Friday, April 17, 2015

Shots!

So, Seraph, Abdalin, and I met up with Collector Tsu at the appointed time. He had his phone out and was texting on it.
“Hey, Tsu!” I said. “Nice to see you again.
“Daniel!” he greeted me. “How goes your fight for survival?”
“Not half bad,” I said. “Had a few close calls, but nothing a well placed Deus Ex Machina couldn't fix.”
“Good to know,” he said.
“Um, you have information on the Apostles, don't you?” Seraph asked.
“Me?” Tsu asked. “No. Of course not. Even the Archive is lacking info on those elusive bastards.”
“But- then- why-,” Seraph stammered, before turning to me. “So what was the point of meeting up with him!?”
“I never said he'd know anything,” I said defensively. “But we share mutual 'friend' who can answer some questions for us.”
“Wait, what?” Seraph asked.
“A fer years ago, this crazy bastard here pulled a Timberwolf out of a fire,” Tsu said. “Saved the guys life.”
“Much to his annoyance,” I added.
It's true. That guy was less than stoked to still be alive. Fucking Timberwolves...
“While he was in the hospital, I had a tracer planted under his skin,” Tsu said. “So unless he removed it himself and fed it to a dog, I'm pretty sure the Archive can find him.”
Shortly after he said that, his phone buzzed. So that's why he had it out.
“Speak of the devil,” he said. “Our friend the Timberwolf is currently hanging out at...”
He grimaced.
“...O'Briens...,” he said.
Seraph and I traded a confused glance, while Abdalin threw his hands in the air and exclaimed “Whoo-hoo! O'Briens!”
Abdalin then grabbed Tsu by the arm, and, much to Tsu's surprise, teleported away. I had another moment to think. I knew I had heard of O'Briens before.
Suddenly, Abdalin reappeared, grabbing Seraph's rm.
“Your turn!” He said quickly, before vanishing as well.
I rolled my eyes and took a few steps back. Abdalin reappeared right next to where I had been standing, and seemed confused that I was no longer there.
“So why am I the last one you teleport?” I asked.
“Deal with it, bitch,” he said, grabbing me by the arm and taking me to the street outside of O'Briens.
It was a bar. The name was above the door, with the O replaced with Slender Man's symbol. Now I remembered. This place was a proxy bar. I've read about it before.
After bringing me there, Abdalin barged through the door, shouting “Yo barkeep! I need four shots of whiskey!”
The rest of us stood outside for a minute.
“This is that servant bar, isn't it?” Seraph asked.
“Yup,” I confirmed
“Ever been inside?” Tsu asked.
“I try to avoid places where I'll probably die,” I said. I then summoned my wakizashi. “On the other hand, they do have shots.”
I stepped into the bar, and scanned the area. It seemed to be a slow night. Only about a deozen people were inside. It didn't take long for me to pick our man out.
“Hey, Wolfie!” I called out to him.
He catch sight of me and panicked. He charged toward the door, running past me. Before he could reach the salvation of the outdoors, Seraph spin kicked him right in the chest, knocking him flat on his ass. As she did, I cupped my hands over my mouth and shouted “TIMBER!” Don't give me that look. It was funny at the time.
Seraph and Tsu pinned him to a chair, and I stood in front of him.
“I have some questions for you,” I said.
“I ain't sayin' nothin'!” he protested.
“I want to know about the Apostles,” I told him, drawing my sword. “Tell me what I wanna know.
Abdalin then showed up, slamming a tray on the table text to us, containing four small glasses of translucent brown liquid
“I got us some shots!” he said.
I took one of the shotglasses and splashed its contents in Wolfie's face, then handed the glass back to Abdalin.
“I don't like whiskey,” I told him. “Order me some vodka.”
Abdalin nodded and tuened away.
“Now, talk to me,” I told Wolfie.
“No,” he insisted.
I continued pressuring him until Abdalin brought me my shot. I tossed it back, almost choking on the harsh taste of it Haven't had a shot in a while. Almost forgot how terrible they taste.
“Should have ordered a chaser,” I muttered.
I raised my sword to his throat, and it started to glow red.
“My hands aren't too steady when I'm buzzed,” I told him. “Tell me about the Apostles.”
He seemed genuinely scared now, but he kept his lips tight.
“Abdalin,” I said. “Get me another shot.”
“Look!” Wolfie exclaimed. “Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't!”
“And why not!?” Seraph demanded.
I had been afraid of this outcome. I lowered my blade and sighed.
“It's him, isn't it?” I asked. “The one who can make you do things against your will, without questioning it. He ordered you to keep quiet, didn't he?”
He didn't answer, but I could see in his expression that it was true.
“Damn it,” I said, sheathing my sword.
I looked around the bar. Everyone there was watching us with a kind of morbid interest. But there was one guy in particular who caught my eye. He sat by himself, a few tables away fro us, dressed mostly in black, with a gold chain wrapped around one arm. A bit of the chain dangled from his fingers, with a circular blade bearing the symbol of the twin triangles at its end. It swung back and forth, like a pendulum. I could feel the Archangel within him
“Daniel resisted that guy's influence,” Seraph said, from behind me.
The man with the chain stood up, and reached into his vest.
“Maybe this guy could too,” Seraph continued. “With the right persuasion.”
“I doubt it,” Abdalin said. “Few people are as stubborn as Daniel is.”
The man drew a knife from his vest and raised it above his head.
It turned to the others and shouted “Get down!”
The knife whizzed past my head and sank into Wolfie's skull. He gasped a little, then fell silent.
“I'm sorry,” the man said. “Were you finished with that?”
I glared angrily at the man, but before I could say anything spiteful to him, I noticed something. Looking closer at his vest, I recognized it. He caught me looking and smiled.
“Look familiar?” he said. “It should. Used to be yours.”
Which I'm pretty sure is impossible. That vest was destroyed a long time ago. How could he have it, in perfect condition like that?
“You're an Apostle, aren't you!?” I demanded.
“Right you are,” he said, as a strange red light slithered across his chain for a few seconds. “I am the angel's Pendulum.”
“Good for you,” I said, drawing my sword. “I'm his murderer.”
“Let's not get violent just yet,” Pendulum said. “I just came for a few drinks. Fighting you now would be both impractical and counterproductive.”
“What do you mean 'counterproductive'?” I demanded.
“It's complicated,” he said, walking to the door.
“What about him?” I asked, gesturing to Wolfie. “He's one of your own! Why did you kill him?”
“Just business,” he said, walking out the door and onto the sidewalk.
I followed him outside as he walked to the street corner. Seraph and Tsu were close behind me.
“What was his name!?” I called.
Excuse me?” Pendulum responded, nonchalantly.
“What was his name?” I said again. “Who was he!?”
“The fuck do I care?” Pendulum responded.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean!?” I demanded. “He was one of your men! How can you just not care about who he was!”
“Listen here, pipsqueak!” Pendulum shouted back, somewhat frustrated. “He is a Timberwolf! Timberwolves are trained to accept death! To embrace the Archangel! To welcome their demise with open arms!”
He narrowed his eyes at me, and for a moment, I could swear that his eyes and hair gained shades of dark violet.
“What use is an identity to a man like that?” he asked.
I didn't have a response to that. I just stood there for a moment, not sure of what to say.
“I'm out of here,” Pendulum said. “But first...”
With a flick of his arm, he sent his razor flying in our direction. It buried itself into Seraph's arm just before he yanked it back. She cried out in pain, clutching the deep gash it had left there. And that's where I drew the goddamn line. I charged at him, drawing my sword as I did. It burst into bright crimson flames as I swung it, but he vanished just as it passed through the space he had been.
It stood there in silence for a little while before turning back to the others.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“I can get this stitched up,” Tsu replied. “No sweat.”
“I'll be fine,” Seraph said. “Thanks.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, but I was still concerned and pissed off. Abdalin appeared at my side, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You okay?” he asked me.
“I'm fine,” I replied.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Why do you keep asking?”
“Look behind you,” he said.
I did. I was fairly stunned by what I saw. The traffic light at the corner was lying in the middle of the empty intersection. I hadn't even noticed it before. It had been felled, and the sliced edges of it were still burning with red flames.
“D-did I...?” I stammered.
I looked down at the sword in my hand, still burning with red hot fury.
“Did I do this?” I muttered quietly.
“ParaDan doesn't use the same sword as you,” Abdalin pointed out.
He was right. The only weapon I had ever seen ParaDan wield was that rapier of his, with its sinister aura and dark presence.
“He must have owned it at some point in his timeline,” Abdalin said. “But he know longer does, for some reason.”
I gulped, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.
“Perhaps,” Abdalin continued, “That wakizashi is more dangerous than the Mercygiver he chose to equip himself with.”

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