Chapter 70
“What are they?!” Rig yelled as he ran down the hallway, his right hand man Talio casually walking after him. He’d just watched everyone of his men get demolished by those three newcomers, and he’d barely gotten away. If he could get to his office he could use the secret passage to get outside and avoid them.
Talio didn’t answer him as they neared his office.
Behind them came the sounds of a door being kicked down, causing Rig to panic. He rushed into his office, moving for the bookshelf.
“Move this!” he demanded as he struggled to push the heavy shelf to the side.
However Talio just watched him, seeming a bit amused.
“If you don’t help me, you will be violating your contract!” Rig bellowed as his shadowy Contractor appeared behind him. When Talio shrugged, he growled. “Useless!”
The shadowy figure dove for Talio, attempting to enter him. Yet nothing happened as the shadow passed through him, seeming to be unable to get into him. It tried a few more times, but for whatever reason, the Contractor could not enforce the terms of breaking the contract on this Halwen.
“What is this?!” Rig growled.
The door to the room crashed open as the three intrudes walked in.
“You must be Rig Fanden,” the disfigured one laughed, shaking her head.
“Kill them!” Rig ordered, pointing at the large Halwen.
However Talio just took a step back and observed.
Scamp raised her eyebrow at the masked Halwen, keeping an eye on him as she moved towards Rig.
“What do you want?! Money? Land?” Rig asked, backing up to his desk.
“Nah, none of that,” Scamp chuckled as she raised up and squared up with him, “Shayla Beltosh.”
Rig stared at her wide eyed as he made the connection, “you’re her mother.”
“Yep, and you fucked with my daughter,” Scamp threw back, flexing her metal claws.
Mallogory stepped up to Talio, keeping him in check as her two swords appeared in her hands, “Don’t move, big guy.”
“Of course, mademoiselle,” he said in a thick accent.
“She signed a contract, she knew what-” he did not get to finish his sentence as Scamp round housed him in the face, causing him to crash through his desk.
“Whoa!” he yelped as he jumped up, faceplate cracked, “do not go straight to violence! We can work this-”
Again, he did not get to finish what he was saying as Scamp punched him in the face with her metal fist, causing his faceplate to splinter as he flew back into his wall.
“Just wait!” he spat out, holding up his hands.
“Want to survive this” Scamp asked, getting a vigorous nod in return. “Then tell me how to find my daughter.”
Rig forced himself to stand up straight, taking on as much of an imposing stance as he could, “I do not know this. They are in the Social District, with two other groups chasing them.”
“And who are these groups?” Scamp asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to see if he’ll know more.
“The Cakehurst and their bounty hunters,” he answered, then gestured to his desk. “And a new group of strange creatures. I’ve been keeping track of them since they came into town, but I do not know what to make of them.”
He was trying to buy himself time as he inched towards his desk, eyes glancing at the gun sticking out of its hidden compartment.
“Take the file right there,” he said, nodding to a single file near Scamp. “It has all the information on your daughter and the two groups chasing her.”
She kept an eye on him as she stepped over, placing her hoof on the file.
The moment she touched it he shot forward and grabbed his pistol. He raised it, only for his head to explode as Scamp’s own large framed revolver appeared in her outstretched paw. The headless body stumbled back and fell against the wall, followed by a massive torrent of darkness flying out of it.
Scamp just let out a sigh as she put her pistol away in her Personal Dimension and grabbed the file, ignoring the body.
“They always try that trick, don’t they?” Mallogory chuckled as she kept her eyes locked with Talio’s.
“It’s like their go too,” Scamp answered as she flipped open the file, seeing a few pictures. Her entire body froze as she stared at the images.
“What is it, love?” Mallogory asked as she took notice of how her wife reacted.
“We have… a problem,” Scamp muttered as she turned the file around to show Lorenzo and his crew sitting in a church-like building, Leem clearly visible as he smirked up at the camera.
“Oh crap…” Spark muttered as he walked over and looked the file over. “Why are they here?!”
“Your daughter brought them here,” Talio suddenly said, getting all eyes on him as he seemed to be enjoying himself. “Of course, I believe they tricked her.”
Scamp’s breathing picked up as her mind began to make connections, “Kal.”
The moment she said this, the other two had a similar reaction.
“That snake…” Mallogory growled.
Spark turned his head to Talio, glaring at him, “you seem to know a lot. Mind telling us where Shayla is?”
“I wouldn’t know a thing about that,” he laughed as he reached out and used his two fingers to lower Mallogory’s swords. “Of course, someone here probably would have known where they were. Yet they’re all in pieces.”
“Help us find our daughter, or,” Mallogory threatened as she raised her swords back up, pointing the tips at his face.
“There’s no telling where young Ms. Beltosh will turn up next, the child has a tendency to do what she wants. Of course, following the path least traveled by commoners will lead you to her,” he replied casually, seeming very unaffected by her threats.
“I take my leave,” he chuckled as he turned, walking for the door.
Of course Mallogory wouldn’t just let him leave as she flickered, her swords performing a cross slice. But he just moved in a strange way, avoiding her attacks. She blinked in confusion and attempted to strike him a few more times, flickering like mad as he just simply walked away, somehow avoiding all her attacks without even looking at her.
“Stop!” Scamp demanded sternly, causing both of them to stop and look at her. “I do not know who you are, or what your goals are, but you clearly know more than you are letting on.”
“Perhaps,” he said simply with a tilt of his head.
“And you will not tell us, for whatever reason,” she continued, getting a thumbs up as a response. “So at least do this; take us to this Social District and get us in. Can you do this?”
He stood there for a long moment, seeming to think about what she’d said. “Life is too short to say no.”
“Is that a yes?” Spark asked, looking at his companions.
“Yes, Spark, that’s a yes,” Scamp said as she stared into the eyes of the man's mask. “Lead the way, Mr…”
“Talio, at your service for this little stroll,” he replied with a little bow.
Scamp narrowed her eye at him, not liking the jib of this guy, as he gave off a very strange vibe. But as he turned to walk out of the room, she sighed. They’d just have to hope he’s being honest here, otherwise they’ll have to figure something else out.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Which house is it?” Domitor asked as we walked down a street. I wasn’t sure where we were, but it was quiet.
“None of these,” Vanilla answered, sounding extremely worried, “her house is all the way on the other side of this area. We need to hurry, please!”
“We’re hurrying,” he assured her as we picked up our pace.
“My sister…” she whimpered, unable to finish the sentence. She was terrified at what they’ll see when they arrived. “Floria needs us…”
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Get your fucking hands off of me!” Floria roared as Amylum forced her into a dress, not even reacting to anything Floria hit her with. The Maiden was like a tank, affected by nothing.
Eventually the Maiden finished forcing Floria into the dress, retying her up once she was done.
“Are you seriously okay with all this?!” Floria asked as the Maiden finished tying her up. “Like this chicka is loco, right?! Why are you playing along with her shit?!”
No answer came as the Maiden began to push her out of the room and down the hallway.
Once they entered the oversized living room, Floria’s heart dropped. “Oh fucking come on, we can’t actually be doing this!” she yelled as Cocoa stood in the middle of the room, looking overjoyed as she cast her hands out.
“Isn’t this perfect?” she asked with a massive smile.
The room had been made up to look like a wedding venue, with pews and hastily set up decorations everywhere. There was even a massive cake on a table nearby, standing tall. Up near the front of the pews was an altar, covered in flowers and an arch hanging above it.
“A perfect wedding for a perfect couple,” she continued, snapping her finger as an overly elaborate wedding dress appeared on her body. “Amylum, change into the correct attire.”
The Maiden nodded as her chest armor was replaced with a simple t-shirt with a decal of a tuxedo on it.
“You know this shit is insane, right?” Floria asked, but Cocoa ignored her as she waved for the altar. “Take your place, my beloved! The wedding is starting!”
As the Maiden pushed her to the altar, Cocoa quickly ran to the other end of the room, giggling like a schoolgirl.
Floria was forced to stand before the altar as Amylum stood beside her, a firm grip on her shoulder.
She looked around, frowning as she took in the batshit insane situation she’d found herself in. This was a far cry from what she’d signed up for. Tortured by a psychopath? Sure, easy peasy…. But this shit?! This shit was so far from what she’d expected that she’d never be able to process this.
Suddenly, music began to play as Cocoa appeared at the end of the aisle, flowers in her hands.
“Oh screw this,” Floria mumbled as she began to fight against the Maiden behind her, but wasn’t making much progress as the other woman held her tightly.
The entire time she was fighting for her life, the deranged woman slowly walked down the aisle, a happy look on her face as she stared right at Floria.
Once she stepped up, taking her place on the other side of Floria, she giggled, “I see you’re just as nervous as me.”
Floria gave her a dumbfounded look as she continued to struggle to break out of the iron grip of the Maiden.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m so nervous,” Cocoa said sweetly as she clenched her flowers tightly. “But I’m happy you’re up here with me, it makes everything easier to process.”
“Bitch you ain’t processing a damn thing that is happening!” Floria yelled inches from her face as Cocoa’s eyes flickered to the Maiden, seeming to give her an order without saying a word.
Amylum yanked Floria back and slammed a fist into her gut, winding her instantly. She didn’t collapse as the Maiden just held her up.
“We’re going to be so happy after this,” Cocoa said, tears in her eyes. “Amylum, begin the ceremony.”
The Maiden moved so she was standing between them, still holding onto Floria tightly. A book appeared in her hand and then she just stood there, not speaking.
Cocoa smiled brightly at Floria as she reached over and fixed her veil, as it’d been knocked around due thrashing around. “Soon, we’ll be happily married, my love.”
“Ugh,” Floria groaned, not really having it in her to fight against this crazy shit.
The Maiden flipped the page, acting as if she was reading the words out loud, but was clearly not.
A large blush appeared on Cocoa’s face as she looked a little shy, “after the reception, we’re going to have to… do it.”
“...” Floria just stared at her blankely, not engaging.
“I’ve never… made love before,” the crazy woman muttered, face ablaze as little hearts floated up around her.
“Oh, awesome,” Floria groaned, shaking her head. “Saw that one comin’.”
The Maiden flipped to the final page and looked at Cocoa.
“I do,” Cocoa answered, body shaking as they both looked at Floria, awaiting her answer.
Floria’s response was to spit at Cocoa’s face, but Amylum just snatched it out of the air, preventing it from landing on Cocoa.
Then Cocoa began to smile brightly, as if she’d heard something amazing, “now pronounce us married, Amylum.”
The Maiden just gave a nod, sending Cocoa into a crying fit.
“I ain’t kissing this bitch again,” Floria grumbled as Cocoa tried to recover herself to finish the ceremony.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“That one!” Vanilla yelled as she took off running down a driveway.
“Stop!” Domitor yelled as he flung himself after her, stopping her. “We need to play this smart, for Floria’s sake.”
Reluctantly she nodded as Shayla walked up to them.
“Shayla, you can see into buildings with that, right?” he asked, both of them looking at the mare.
“Eh… yeah, as long as I’m close enough,” she confirmed, getting a nod from Domitor.
“Perfect, we’re going to walk the outside of the building till we locate them, then we’ll put together a plan.”
With this plan in place they all moved to the building, watching for movement. They walked along the wall, letting Shayla scan the inside of the building.
Once they neared the back of the building, she came to a stop. “Oh shit, got ‘em!” she exclaimed, pressing against the wall as she tried to make out more details. Of course, her Virtue Sight had a major weakness; she couldn’t see details outside of outlines and body shapes.
“Uh… so they’re all three together…” she raised an eyebrow, “I think… Cocoa is laughing? Erm, crying? I dunno, but Floria’s Soul is flaring super fucking hard.”
“Okay, let’s back off and-” Domitor began, but Vanilla growled.
“I’m going in, right now!” she declared as she began to walk for the front of the building.
“We need a plan, or we’re riskin-” Domitor tried to say, but Shayla cut him off.
“Vanilla, wait,” she hissed, causing the other woman to look back at her. “We’re going in, right now. Just come back over here.”
Slowly, Vanilla returned to them, trembling. “Please… we need to get in there right now.”
“Alright, follow my lead,” Shayla said with a smirk as she turned and began to focus, holding a hand against the wall.
Her Ego was still far from recovered, but she still had access to just enough to boost one thing at a time. So she focused her Ego into her right arm, slowly increasing her strength.
“Rush them the moment this wall falls!” she yelled as she slammed her fist into the wall, blowing a large chunk of it away. Domitor jumped through first, ready to rush towards them, but came to a grinding halt as he took in the scene before him.
Vanilla was next in, but the scene before them hit her so hard she stumbled and fell into Domitor, eyes wide.
“Let’s fucking rip them too-” Shayla exclaimed, but was silenced as she saw her two friends weren’t rushing forward. “What?”
They found themselves in a room decorated for a wedding, with both Cocoa and Floria standing at the front of the room wearing wedding dresses, with the Maiden just wearing a t-shirt with a tuxedo decal on it. They also took notice that Floria was tied up and held onto by the Maiden.
Vanilla was the most confused as she looked between the two, not able to make sense of what she was seeing.
“Guys!” Floria exclaimed, but was hit by the Maiden to silence her.
“Vanny!” Cocoa laughed as she wiped tears from her face, as she’d clearly been crying. “I was wondering if I’d have to come find you again.”
“L-Let her go!” Vanilla yelled, her voice shaky as she was not use to raising her voice at her sister.
“Even if I did, she’d stay by my side, we’re married after all!” Cocoa mocked, reaching over and pulling Floria into herself, forcing a kiss onto the short Kejtdra, who was still trying to fight against the Maiden.
“Are they… fucking kissing?!” Shayla asked in shock as Vanilla fell to her knees, her emotions running wild.
“You sick fuck,” Domitor growled as he looked at Vanilla. “Do not let her into your head, Vanilla. Think about this clearly; Floria is tied up and fighting, this is your sister trying to get in your head.”
Vanilla looked back to her sister and Floria, trying to work this out logically, but seeing Floria kissing Cocoa was becoming too much for her.
“Damn it, you skank!” Floria yelled around the lips of Cocoa, eyes ablaze with pure hatred. Her eyes snapped Vanilla as she sat on the ground, looking completely crushed by what she was seeing. Floria knew what was going through her head right now, and it pissed her off as she knew the person responsible for how Vanilla’s mind work was currently kissing her.
In one move she dropped her legs out from under her, causing her to fall out of the Maiden’s grip and away from Cocoa, confusing her.
“Vanilla!” she roared as the Maiden reached out for her, grabbing her by the back of her dress. “I love you!”
“I love you too!” Cocoa called out, nodding to Amylum, causing her to hit Floria in the back of the head, knocking her out. “Kill them, Amylum.”
The Maiden followed the order instant, walking around the unconscious Floria and began to advance on the others.
Vanilla’s eyes were wide in shock as the words from Floria rocked through her. The moment she’d seen Floria get hit, she’d jumped up, ready to rush forward and fight, but Domitor held her back.
“Bring me Vanilla once you kill those two,” Cocoa said firmly as she grabbed one of Floria’s legs, beginning to walk for one of the doors, dragging her behind herself. “I want her to watch me and my wife consummate our marriage.”
Vanilla tried to go after them, but Domitor held her firmly as Shayla walked past them, smirking.
“Amylum, the bitch who took my eyes, ready for a rematch?” Shayla yelled as she and the Maiden advanced on each other.