The Long Game

We pick our way through the debris left in the great beasts' wakes, Ignacy muttering beside me. I step over an overturned rat-on-a-stick stand, avoiding stepping on cooked rodents. And that is when Tom starts shouting.
"Oi! Tell 'im to stay th-oh bloody hell, he's gone round the corner. Why don't you follow 'im, y'daft cock-up!"
I start, standing on a rather squishy rat. "What?!!"
"Your mate just scarpered, says 'arry." Tom warbles as he climbs back onto my shoulder. "Just got up and walked off. Left 'is coat behind."
"What?" I demand, "Did someone..."
"Nah, 'e just walked off with some dishy bird."
I turn my head, staring. "He what?"
Tom sighs loudly. "He walked off wi' a girl." I stare for a moment longer. Then I shake my head. "That doesn't sound right. Not right at all." I hurry my steps. "We need to get back there. Fast."
By the time we get there, Liam and Kiaja are already standing around Djhuety's table. It's empty, save for his coat and a small potted passionfruit tree. I give it a questioning glance for a moment, then shake my head and turn my eyes up to Liam's. "What happened?"

i swallow a donut and say "this is the kind of shit im talking about" i stroke my mohawk and continue "whenever i try and get some it ends up with a giant or a troll or something but when anyone else tries? they get someone half decent".

"Grow up, Ignacy." I say absently. Then I realize that Liam and Kiaja are staring at me in surprise and puzzlement. I look at them. Then it hits me.
"Oh, glamouries." I sing a note, and we appear as ourselves again.
"E's in the alley." comes a small voice from Tom. But it sounds more like a recording than his voice...until I realize that it's the voice of the other spider, the one Djhuety turned into a butterfly. "The dish's takin' 'im into this 'ouse...gimme a tic...nah, won' let me in. You lot better get down 'ere."
I grab Tom's little body, holding him close to my mouth. "Harry, where are you?"
"Cor blimey," Tom complains, "Watch the bleeding grip! I ain't a bleeding phone, you idgit!" somewhat contrite, I set him back on my shoulder.

I sigh "well lets get on it then, though the googly eyes he was making at the tigress was absolutely hilarious we best get his bacon out of the fire" i sniff "wait you two got food, no fair!" I mutter something to Kaija causing me to get smacked in the arm. i slide a pair of weighted gloves on, a little more inconspicuous then my earlier armaments. "onward to glorious battle?"

"No thanks." I say drily. "Come on, let's go."
"What happened? What did you see?" I ask Liam as we walk, following Tom's instructions.

"you already have the story, Unfortunately i cannot track with my nose anymore so his trail is a little hard to follow, they went out the back lets hope someone left some sort of bleeding trail. though preferably not that way. and if it isn't our quarry i may have to smack your boyfriend" I smirk starting to walk out the black way into the alleys

"If he really did just wander off with some woman, it'll be me who smacks him." I growl. "But I'll save one for you if you call him my boyfriend again."
We come to a crossing of alleys. "Left." Tom says. And so we go on, through a maze of noisome back alleys and small streets.

i grin as i say "aww you two are such a nice couple im happy for you!".

I growl. "Ignacy, if you want to be a naked woman with a toad's head, just keep bothering me."

i put on an arnold accent and say "fine be a party pooper".

I crouch periodically looking for any sign of Dejhuty's passage. thankfully he wasn't trying to be stealthy "Liv be nice, we aren't trying to market him to the adult film industry or a brothel. and the couple comments aren't ending any time soon. just make them tasteful. most of the time " here kaija points to a spot I missed "stars and stones you would think they were running to get to a damned bedroom " kaija's fingers point to a missing womans shoe.

"Right." Tom pipes up. And then something else lands on my shoulder. A silver butterfly. "What took you?" Harry quips.
"Where is he?" I ask quickly. The butterfly snickers. "She took 'im upstairs."

"Come on boy... It'll get easier if you'll just show us how to get to her." The voice almost sounds friendly, but the gag tied around my mouth and the meaty hand resting on my shoulder tells me otherwise. A pad of paper sits on the desk, along with a pen. I shake my head, only to see stars a second later as one of the others in the room cuffs the back of my head. "That stubborn attitude got your mother killed, you know... why repeat a mistake." I stare up resentfully into the shadowed features of lead 'interrogator' and manage almost half an obscenity before another thwack on the back of my head sends me into darkness midst a sea of exploding super novas.

*****

She had me wrapped around her finger up till the last door, opening into an officious looking den with a fire burning in the grate and a large oak desk in front of it; not a bed or comfort to be seen, I twist my head around in time to feel the gag fall into place; Lily whispers in my ear, "Just give'em what they ask and you'll make it out too," before attempting to duck out the door, only to be caught by a bulky man.

"Princess, till we get our money's worth, you stay put." Before she can scream, shout or fight, the man produces a needle and jabs it into the side of her neck, releasing her to collapse against the wall in a heap. He then turns on me. "Lets have that talk we wanted to last time before your bird showed up and got in a pissing match with ours."

I place my hand against the door, and try the knob. Locked. "Something's wrong." I say, staring at the darkened windows. "Something's wrong, and I don't like it." I turn "I think she might be a predator, but if she is she's not Kindred. And if she's not after him for herself...that could be even worse." I bite my lip, staring at the door. "Whatever she is, we need to get in there. Anyone got an idea?"

I smile to at Kaija and Liv. " I may have an idea. two teams of two. so we have someone watching out back, Kaija and I will scale and go in through a window, you two well, you let ignacy do his thing with the sword and basically go in taking care of anything or anyone he misses. watch for the flames" I grin "attack on two fronts and they will be more confused. besides we have the element of surprise on our side" the grin i have is blood thirsty "this will be fun"

i nod and say "divide and conquer thats just crazy enough to work" i stroke my beard like a wise old man "il take the front door here".

I nod, pulling my knife. "Let's get on with it, then."

I grin with Kaija wrapping her arms around my neck as I crouch, standing the roll my wrist "Vampire GLoves" I say looking at liv and showing the small spikes on my palm and fingers "more useful then just kink" and proceed to begin to scale the wall, a third of the way up remembering oh crap I tire now nothing to do for it at this time but remember for next time. Kaija draws her blade with her free hand

I glance at Ignacy, who's grinning. "After you." I say, pointing my blade at the door.

i unholster my pistol and draw my sword, look the door up and down deciding its ramshackle, i raise my foot and kick in the door and when the dust is settled i shout at the top of my lungs "I am the goddamn batman!" as i ignite my sword and charge the nearest goon.

The next fifteen minutes are utter chaos. Men come pouring down the stairs; a number of them meet their end at Ignacy's hands. Teeth bared, blade flashing, I deal with the rest. I finally finish my last opponent, kicking him in the gut and knocking his head against the wall, and look up, panting. The noise is coming from upstairs now. Vaulting over flattened bodies, I dash up the stairs, Ignacy pounding after me.

i vault up the stairs riddled with bullet holes i throw my pistol away the magazine empty, i spot a guard with an assault rifle on the top of the stairs he fires on me and the impacts brings me to my knees i point my sword at him and put him on fire, i look at the sword it has taken on a faint reddish hue.

There's a whoosh and thump behind me, but I ignore it. At least it's quieter up here now; a good sign. I step into the room at the end of the hall, my knife ready. Kaija grins at me, rubbing her blade clean on her shirt, which is spattered with blood. Liam is also grinning. And all around them, men lie groaning or all too still.
They laid Djhuety out on the floor. He's unconscious, but I can feel him struggling to return to consciousness. Pain lances through his emotions. They hurt him somehow. I kneel beside him, singing the healing into his body, calling him back to consciousness.

"No more..." I wince at the sound of my voice, "Baiting the traps with me. Where were you guys?"

i spit blood straighten my coat and say "i was busy getting shot at" i grimace in pain as the adrenaline is starting to wear off.