Chapter 66
“I’m serious, do not act out of line once we enter this club,” Vanilla warned as we neared the front doors of a very large and brightly lit building. Two guards stood outside, eyes scanning the area.
“I got this,” Floria said confidently as she picked up her pace, walking like a pompous asshole, “just follow my lead.”
The two guards snapped their heads to her as she stepped up to them, with the rest of us right behind her.
“Move aside,” Floria demanded in such a tone that even I suddenly wanted to deck her.
“Password?” One of them asked, eyes locking with mine for some reason.
Floria scoffed and raised her hand, waving with just her hand, “Banana, do your job.”
Vanilla blinked then frowned as she realized she was talking to her, but she listened as she stepped up next to her and cleared her throat. “Ut bene sit nobis.”
“Hmm,” the guard staring at me rubbed his chin, glancing back to Floria. “What’s your business?”
“My own,” Flora shot back with a sneer. “Now step aside hired help!”
She had such authority behind her voice that they both obliged her and stepped away from the door, allowing us entry.
We quickly made our way inside, letting the doors slam shut behind us.
As we walked down the hallway with no one around us, Floria began to giggle.
“Oh this is so much fun! Why didn’t you tell me being a rich asshole was so much fun, Vantastic?!”
“Banana?” Vanilla asked with a scowl. “Why would you give me such a ridiculous name?”
“Because duh,” Floria laughed, bumping her hips against the other woman, “you’re my big banana.”
“I am not a banana,” Vanilla grumbled as Creampuff meowed loudly as she held him.
“Dunno, Creams seems to agree with me,” she said with a smirk.
The conversation died as we neared the end of the hallway, where we could just barely make out the sounds of talking and laughing.
Acting like she knew what she was doing, Floria walked forward and stepped through the doors, standing proud as we entered into a large room. The room was filled with people in all kinds of fancy dresses and suits, all of them split up into little groups as they mingled about.
I frowned, as this was not the kinda shit I was used to. Maybe a rave or a mosh pit, but a club like this? Boring and uncomfortable.
“Where to?” Domitor asked as Floria seemed to hesitate.
“Go to the bar and ask for services,” Vanilla whispered, causing Floria to straighten up and walk straight towards the bar.
We followed behind her, watching as she took up a place at the bar and began to flag down the bartender.
The man stepped up to her and raised an eyebrow, “what shall I get you, miss?”
“Services,” Floria answered firmly.
“What type of services?” He asked politely as he stood before her. “Pleasure or business?”
“Business,” she replied coolly. “We need passage into Denmor. Discrete passage.”
The man gave a single nod and walked off, presumably to retrieve someone to help us.
While we waited I scanned the area carefully, seeing a lot of immoral things being done by the folks around us, but ignored it since we had our own problems to deal with.
I saw the guard from outside, the one who’d stared me down come in and walk straight for a back room. I didn’t like that one bit, but there was nothing I could do about it.
We waited a good amount of time, staying silent so as to not draw any attention to ourselves.
Eventually I saw the guard leave the room he’d been in, watching as he walked across the room and met up with a skinny Halwen woman who’d just entered the room. They seemed to be talking, but it was impossible to tell about what from this far away.
“So you’re needing discrete entry into Denmor, is that right?” A suit wearing Halwen asked as he sat down right next to Floria, a wide grin on his face.
“That’s right. You our guy?” Floria asked roughly, apparently forgetting she’s supposed to be acting proper.
He just continued to grin at her, “I am the guy. Names Topic. Do you know the cost of discrete transportation into a place like that?”
“Don’t worry about the cost,” she declared boldly, staring him down. “All I need you to say next is that you can do it.”
“Oh I can do it, missy,” he said with a wink. “If you got the coin then I got the time.” Then he straightened up with a smug look on his face. “One thousand per person.”
This caused all of us to go wide eyed, but Floria just shrugged as she held out her hand, a few bags slowly appearing in her hand.
“Deal.”
This caused the rest of us to stare at her in complete confusion. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realize all this money must’ve come from Jekyll’s Vacuole.
“My favorite kind of customer,” he said with a smile as he took the bags and put them away in his own Vacuole.
Before we could continue, someone yelled my real name from across the room.
“Shayla Beltosh!”
Oh that can’t be good…
Turning my attention to the speaker I saw it was the woman the guard had spoken too. She was standing there with a smug look on her face as she stood in the middle of the room.
I don’t know how she knows my real name, but that didn’t really matter right now.
“Shane, be careful, that’s Vicky’s sister, Blake,” Vanilla whispered into my ear, causing me to stiffen. “She works for the Cakehurst’s as well, but I don’t know anything about her.”
Giving her a nod, I strolled forward, squaring up with the other woman, standing ten or so yards away from her.
“How’d you know?” I asked, just needing to know how she’d seen through the disguises.
Blake just chuckled as she flexed her arms, “I got a friend who works here, his Thorn let him know who you were. He knew I wanted ya, so he called me up.”
“Hm, I see,” I muttered as I glanced at the guard, who just backed off further into the crowd.
She looked past me at the others, “and that must be the girl of the hour, Vanilla Cakehurst herself.”
This caused Vanilla to shrink back and press up against Floria.
“Eyes on me fucker,” I growled, drawing my wooden sword.
“You know, the Cakehurst’s family put a hefty bounty on her head, you could collect it yourself,” she offered, causing me to scoff. “Oh well,” she said casually as she licked her lips , “looks like I’m getting paid for the brat, and getting sweet sweet payback for my baby sister.”
“Your sister was a shitty fighter,” I said with a smirk, trying to provoke her. But it didn’t work as she just laughed.
“True, but she’s still my sister,” she remarked as she began to advance on me. “Get ready.”
“Shayla, be careful, there’s something off about this woman,” Rosemary warned as she appeared off to the side.
I gave a small nod as I began to step towards the Halwen, keeping my sword up at the ready. I could see the wound on her hand, so she had a Thorn, I just couldn’t tell what kind yet.
“You have some very unique abilities,” Blake commented, not in a hurry to engage me, “they’re soul based, just not a Thorn. Which could only mean one thing.”
She stopped talking as she flickered, appearing right before my face with a massive psychopathic smile. My reaction time was on point though as I quickly dashed back, my sword coming down on her face.
But to my frustration it missed completely as she flickered out of existence.
“She can teleport!” Rosemary yelled as I felt a presence behind me. Using my Perception Field I caught her as she threw her hand for me.
Everything came to a crawl as I spun around and caught her with my sword, right on the neck. She didn’t teleport away as time sped back up, but instead shot her hand out, grabbing my sword arm by the wrist.
Cyan energy exploded up from where she grabbed me, causing both Rosemary and me to have a violet reaction.
“She has Ego-“ Rosemary yelled, but was cut off, as if a wall came down between us suddenly.
Letting out a growl I grabbed Blake’s wrist and snapped it, forcing her to let go and teleport away from me.
She didn’t look too concerned about her broken hand though. A smirk fell onto her face as she watched me.
It took me a moment to realize it, but when I did I panicked. I couldn’t use my Ego! Or hear or see Rosemary! I could still feel her, but it felt like there was something between us.
“What the fuck did you just do?!” I yelled, flipping my katana back into its sheath as I pulled out Sir Stabsalot, ready to turn her into a talking torso.
She just hummed as she smiled sweetly at me, “not much. Just blocked you from accessing your Ego for a little while.”
“How long?!” I growled as I began to stalk towards her.
“It’s funnier if I don’t tell you how long the block lasts,” she laughed, a blade appearing in her hand. “Without that Ego, you’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Think so?” I asked as I dashed forward, slicing my sword forward as she teleported next to me, attempting to jab me with her knife.
But I surprised her as I continued my swing, cutting through the floor below us and catching her just as she tried to teleport away, sending her left arm flying.
The now one armed Halwen roared in anger as she held her new stump, eyes ablaze with fury.
“Told ya,” I said smugly as I turned to face her. “So you got a Thorn and an Ego?”
“I’m not talking to you anymore!” She yelled, starting to look even more unhinged.
“Then come on, let me take another limb,” I laughed as I twirled my blade a bit to show off.
Her eyes narrowed but as she started to move, something pulled up behind her and jabbed a blade through the back of her head.
“Wha-wha…” she sputtered as she started jerking and then collapsed, revealing Domitor standing there.
“I had her!” I yelled as I put my sword away.
“I know, but I’m not going to let you risk yourself in stupid solo fights,” he replied as he put away his own sword.
I gritted my teeth, as my pride felt a bit bruised, but I let it go as I turned and walked back to others. Domitor picked up Blake’s Vacuole as it appeared and followed after me.
“Very interesting turn of events, wouldn’t ya say?” Topic asked with a grin as I stepped up to them.
“Shut it,” I snapped, causing him to chuckle.
“This complicates things,” he said as he tapped the table. “Extra six thousand for transporting wanted peoples, such as yourselves.”
“You fucking…” I began, but watched as Floria just dropped a few more bags on the table.
“Done. Now do what we’re paying you for,” she demanded, eyes locked with his.
“Straight to the point, the best kinda customer,” he remarked as he stood up. “Let me arrange things and I will be back shortly. Try and enjoy yourselves in the meantime.”
I glared after him as he walked off, leaving us at the bar with the entire club staring at us.
The bartender stepped up on the other side of the counter and gestured to a door on the other side of the room. “A private room is available for you four if you’d like.”
We took the offer for privacy, since the entire room had their eyes locked on us.
This situation was far from ideal.
ooo000<^>000ooo
I groaned loudly from boredom as I sat at a high table by myself, the Watcher’s vial sitting there with another comic book propped up before him. I was absent mindedly turning the pages as I finished them, assuming he was a faster reader than me. I liked to look at the pictures for a bite as I read the words.
The others were preoccupied with their own things. Domitor was drawing, as usual, while the other two were sitting pressed together as they read the same book.
“Hey,” I said after a moment, staring at the Watcher, “I’m sorry for, uh, being a bitch and shaking you all those times.”
He of course didn’t respond, just raised an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah, uh, you don’t gotta talk to me if ya don’t wanna. Once we get back to Equestria I’ll set ya up somewhere nice so you won’t be bored,” I mumbled, laying my head down as I turned the last page on the comic book. “Fuck,” I hissed as I put my arms under my head, deciding to just nap, “I’m starting to become… nice… ugh.”
“Shayla? Nice? Not two words I’d put together,” Domitor teased as he sat down at my table.
I looked up, seeing he was drawing a picture of some wicked looking swords. “Sick as fuck weapons,” I mumbled with a grin on my face.
“None of them are practical,” he chuckled, “it’s all about looks with these.”
“Bruh, looking cool is like half the battle,” I said as I sat up, rubbing the tiredness from my eyes.
“I’m pretty sure functionality trumps ‘looking cool’,” he countered.
I stuck my tongue out at him as he went back to drawing.
After a few moments I reached over and placed my hand on his. “Hey,” I said as he looked at me, “thanks for earlier. ”
He patted my hand as he smiled at me, “