"Jinx! All your fault! All your fault!"~ Fiddlesticks, The Ancient Fear
Next chapter drops tomorrow. Semester project sprung up on me yesterday. I hope the Gregori meltdown didn't seem forced... since he has been controlling throughout the story.
Drop comments! Maybe a review!
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"Are we roaming around pointlessly?" Faye asked as the five of them walked around Zaun.
Daani spun around, "It is called exploring." He waved around, "Look at all of this!"
"Wow! Everything is so dull and muted! I'm having so much fun!" She replied sarcastically.
"Exactly! I'm having so much fun as well." Briar answered, not understanding her sarcasm.
Rell and Sydell frowned at her and then just sighed. She was genuinely having fun.... unlike Faye.
"I don't know why Annie and Daisy didn't come with us." Briar said a little sad at their absence.
Rell sighed, "They felt guilty."
Sydell nodded, "After seeing father sad..... I don't think they would go anywhere. And they are perfectly content staying near him. That is just how they are."
"We should have stayed with him as well." Faye pointed out.
Sydell looked at his surroundings instead of replying to her.
Daani shook his head, "We need to give him space. Let him come to terms with us wanting to not be constantly watched over." He turned around, checking out a nearby alleyway, "It is just a short walk anyway. Not like something dangerous will come to pass."
The sound of something slapping turned their heads.
Rell had her palm pressed to her face, "Nice going idiot. Jinx us for the unsupervised short walk."
"That's not what I meant!" Daani shouted at her.
"HA!" Briar started chuckling.
Eyes fell on her again.
Briar wiped a tear from her eyes, as she doubled over laughing, "She said... she said JINX!"
The absurdity of the actions made Rell snort while Sydell just looked disappointed.
"Not that Jinx Briar." Rell clarified.
"I know." Briar replied, "Its just funny."
Sydell suddenly stopped as he spotted an empty building, the glass surrounding it, shattered.
"What?" Faye asked.
"This was where they first fought." He answered, "Right before we met them that night."
"Colorful." Faye stated as she craned her neck into the place. She then turned around, "Anywhere specific we are going toward?"
Rell shrugged, "Not really."
"The Tower." Sydell answered at the same time. As their attention turned to him, he explained, "I asked Sevika about places that can give us a good view of Zaun. And she recommended the spot."
"Anything else we should know about?" Rell asked.
"She said that we should avoid anyone dressed in 'Gimp' suits." He answered, "Shiny black outfits." He explained upon seeing their faces. "I had her explain it to me. Apparently they are the henchmen of the other Chembaron or rather.... henchwomen."
"A bunch of crazed women then?" Daani sighed, "Seems like this place has got all the crazies."
"Don't call people crazy." Briar chided him, "At least not in public. Its fine to speak your mind when you are alone or at home."
"That is not good advice Briar." Faye shot back.
Briar seemed unperturbed, "It is great advice! Keeps everyone happy." But then her brows furrowed, "Hmm.." An uncomfortable expression formed on her face.
"What?" Rell asked. "Smell something?"
She nodded. "Daddy's magic is failing. It is getting harder to breathe."
"Then we leave." Rell decided.
The rest nodded.
"Ugh, I can smell it too." Daani grunted as he retched.
The group turned around and began walking back to the Last Drop.
Turning a couple alleyways, Sydell suddenly stopped. "You guys go. I just realized something and I want to quickly check it out."
"Stop being cryptic idiot." Rell sighed.
Briar nodded, despite her discomfort, "I can sense the ones following us. I know what you are planning."
Sydell sighed, "I can take them out on my own."
"So can we." Faye reached into her pocket, while snapping the book shut with her other hand.
Daani shrugged, "I'm not in my best state but it is not like they can reach me either way." The very next second he bent over dry heaving. He raised a finger, "Don't let my heaving fool you. I am still strong."
"Then we fight them together." Rell said as she spun on her feet. Her voice grew louder, "You might as well come out. You aren't really good at following people you know?"
"YOU IDIOTS GOT US CAUGHT!" A woman yelled from the right alley. A bunch of footsteps sounded as a squad of women walked out, dressed in black latex suits, some with their whole head covered and some with only their hair out, all holding whips and stick like ornaments.
"It is you who got us caught. We are not the kind to get caught." A voice spoke as a group of people dressed in somewhat normal clothes walked out. All with their own bodily modifications, a standard for Zaun.
Sydell raised an eyebrow. These people..... they had walked past them.... casually. Not a single one of them had walked past them multiple times. He had considered it odd, since taking odd alleys wasn't exactly common and a bunch of them took it but he had chalked it up to a characteristic of Zaun.
A bunch of spies. Information gatherers or brokers.
This particular group was part of a network. One with trained members.
Other than the modifications, they didn't have any weapons.
"Actually...." Briar interrupted the group, "Both of you got caught." She pointed at the group of normally dressed people, "You all smell the same." Then turned to the women, "You all make too much noise."
Sydell sighed. Of course Briar would have recognized them. Those senses were unfair. He had been trying to develop them himself but it was still a long shot before he reached that level.
"Got a good nose do ya missy?" The woman who had spoke first walked forward. She had a stockier build, she playfully slapped the whip against her palm, "You just gotta tell us one thing and we will leave you alone."
Briar's face fell, "So no fighting?"
"Fighting?" The woman grinned, "It is not a fight missy. One sided beatdowns are not called fights."
"So you are all weak?" Briar shook her head sadly.
A flash of anger passed by the woman's face as the grin turned menacing.
The other man used the opportunity to step closer, "All you have to do is tell us why Sevika is working with the enforcers and why the big name Medarda was down here."
"That is not a secret." Briar smiled.
"Briar..." Faye began but stopped once she saw Sydell wave his hand with a small smile.
"Sevika isn't working with the enforcers and the Medarda lady was there to talk to my daddy!" She answered.
The man squinted at her and took in her smiling face, "It seems you are taking this as a joke." He sighed, "It seems violence is the only answer."
With that, the woman swung her whip at Briar.
Briar watched the end of the whip fly toward her in slow motion before reaching out and grabbing it. She turned to the man, "But I'm not lying?" She said.
The woman pulled at her whip but it didn't move an inch.
"I think they want to fight Briar." Sydell said as he stepped forward.
Briar's smile widened as she pulled at the whip jerking the woman to her.
BANG
Her other hand swung into the woman's head knocking her out. The whip slid out of her hands as it curled around the body slumped on the ground.
Most of the incoming attackers pushed forward enraged by the attack and a couple held back after seeing one of them get instantly knocked out.
Rell stood next to Faye as the rest charged at the attackers.
Sydell swung under the swinging fists and sticks, accurately hitting their throats leaving them choking.
TONG
He pulled his hand a back as he looked at the person he just punched.
Metal throat.
"Hmm." He tilted his head, dodging a swing coming at him before pulling back and punching the woman in the face. Using the same extended arm, he knocked another person out using the elbow with a turn.
Four attacks flew in his direction at the same time.
LEAP
With a jump, he dodged all the attacks and used his hand to flip off the closest person and kick a couple of the attackers in the head. With a flourish, he landed on the ground, having taken out most of the attackers.
"Of course." He said out loud as he spotted Briar sitting on top of a pile of enemies whom he hoped were still alive.
Meanwhile, Daani on the other side was swinging at everyone around him with reckless abandon, enjoying the feeling of his fists hitting their bodies. Unlike Sydell, he did not avoid any of the attacks coming at him, instead he took them with his body which was constantly being reinforced with magic, making their attacks do nothing.
"You must be the weaker ones." One man who had looped around them approached Rell and Faye.
The two looked at one another and then back to the man. And at the same time both of them raised one of their fingers to the sky and pointed.
The man frowned, before looking up.
BANG
BANG
A metal pipe fell on top of him, sending him to sleep. Another pipe fell on top of the downed man.
"Why'd you do that?" Faye asked Rell.
Rell just smiled in response.
"You could have held back." Sydell commented as he looked at Daani's victims.
Daani wiped the blood on his knuckles on the clothes of the nearest fallen enemy. "I did hold back."
Briar sighed, "The woman was right. It WAS a one sided beatdown. Not fun at all."