Eric dragged his two remaining "packages" through the dark filthy streets, their feeble moans a dull counterpoint to the squelch of his boots. Alley walked beside him, her steps more sure now, her eyes constantly darting to her palms as if trying to summon the memory of that first, glorious fireball.
"Do you think we should have a plan?" Eric asked, his voice cutting through the damp, stagnant air.
"Confront Rakel, is all I can think of," replied Alley. "You handle the boss, I handle the guards," she said, her voice tight. A flicker of orange danced at her fingertips before she clenched her fist, snuffing it out. "But you don't get to kill him, please. I must strike the last blow. Rakel must pay for ever sending his boys after me. I don't care if he has no choice."
A grin stretched across Eric's face. "Don't worry. I'm going there for a different purpose. Killing a brothel lord is not my thing."
Slowly through the night, Alley led the way to the brothel, where Rakel was most likely to be even at this time.
The brothel, "The Gilded Lily," was a monument of pathetic beauty. It was a three-story structure that might have been grand to Eric who was from a less flashy world, but to Alley, It was just the tallest, loudest building in this part of the slum.
They didn't bother with the main entrance, but Eric remembered to drop those bodies by the gate. The men were already dead but now, and their mana was ready for consumption. Using his mana summoning ability, he forced their life's force up into his mouth and closed his eyes for a while, enjoying the tingles.
Alley led them down a reeking alleyway that ran along its side, a narrow site of overflowing dumpsters and scurrying rats. This was the delivery entrance, the backdoor for things, and people that needed to be kept out of sight. Eric kicked the door once. The sound wasn't loud, but it was a solid thump, enough to grab the attention of whoever was on the other side. The little peephole slid open a moment later, a single bloodshot eye blinking twice at the unexpected visitors.
The eye widened. It darted from Alley's face, to Eric's, then back to Alley's. It disappeared immediately, after which they heard a muffled, panicked shout from the other side. "Boss! It's her! She's—and there's a kid with her!"
Alley turned to Eric and said. "I was expected, but not in this position. I was supposed to be dead, limp in the hands of his men."
"Poetic."
The door flew open, not with a gentle welcome, but with a violent yank. Two giant men filled the doorway, clad in cheap leather clothing that strained over their bulk. They looked monstrous. One had a face that looked like it had been used to hammer nails, and the other had knuckles the size of Eric's fists, scarred and calloused. Behind them, the hallway was dim, lit by a single flickering bulb that cast long, dancing shadows.
'Look... Hammer-face and Knuckles. I'll eat my head if that's not what they are called.'
"Queen," the one with the hammer-face grunted, a nasty smile spreading across his face as he took her naked figure in. "The boss thought the dogs had finished you. You must have grown some balls seeing how you walked in here, naked with a little boy."
Eric stepped forward, putting himself slightly in front of Alley. "Hey now. Is that any way to greet the guest of honor? She's had a long night, thanks to your dogs. We're here for her severance package."
The second guard, Knuckles, let out a bark of laughter. "And who the hell are you, pipsqueak? Her little brother?"
"Use Killer Dash," Eric whispered to the system. One moment, was in the doorway, the next he was standing between them, his back to the hallway inside. They didn't even seen him move. Their heads were still turned toward the empty space where he'd been.
"Me? I'm the entertainment," Eric said, his voice cheerful.
They spun around, confusion and rage playing on their faces. Hammer-face lunged for Eric. He didn't move. He just let him get a hand on my shoulder.
Then he used the last 1 second of the Killer Dash again.
The world blurred for a fraction of a second. Eric didn't go far—just a few feet down the hall, dragging the Hammer-face with him. There was a sickening, wet pop as the brute's shoulder dislocated from the sudden, violent acceleration. He screamed, a high-pitched sound that was utterly at odds with his brutish appearance. He collapsed on the grimy floor, clutching his now lifeless arm.
'Who knew pain could unlock your inner Barbie?'
Eric looked back at Knuckles, who was still standing by the door, his jaw hanging open. "See? Entertainment."
"You promised I'll deal with the guards first," said Alley as she walked coolly past Knuckles to stand beside Eric.
"Well, the Barbie isn't dead yet. You can toast him to your taste. I just wanted to announce my presence. Plus, he called me a little boy."
'I am outgoing way too much for a character who will be playing the disguise game in this new world. I must learn to control my urge to get shit started.'
'Well, since two of them have seen my powers, I guess they just have to die. I can't let you go about publishing my villain-ism.'
Just then, the real door at the end of the hall opened. Rakel stood there with six of his guards.
He was exactly as Eric pictured him: a spider in a silk suit. He wasn't a large man, but he carried a faint pull of power. A Tier-3 Terra-man. He could feel it, a low thrum in the floorboards, a subtle vibration in the air.
Rakel's cold eyes calculated, darting over the scene. One of his guards writhing on the floor, Eric standing over him, and Alley by his side in the doorway with fists clenched and tiny flames licking between her fingers.
His composure was impressive. Only a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his surprise. "Alley. You've brought a… fascinating friend." His voice was smooth. It was the kind of voice that could sell you poison and make you thank him for the privilege.