Looting the 13th Floor 2, page 9
part #2 of Looting the 13th Floor Series
“Gold,” the cat-girl said. “Use as much as needed.”
“Okay.” Kali nodded as she adjusted her hood. “Cloaks. That’s all. Just a farmer girl who needs new cloaks.”
The nymph took a deep breath as she looked out at the city, and she strode out from behind the tree. She didn’t look back as she hurried over to the cobblestone road that led into Stormgulf.
My stomach flipped as I watched her tiny frame get swallowed up by the crowd of bustling shoppers. I could just make out her covered head as she hurried toward one of the stalls, and my skin crawled as two leviathans strolled past her. Luckily, they didn’t even glance in her direction as she carefully kept her face turned away from them.
“She will be fine,” Cleo said as she touched my arm. “I can tell you are protective and worried.”
“I’m just making sure I’m ready,” I said as I kept my eyes on Kali. “She can handle this, but it would just take one High Society fucker to notice her, and then…”
I trailed off as I realized how high my blood pressure had suddenly gotten.
We weren’t in L.A. anymore. Every second we spent near the High Society was a second my two women were at risk.
My hand slid to my rifle, just in case.
Cleo had her sickle out as she watched the city, and her tail flicked from side to side as we waited in silence.
Then a group of gargoyles waddled out and blocked my view of Kali completely. Their bulky frames and towering wigs shielded the nymph from sight, and I felt my agitation grow as I moved around to try and see her.
I was ready to sprint into the city and mow down every one of the scaly fuckers, but Kali suddenly reappeared as she walked around the gargoyles. The nymph gave them a wide berth as she hurried out of Stormgulf with folded up cloth held in her arms. She kept her head down as she strode back toward the forest, and I scanned the distant market to make sure nobody had their eyes on her.
The High Society clearly weren’t paying attention to anyone but themselves, and the nymph eventually reached us as she let out a deep breath.
“You did it!” I hissed as I pulled her close, and she looked up at me adoringly.
“That was so scary,” she breathed. “But I just walked past all of them until I got to the clothes stall!”
“Very badass,” Cleo purred. “This is a time when that word is correct.”
“Hell yeah, it is,” I chuckled.
Kali handed us each a cloak, and I swung the dark material around my shoulders. It gave a pleasant barrier from the cold wind without being too heavy, and there was a silver clasp that closed it around my neck. The cloak hid most of my clothing from view, and the hood came almost down to my eyes. I kind of felt like a mage from a video game in it, and I smirked as I admired the full effect.
Cleo’s cloak was exactly the same but in a smaller cut to fit her lithe body, and she pulled the material close as she hid her tail and ears.
“Perfect,” I said. “Kali, I’m so fucking proud of you. That must have been terrifying, but you did it.”
The nymph’s pale face glowed as I praised her, and I sent her a reassuring smile before I made sure my rifle was hidden from the front gap in my cloak.
“I don’t see any banshees,” I said as I stared out into the market. “Did you?”
“There are a few further in.” Kali nodded. “They were over at one of the food stalls bullying the poor elf who runs it. We might need to go inside the city to get to them.”
I spotted four of the frog-legged guards patrolling the entrance of the marketplace, and I knew we might be pushing our luck too far if we went inside. The cloaks were perfect for sneaking around, but our faces were still on display.
“Hmm,” I muttered as I scanned the street. “I think we should wait and see if any of them come out of the city. We want this to be a quick mission, and hopefully stop it from turning into a full-on outlaw hunt. I’m thinking a good old-fashioned carriage robbery might be perfect.”
“I know a spot nearby,” Cleo said. “It is just a little ways up the city road, and we can look down onto anyone who goes past.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Lead the way.”
The cat-girl silently led us back into the forest and away from Stormgulf. She moved through the trees like a shadow as we hurried after her swishing cloak. I was still amazed at how agile she was on her feet, and I had to jog to keep up. We climbed up a crumbling rock face that sat between some particularly dead-looking trees, and there was a small ledge we could perch on that looked down onto a dirt road.
“This is just around the corner from the entrance road,” Cleo said as she pointed to the curved corner to our right. “The dirt turns into cobbles just around that bend.”
“Let’s see if anyone goes by,” I said as I took a seat, and I shuffled back enough so we couldn’t be spotted from the road.
We sat quietly for about half an hour with our guns ready, and only one solo rider trotted by with a cart full of dodgy-smelling cabbages. I was grateful for the warmth of my cloak since staying still made the wind even more piercing. The stormy sky rumbled loudly as far-off gargoyles shrieked in the air, and I kept checking over my shoulder for glowing eyes in the black trees.
“I hear wheels,” Cleo said as her ears pricked up.
Her cat hearing always caught on to things long before I did, and it took a second for the rolling sound to reach me. There was no mistaking what it was as soon as I heard it: Slow horseshoes rang out as blood-curdling cackles filled the air.
“Banshees,” I hissed as I sprung to my feet. “Stay back.”
The girls made sure they were hidden from the road as I peered over the edge of the rock face.
Two thin horses trotted into view with a silver carriage pulled behind them. Yellow gemstones were encrusted on the handles, and the doors had slim windows that showed the three banshees inside. Each of them wore a black frilly dress that clung to their thin bodies horribly. Long gray hair drooped down over their shoulders and framed their gaunt faces. I spotted a silver glint on one of their belts, too, and I knew this was our chance.
“They have an opener!” I hissed. “We need to move!”
There was a steep slope down to the road on our left, and I raced down it without another word. Cleo and Kali followed behind me without question as the carriage creaked along the dirt road.
My body was fueled with determination to get that magic tool as I leapt down onto flat ground. I had to act fast, and I moved with a quickness I didn’t realize I had. My feet propelled me forward as I jumped onto the carriage and swung the door open.
The three banshees swung around to look at me as the monster girls jumped on the horses. An ear-piercing screech rang out from the wheels as the carriage skidded to a halt and wobbled.
We had stopped the vehicle like a bunch of fucking bandits, truly living up to our outlaw reputation.
But now I was face to face with three banshees, and all hell was about to break loose.
Chapter 6
It turned out banshees were even more horrifying up close. Their faces had veins popping out under their gray eyes, and each of them smelled like rancid meat covered up by too much floral perfume.
I spotted the silver opening tool on one of their belts amongst small glass jars full of dark liquid.
Cleo and Kali had managed to start to guide the horses off the road and into the woodland beside it, and the carriage bumped over small rocks as we left the trail.
The element of surprise was on my side, so I pulled my knife out as I gripped the carriage door. But I realized this was going to be no ordinary fight when one of the banshees threw a glass bottle to the ground, and she abruptly vanished.
“What the fuck?” I hissed as Kali screamed outside.
I looked out of the front window to see the nymph suddenly had a banshee riding behind her on the horse.
Holy shit.
Fighting with magic was insane, and I was going to need to use more skills than just shooting and stabbing.
Cleo swiped her sickle toward the banshee, and Kali began to violently kick and punch at the enemy.
I flung myself further into the carriage as I swung my blade toward one of the old women. She flicked her wrist and sprayed blue liquid from a silver bracelet, and her body distorted as my blade neared her. Then there was a blood-curdling scream as my knife pierced her arm before she twirled into a cloud of mist and vanished.
The third banshee threw a glass bottle before I had time to turn to face her, and the carriage went pitch black.
“Shit!” I hissed as I swung a leg out, and I managed to kick the fucker before one of the carriage doors swung open.
The banshee fight was already fucking mayhem, and I dove out of the slowing vehicle to follow the escapees. Cleo swung her sickle at the skinny woman on the back of Kali’s horse, and the nymph turned her focus to getting the animals to stop running.
One of the banshees was clinging to the roof of the carriage, one was on a horse, and I couldn’t see the third that had vanished into darkness. The horses finally whinnied as they halted, though, and I leapt at the banshee that sat at Kali’s back.
“Leave them alone!” I snarled as I raised my knife and slammed the blade directly into the banshee’s spine.
The old woman howled in pain as bones crunched, and she tumbled backward with her skinny arms flailing. Then I was greeted with possibly the most gruesome sight I had ever seen in Hollowfell.
The banshee somehow spun around midair as she fell, and her face made a sickening crunch as her jaw dislocated. Her chin kept falling until her mouth stretched out wide enough to swallow a toddler, and I could see she had two rows of sharp teeth along each gum.
“Liam!” Kali screamed. “Watch out!”
I jumped back just as the banshee tried to snap her massive mouth at my face, and I swung my knife down to meet her.
A shudder ran through my body as my blade connected with the bottom of her jaw. Then blood erupted from her chin as I pulled my knife back and leapt further out of the way. The banshee fell to the ground with her unhinged jaw flopping around, and she screeched as more blood gargled out like a gruesome fountain.
Cleo and Kali leapt down from their horses to join the fight as the injured banshee writhed on the filthy ground.
I dove down with my knife raised, and I brought it straight down to the side of her head. My blade crunched through bone as it slid right through to the horrible squash of her brain. I shuddered as I felt my knife go right into the middle of the skull, but the banshee finally stopped moving.
Her gray eyes glazed over as her skinny limbs fell still against the ground.
“One down,” I muttered as I pulled the knife back with a jolt.
Dark blue blood dripped from the tip of my weapon as I looked down at the open-mouthed monster. Her tongue flopped out over the rows of teeth, and I kicked her to make sure she was truly dead. I could never be sure with these Hollowfell fuckers.
“That was so brave!” Kali squealed. “I can’t believe Liam just killed a banshee!”
“Where’s the other one?” Cleo hissed as we spun around.
The second banshee was still on top of the carriage, and she had two different-sized potion bottles in each hand. But there was no sign of the one who had used the darkness spell to disappear.
“I don’t know where the other one is,” I said. “She just fucking vanished into thin air.”
“They’re using their stolen magic,” Kali said. “Who knows what they can do with those little bottles!”
I was torn between my instinct to shoot down the banshee on the roof, and my rational brain that told me we were still close to the city. Gunshots would alert every High Society creature in town that trophies were nearby, and there was no way in hell I was risking my women’s lives. I just had to play this smart.
“Stay back,” I said as I put my arms out to cover the monster girls. “Keep your eyes peeled for the third one.”
I watched the banshee on the carriage, and I knew she would attack the second I moved toward her. The challenge was going to be getting close enough to hurt her without her attacking the girls first.
“Keep your blades out,” I said quietly. “I’m going in.”
“Be careful!” Kali whispered.
The banshee was eyeing every move as she gripped her potions, and I just had to make sure the girls didn’t get in the way.
“There’s a tree on your left,” I breathed. “When I move, I want you both to run behind it.”
“What about you?” Kali asked.
“I’m going up to get her,” I said quietly. “Stay hidden when you can, but keep looking for the third.”
“We will do this,” Cleo hissed, and I leapt forward.
The monster girls raced behind the wide bark of the tree just as the banshee hurled one of the glass bottles at them. It grazed the back of Kali’s calf just before she hid, and the nymph yelped as she toppled to the ground. She tried to get up, but she didn’t seem able to move the leg that had been hit by the potion as clouds of black twirled around her ankle.
Cleo held Kali’s small waist and pulled her behind the tree as I jumped at the carriage. I clumsily leapt onto one of the wheels to give me height, and I grabbed the banshee’s foot with a grunt.
She screeched as I violently pulled her with all my strength, and I was forced to back up as she fell from the roof.
The banshee threw another potion to the ground as she tumbled down, and something rumbled deep below the soil. I only just managed to stay standing as the dirt vibrated under my feet and shook me from side to side. Then there was an eruption of filth as a thick black root shot up from the dirt. It was like an enormous worm that grabbed the banshee before she could hit the ground. Then the root placed her down gently, and it swung around with a noise that sounded like a high-pitched scream.
“Fuck!” I yelled as the thick vine reached out toward me, and I brought my blade down into it as I dove out the way.
The root screeched as I sliced right through the tip, and the end of its long form fell off. It retreated slightly as I dove forward to attack again, and I heard a loud rumble behind me. I looked back to see Cleo and Kali fall out from behind the tree as another root emerged from below them.
Both of the monster girls quickly got to their feet, and they threw themselves at the root with their blades swinging. Their beautiful faces were etched with determined fury as they pierced and stabbed every inch of the vine they could reach.
“Don’t let it catch you!” I yelled as I turned back to my attacker. “Slice the fucker as much as you can!”
“It’s so fast!” Cleo yelled. “Watch your feet!”
The banshee swung her arms around behind the root, and her eyes glowed as the giant vine moved.
“She’s controlling it,” I hissed to myself. “Gotta kill her to kill the root.”
Getting to the banshee was going to be a hell of a task. My feet didn’t stop moving and leaping as I danced between the swinging movements of the root. It kept trying to grab at my ankles, but I managed to cut the tip off its form again and again.
I got closer to the banshee as I dodged around the vine, and I glanced back to check the girls were okay. They had a choreographed dance going as they took it in turns to attack, and the root was clearly getting confused as it tried to keep track of them both.
I was only a few feet away from the banshee when the root near me finally managed to dodge my blade and get to my body. It gripped around my right leg like a snake as it started to squeeze.
“Holy shit,” I gasped as my ankle immediately turned numb, and the banshee started to laugh.
She was only inches away from me, but the root was crushing my leg so I couldn’t move. I groaned with pain as I slammed my blade into the vine, and it screeched as it loosened its grasp just slightly. It was just enough for me to haul my numb leg free as I leapt at the banshee.
Her eyes stopped glowing as she reached for another bottle on her belt, but I slammed into her before she could grab anything. She went flying as my entire body weight smashed against her frail frame, and I thought for a moment that she might be dead.
There was a loud thump behind me as the roots flopped still, but the banshee steadied herself as she began to unhinge her jaw.
“Hell no!” I yelled as she snapped her teeth toward me, and I swung my knife at her face.
My weapon pierced into one of her eyeballs as I felt the soft squelch of jelly. The banshee howled as dark blood and goop fell from the socket, and I winced as the fragments of eye slopped onto my hand.
Then I pulled the knife back as the half-blinded banshee screamed, and the monster girls suddenly appeared by my side. They both jumped at the skinny woman with angered growls, and they brought their blades down into either side of the banshee’s skull. Cleo’s sickle and Kali’s knife pieced the bone with a crunch as I took another shot right into the middle of the face.
Our three blades shattered the banshee’s head as her body fell still, and she slowly slid down to the ground with fragments of skull all around her.
“Holy shit,” I said as I caught my breath.
“Two dead,” Cleo said as her golden eyes scanned the trees. “Where is the last one?”
We looked around, but I couldn’t see any hint of shadow or movement hiding in the branches. The glistening carriage was splattered with dark blood, and the thin horses looked thoroughly unbothered by the massacre around them.
I bent down to the corpse before me and grabbed the slim, silver tool from her belt. The opener was freezing cold to the touch, and I slipped it into my jacket pocket.
“I’ve got an opener,” I said. “But I’m not leaving without killing that last wide-mouthed bitch.”
We stayed still as the dark roots began to slink back underground with a slow rumble. The woodland around us was almost peaceful other than the wild storm that raged in the sky.
“Maybe she ran away,” Kali whispered. “She saw that the other two got killed, so she might have gone for help.”
“She just disappeared,” I said. “Could she have transported herself away?”
