was a gift, thought Vigilance, bristling as her temper rose. She began struggling to her feet. Valorie laughed sharply.
“Just give up!” yelled the Rat. “Don’t worry, you won’t be dead for long.” Valorie clasped her hands together, bouncing with excitement. “The things I could do with your body. Oh, the things I will do with your body.”
Vigilance watched as the girl reached into her pocket, producing a lighter. Valorie couldn’t see it, but the she-elf was smiling beneath her mask. Striking the lighter with her thumb, Valorie began to raise it up towards her mouth. As it was halfway up her chest, the flame turned blue and leapt onto her flannel jacket. The jacket went up like a christmas tree. Valorie howled something incomprehensible, throwing the jacket off of her body. The flaming cloth landed on a pile of crates, and they caught ablaze as if they had been soaked in gasoline. As Valorie spun back around, Vigilance was already on her feet.
“Are you done playing around, little girl?” said Vigilance, the teal-flame of warmblood wreathing her body as smoke began to fill the warehouse.