IMPORTANT! - This story is on a hiatus. I have no idea if/when I will continue it. If you decide to read the story, please keep in mind that it's unfinished.
DEMONIC DREAMS
Chapter 1
"Hsi Wu, what are you doing?"
The sky demon flinched and turned around as he heard his sister's voice.
"Nothing," he snapped and tried to hide something in his big claws. It was a useless attempt because Bai Tsa knew better than well what her weak brother was guarding. She had been keeping an eye on him for a while now and believed she was the only one who knew of his dirty secret.
"It's that mortal machine, isn't it?" she asked slyly and brushed Hsi Wu's cheek with the tip of her tail. He glared at her.
"What if it is?" he growled.
Bai Tsa laughed. "And it has moving pictures of that mortal girl who ruined our chance of freedom, am I correct? I wonder why you're so attracted to watching her?" she asked.
"Seeing her face and listening to her voice remind me of how much I hate her. There will be a time for my revenge..." the sky demon muttered and slit his eyes to something only he could see.
"As you wish," Bai Tsa said softly. She knew what Hsi Wu was really looking for in the machine. He didn't gaze at it to feed his thirst for revenge, but to fuel something entirely else. The water demon shook her head to herself. Sometimes she thought Hsi Wu was the sickest of her brothers. He had always lusted after child slaves.
Out of a sudden thought she dove at her brother and snatched the camera from him. Hsi Wu yelled in surprise and anger and jumped at his sister. However, he was too slow and the water demon had already sped away, slithering to another direction with surprising agility.
"Give that back!" the sky demon growled and flew after her.
Bai Tsa passed Po Kong who was sitting on a rock and looking very bored.
"I stole Hsi Wu's pleasure thing!" the water demon exclaimed, but the mountain demon didn't even blink. I guess she's sleeping her eyes closed again, Bai Tsa thought to herself. Oh well, she could have fun even without her sister.
She glanced behind her back and noticed that Hsi Wu was getting a little too close. The water demon increased her speed. Her heart was beating in her chest. Finally something exciting! She laughed as she ran from her brother and pressed his beloved camera against her chest.
Hsi Wu would catch her; she had known that from the beginning. But the fun didn't have to end just yet. A little out of breath, she stopped on a wide rock and turned to look at her approaching brother.
"Look what I've got!" Bai Tsa triumphed and raised the camera above her head to annoy the other demon.
"Give that back if you don't want to get seriously hurt!" Hsi Wu growled a warning. His red eyes burned with hatred. He must really want that little girl, Bai Tsa thought a little disturbed. Even she found Hsi Wu's tastes slightly shocking.
"And what do you think you can do?" she asked playfully.
"Anything I want. Tchang Zu and the rest are having fun with Shendu and nobody will hear your screams," the sky demon threatened.
Bai Tsa laughed at his face. "You're amusing, Hsi Wu," she said. In truth she didn't want to anger her brother too much. After all, his claws were sharp. Getting a closer look at them wasn't one of her main priorities at the moment. But some fun every now and then wasn't wrong, right?
"Give it back!"
Bai Tsa sighed. "Can't you come up with anything else? Imagine, I already thought you were cleverer than Dai Gui..." She brought the camera in front of her face and gave it a thoughtful eye. "Well, if you like it so much... Catch!"
Without a warning she hurled it away. For a moment both demons watched it fly, but then Hsi Wu rose to his wings and dove after it. Bai Tsa sighed.
It had been fun while it had lasted. In frustration she slithered away, not knowing how to amuse herself next.
"Hsi Wu can be so ridiculous," she muttered. "Drooling after such a mortal girl. She doesn't even have curves!" She had always found Hsi Wu's lovers peculiar. Like that horrible insect creature... Bai Tsa couldn't remember her name anymore, but she had looked terrifying. She could still remember how shocked she had been to find out that the thing was female.
And unfortunately that was one of her clearest memories.
She landed to lie on a stone and slashed the air with her tail. Perhaps Hsi Wu was just being desperate. It was over a thousand years since any of them had enjoyed the pleasures of flesh and Bai Tsa had to admit that if a man, anyone, was offered to her, she'd take the chance.
Now that she thought about it, she didn't understand why she hadn't enjoyed herself during her short freedom. Unlike many of her siblings, she had had the opportunity.
"If that stupid Shendu had done something right for a change, I'd still be free," she muttered angrily. For a moment she considered joining her siblings and letting Shendu see just how much she hated him. Then she decided against it. She wasn't in a cruel enough mood yet.
Valmont was in the most perfect of moods. He was back in San Francisco and most of all, he was free! Free of Shendu and his horrible siblings forever. Never again would he have to look at red eyes, hear hissing threats or waste one single thought at Chinese magic.
Yes, Valmont was planning a completely magic-free, brilliant future.
A quick glance at his Swiss back account had shown him that he still had a little money. Not much though, since Shendu had spent a fortune on travelling and buying himself a small collection of antiques and neglected all of the Brit's business. None of his old business partners were in contact with him.
But he didn't care. He was free to start everything from the beginning. He had already contacted his men and he believed he could convince them that in the end it was the best to return to his service. Of course, he wouldn't be able to pay them right now, but he doubted that mattered much.
He had problems too, though. Chan now knew of the Dark Hand hideout at the Helms Fish Cannery and he couldn't return there. Not that he missed the horrible, vile place, but a roof on top of one's head was never a bad thing.
He had been forced into renting a small apartment from a shady neighbourhood. It was far from everything that was important to him and the baby next door kept him awake every night. It would just have to do until he had regained his chance of getting something a little more tolerable.
Valmont stopped to take a look at his reflection in a shop's window. No demon staring back at him. Only his own painfully handsome face. He smiled to himself and straightened his tie a little. He was just about to continue his walk when he noticed something he simply couldn't pass.
An old woman had stopped right next to him to look at the same window and the goods behind it. She was black and dressed in a thick coat. Her face was covered in wrinkles, but two dark and lively eyes stared from the middle of them. She was holding a purse, practically clutching it against herself. There had to be something really valuable in there.
Valmont smirked to himself and glanced around. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but there was nobody around, and she didn't look like she could do something. With one step he shoved her away and grabbed her purse.
"Hey! Give it back!" She turned out to be surprisingly fast and grabbed Valmont's worn-out suit.
"Let go of me!" Valmont snapped and tried to push her away. She fought against him like an enraged dog and the Brit started regretting he had done anything. Petty crimes weren't his style anyway. But when one was on the bottom...
The woman caught a hold of Valmont's hair. He struggled and managed to free himself, but he had to pay a price in the form of a handful of white hair. Valmont yelped in pain and glared at the woman.
"Watch what you're doing!" he snapped, but thought it would be for the best to run while it was still possible. He pressed the stolen purse against his chest and dashed off.
"You'll pay for this, you- !" the woman shouted after him.
Well, this was useless, Valmont thought as he went through his catch. There was nothing of value in the purse. It was filled with bags containing some sort of herbs and a few strange necklaces. He found a few bucks, but that was it.
"This wasn't worth the trouble," he said and rubbed the skin on his head where the woman had attacked his hair. Good thing the loss wasn't too big and Valmont believed nobody would notice a thing.
He threw the purse into a garbage bin and walked away.
"I am so bored!" Bai Tsa growled at Xiao Fung. The wind demon rested on a stone with half closed eyes.
"Then come up with something to do," he yawned.
Bai Tsa looked at him in disgust. "How can you just sleep there? Don't you have anything else in mind?" she asked.
Xiao Fung opened his eyes and looked at his sister with a wide smile. "No," he said and rested his huge head on his paws. "Sleeping is the best thing you can do here - after torturing Shendu, of course."
Bai Tsa only sighed in frustration. Sleeping... She didn't want to sleep! She wanted to experience something real. "You're horrible!" she snapped to her already sleeping brother and slithered away. Her brows were in an angry frown and her movements edgy.
She had to get out! She wanted to live! This pathetic dimension where she was locked in offered her nothing. Now that she had been free for one, sweet moment it felt intolerable to think that never again would she see anything but rocks and the red sky. Hear nothing but the arguments of her siblings...
Bai Tsa grabbed her head and screamed with rage. "I want out of here!" In her sudden anger she dashed away without thinking where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted as far away from her siblings as possible.
Red sky and brown rocks flashed in her eyes as she slithered among them. Perhaps she somehow thought she'd break free again if she just continued long enough and was desperate enough.
Finally she crashed into a rock and lay on it, panting. The water demon didn't know how far she had come or where she was, but she was no longer interested. "I wish I were at least dead," she muttered to herself.
"This would never have happened in New Orleans!" Ann Bourbon told her daughter as she stepped inside.
"What?" her daughter, Marie, asked patiently. She wore an indifferent expression. She had thought her mother was odd back when she had lived in New Orleans. Now that she only saw her mother when she came to visit, Marie knew she was insane when the mood hit her.
"I was assaulted in bright daylight! And he was a Brit, too!" Ann snapped and slammed the door shut. Her face was burning with anger as she sat next to Marie.
"What? Are you alright?" Marie asked in worry. Why was it that her mother got into these messes every time she was away from home?
"Of course I am, but he stole my purse! Thank God I didn't have anything valuable there," Ann said.
"Everything's fine, then?"
"Fine? No! 'Sall because of this city! If you hadn't married that salesman and moved away this wouldn't have happened! Why didn't you marry Willy and stay home? You really hate your own family that much?" Ann ranted and Marie rolled her eyes. She had already heard this lecture and knew it by heart.
"Mom, please. We've talked about this. George's a good man and we like this city. His father lives here and needs someone to take care of him. And it's just as good as New Orleans," she said.
Ann snorted. "Bah! I should curse that man of yours along with that Brit..."
A careful expression appeared in Marie's eyes. "Mom, what are you going to do? Haven't I told you that you shouldn't play with those toys? You'll hurt someone." Her mother's hobby, as she thought of it, had always made her feel uneasy. Marie was a modern woman all the way through and didn't believe in anything supernatural and she didn't like her mother being so involved with the nonsense.
"Toys? Look what this city has done to you, darling. These toys, like you call them, are part of our culture and identity. When used right they offer enormous power. Just think about Marie Laveau!" Ann snapped sharply.
"She lived over a century ago. We, on the other hand, live in the present day and voodoo is no longer anything but games and childish gris gris. Love potions, causing a stomach ache to horrible neighbours and lucky charms," Marie tried to explain. "Just let the man go." The last thing she wanted was to have her mother sued by someone whom she had tried to curse.
Ann rose to her feet and eyed her daughter murderously. "That's it! I'm not going to listen to how you insult our ancestors' religion! I was going to give him a small warning, but now I see that you must be reminded of the true power of voodoo!" she threatened and waved strands of white hair in her hand.
"Mom, don't..." Marie asked, but she couldn't make her mother change her mind.
"Don't say a thing. That man will learn he shouldn't step on my toes."
Valmont didn't notice anything odd when he went to sleep.
Bai Tsa's eyes were closed. She was tired. Physically because she had exhausted herself in her anger, and mentally because there was no hope of escaping. She was trapped forever.
The rock was hard under her scales and she moved her tail lazily. It had been so long since the ancient times. Her memories of family, friends, slaves and lovers had faded and she could no longer remember what their voices had sounded like. Faces were nothing but blur.
For centuries she had had nobody but her siblings. Through some miracle she hadn't lost her mind, even if everything else was gone. She tried to recall the face of her last lover. He had been a demon of dew and more delicate than the majority of demons. His name had been...
The water demon realised that she couldn't remember. Years had erased the name that had used to be on her lips in the darkest hours of the night. What good was it to dream of someone whose name you could no longer recall?
Since the past offered so little to remember, Bai Tsa concentrated on the present. She thought about her short freedom and the sea. About everything she had done, experienced and seen. The ruined city of Atlantis and the high buildings of the mortals. Shendu who had foiled everything, as usual.
Bai Tsa sighed. Thinking about Shendu reminded her of someone else. Her brother had been sealed in a very interesting body. What had his name been again?
She tried to remember the name. Valm... ont? She couldn't be sure. It had been indifferent to her back then, and she regretted it a little now. He had been an interesting mortal. Brave enough to disobey Shendu and stupid enough to expect help from a demon.
Bai Tsa imagined.
The room was dim and candles spread fading, playing light around. The ground under her was soft and cool.
Bai Tsa sat up and looked at herself. Her scales were gone and instead of a tail she had two delicate legs. She lifted one and let her hands travel down her calf to her ankle. All she was wearing was a loose, brown robe made of silk.
The next thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone. There was a man next to her. And not just any man either. She would have recognised that white hair and strong nose anywhere. He was wearing something Bai Tsa suspected of being some modern piece of cloth.
"This is strange," she muttered to herself. Was she dreaming? She had never had dreams about men as she had always been able to fulfil her desires in real life. Not even the countless years in the Netherworld had changed that.
For a while she just sat there, but then she bent closer to whisper something into the sleeping man's ear. If she was dreaming, why not enjoy it? The man woke up with a start and looked at her in surprise, clearly not understanding anything.
"Who are you?" he asked as he sat up. "And where am I?"
"What does it matter, Valmont?" Bai Tsa asked hoping that she had got the name right.
"How do you know my name? What is going on in here?" Valmont asked. He looked like he was about to stand up and try finding an exit in the room.
"Shut up, fool!" Bai Tsa snapped and pushed the man down on his back. She pressed a kiss on his lips, not caring about that Valmont didn't respond to it. In fact, he was struggling against her. She didn't mind.
Soon she would take her real form and then the fun would begin...
"Bai Tsa, what are you doing?"
Now it was Hsi Wu's turn to interrupt someone in a private moment. Bai Tsa's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly.
"How dare you creep on me like that?" she asked, quite too aware of the blush on her face.
Hsi Wu chuckled to himself and turned to fly away, leaving a very angry Bai Tsa behind. The water demon glared after her brother and swore she'd hurt him later.
Her dream has seemed very real. In fact, it had almost left her in a very non-satisfied state. When she closed her eyes she could almost feel it all again.
"Fascinating," Bai Tsa muttered. Dreams weren't supposed to be that real. It was as if she had actually experienced all that. It was possible with strong spells, but she dismissed that thought. She hadn't cast any and there was nobody else who might have.
Perhaps she would have to talk to Tso Lan about it? He knew more about dreams and their messages than anyone else in the family. On the other hand, Bai Tsa wasn't particularly eager to explain this dream to her older brother.
"Gah!"
Valmont sat up panting and pressed his hand against his chest. He couldn't remember when he had last time had such a real dream. The subject had been great, but he felt everything but good.
He felt like something really horrible and dirty had been about to happen. It confused and worried him since he had never been very conservative about his night life.
"I hope I'm not going insane," he muttered. It was shocking that a dream about a beautiful woman made him so nervous.
He drew a quick breath and wiped sweat off his brow. His hand shook a little and he really wanted to take a shower. A pity he didn't have one in the small hole he called home. At least he had a sink which he used to wash his face.
Valmont hoped the dream wouldn't come back.
"Hey, Big V, you look sick. Did you sleep at all last night?"
Valmont turned to glare at the red-haired man by his side. "I slept quite enough, thank you!" he snapped and Finn shrugged with an annoyed expression.
"Fine, fine. Just trying to be polite here," he muttered and shot a knowing glance at his friends around the table.
"I don't pay you for that," Valmont stated.
"Last time I checked you didn't pay me for anything right now." Ratso and Chow nodded to Finn's words and Valmont felt a strong desire to kick the three out. He suppressed the feeling though because - as much as he hated admitting it - he needed the trio if he wanted to get back on top.
"It doesn't have to stay that way. I have a plan," he said and flashed a self-confident grin at the others.
"I hope it's not like the 'Get that statue for me. I feel it'll bring us luck.' plan," Ratso said brewing his coffee.
"Stop it! I don't have to include you. Out there is an entire line of men waiting to get into my service!" Valmont snapped. Okay, perhaps that wasn't true, but that wasn't the point.
"Just tell us the plan. Then we'll see what we're going to do. There are other jobs available and considering how we got screwed up last time..." Finn said.
"Fine." Valmont spent a moment looking everyone in the eyes. "It's very simple. I know a small but expensive jewellery store. I've been keeping an eye on the place and the owner takes his money to the bank every Friday, always at the same time. If we take the place on Thursday night we'll get a nice basis for rebuilding the Dark Hand," he explained.
Finn didn't look convinced. "And the risks? What about the alarm system?" he wanted to know.
"Nothing out of ordinary. Breaking the window will cause the police to arrive, but we're still going to have enough time to collect our share and leave," Valmont said.
"And how do we do that?" Chow asked in suspicion.
"Yeah. We don't even have a car," Ratso said. He sipped his coffee. It was already cold, but he didn't seem to mind.
"We don't need a car as we're not even going to travel on land," Valmont said and leaned back in his chair with a smug expression in his eyes. He so loved to show off.
"Then how?"
"It looks like you've completely forgotten that the Dark Hand isn't completely in ruins yet. We still have a helicopter."
"You do realise that it arouses much more attention and is easier to track than a car?" Finn asked.
"I'm the brains of this operation. I'll take care of everything!" Valmont said. "I already contacted Hak Foo and he agreed to accompany us."
"Then it's the old gang again," Ratso stated.
"Yeah, except Shendu," Chow added.
Valmont frowned and glared at the Chinaman.
"I'd be very happy if none of you mentioned that cursed demon ever again," he said icily. The mere thought of demons made his blood boil.
"You're oddly quiet, sister," Tso Lan pointed out. Bai Tsa just shrugged and flashed a smile at her brother.
"I don't feel like raging at anyone right now," she admitted. "Not even Shendu."
"How peculiar. Are you positive you aren't feeling ill?" Tso Lan asked. Bai Tsa heard neither worry nor humour in her brother's voice. He was being his usual expressionless self.
"Come on," she said playfully.
"I have the feeling that you aren't telling me everything. Our chances of freedom were shattered a while ago. I'd think you would be in a slightly darker mood because of that," the moon demon said.
"Well, the situation isn't entirely new. We've been here for centuries and it's not going to change in a while," Bai Tsa said, now a lot more angrily than a while ago. Damn that Tso Lan. He never brought anything but unhappiness wherever he went.
"Indeed. That is why I came to talk to you. Shendu has made the others believe he has a new, almost finished plan. What do you think?" Tso Lan asked.
Bai Tsa snorted. "Him? That whimpering idiot has never come up with a bright idea," she said.
"So you don't think we should put much weight on his words?"
"What can he do? He is in an even worse situation than we, since we still possess solid bodies," Bai Tsa said.
Tso Lan said nothing to that. However, Bai Tsa knew that he wasn't finished with her yet. She didn't tell her brother to go on. He would do that in any case.
The two siblings stood in silence and neither felt the desire to continue the conversation. Aside from Po Kong, Tso Lan was the only member of the family with whom Bai Tsa could just sit with without doing or saying a thing.
"What? You can't back away now!" Valmont shouted and stared at Finn, Chow and Ratso in confusion. The trio faced their employer without even blinking.
"When we made the deal you forgot to mention that only the three of us would be going down," the Irishman stated dryly. "I think you just wanted someone stupid enough to take all the risks. That's not us."
"But..." Valmont looked from one man to another. "You can't do this! Everything is ready!"
"How? We still don't know anything about this brilliant plan of yours. Knowing you there isn't one and you just decided to send us to danger hoping that somehow we make it," Chow said.
Valmont couldn't believe what he was hearing. When had his Enforcers had had enough time to grow a spine?
"But what about the money? We'll be rich after this!" he attempted.
Finn, Chow and Ratso glanced at each other and had a quick conversation.
"Fine," Finn said. "We agree on one condition. We want everything to be shared equally."
"Of course. Half to me, half to you," Valmont agreed at once.
"There are five of us in this. Sounds interesting that four have to share the other half," Chow pointed out.
"Yeah. We want everyone to get a fair share. In fact, we should get more since we're the ones getting into danger while you and Hak Foo just sit up here," Ratso added.
For a while Valmont could do nothing but stare at the trio. Could this be true? Since when had it become his responsibility to share his money with the Enforcers? He was boiling inside, but somehow managed to control himself. He couldn't ruin this now.
"As you wish," he said poisonously. The mere thought of part of the money - his money - ending up in the hands of those fools angered him. "Everyone into the copter! Now!" he snapped.
His men did as they were told and soon they were all aboard. Hak Foo sat in the pilot's seat and didn't even nod at the rest.
Valmont walked to the back where he had stored a few wooden boxes. He opened them and put a cap on his head. Then he started going through the items and eventually pulled out a green vest and a video camera that looked like it had seen brighter days. He gave the vest to Hak Foo and placed the camera on his own shoulder.
"Big V, what are you doing?" Finn asked.
"Ensuring our escape. We are going to disguise ourselves as a film group so that nobody is going to be paying attention to us," the Brit explained. Hak Foo put on the vest and looked at it with a lifted brow. The letters BBC were written on it in huge white letters.
"Whatever you say," Finn stated. Hak Foo pulled the helicopter into the air while Valmont put on an identical vest. That, the cap and the camera made him look like a cliché wannabe movie director.
It took about twenty minutes before they were in the right place. Hak Foo took the copter as down as he could and Finn, Chow and Ratso climbed down. Valmont watched them go and held the camera tightly.
It was an old piece of junk that he had bought in someone's garage sale. He hadn't even bothered finding out if it worked because it served no purpose in his plan. After he had done a few adjustments it wouldn't have worked anyway.
He glanced at his clock when the scream of alarms alerted him. Few minutes passed and he gave his men a mental note to hurry. The police would be swarming around the place soon enough and his brilliant plan wouldn't be of any use if they were caught.
Finally he was able to sigh in relief when he saw the trio dash back and climb up. Valmont told Hak Foo to pull up and fly away.
"Hurry now!" he shouted at his men who were doing their best at climbing up with the copter on the move.
"It's not as easy as it - hey!" Finn, who was the first to arrive, stated but Valmont merely snatched the Irishman's bag. He opened it and pulled out a handful of jewels.
Money! He was rich!
Valmont couldn't stop the grin of victory from appearing to his face. He stepped aside so that the rest of his men could climb in and then closed the door.
"Brilliant!" he congratulated them and felt surprisingly enthusiastic - for the first time after Shendu had possessed him.
"I hope your escape plan is as brilliant as this," Hak Foo stated. Valmont hurried to the man's side and instantly saw what was going on. A police helicopter was getting closer.
"Give the loot to me!" he snapped at his men and opened the video camera, showing the others that it was nothing but an empty shell. The Brit stuffed all the robbed jewellery and money into it and closed it again.
"What are you going to do?" Chow asked but Valmont only told them to retreat to the back.
The police helicopter had appeared out of nowhere and hovered in the air in front of them.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" an officer with a megaphone asked them. Valmont opened the door and peered outside. His long hair was soon a mess because of the currents of air, and he had to slit his eyes.
"We're from BBC!" he shouted as loudly as he could. Hopefully the police would hear him. "We're filming a TV show about the nightlife in San Francisco for the British television!" The camera on his shoulder made him look almost convincing.
"We are going to have to ask you to land immediately," they were told. Valmont asked Hak Foo to obey and the warrior took the copter to the roof of a near by building. The police copter followed and soon two armed men asked them to step out.
"What is going on?" Valmont asked in fake irritation. At the same time he was glad neither Section 13 nor 12 was here. Someone from there might have recognised them.
"Just do as we say and everything will be fine," one of the officers said. "So, you're from England?"
"Yes, or I am. The others are locals I hired. We're doing a reality TV show about these men." Valmont pointed to Finn, Chow and Ratso as he spoke. "They're competing on which of them gets the most women in the shortest amount of time," he explained.
Both officers chuckled. It looked like it was a show to their liking. Then they grew serious again.
"We're sorry to bother you, but we have to search your helicopter. There has been a robbery and we suspect the culprits fled by a copter. A routine check, you understand," one of them said.
"Of course. Go ahead," Valmont said with a smile. The officers climbed into the helicopter and went through everything from the boxes to possible hidden lockers. After a while they had to give up.
"Looks like you have nothing to do with this," the taller one said. Then his attention suddenly turned to Valmont's camera. "Hey, are you filming this?"
Valmont blinked. "Uh... of course! The Englishmen love nothing more than seeing hunky American police officers in action! This will make a brilliant special episode!" he replied quickly.
The officers stood straighter. One of them winked at the camera. "Wait 'till my wife hears about this."
They were asked a few questions and given phone numbers in case they remembered anything peculiar, but soon it was over and they could leave. After getting back into the air everyone sighed in relief.
"Whoa, it worked!" Chow said in surprise.
"Of course it did! It was my idea!" Valmont said and didn't even feel like getting annoyed at the man's comment. He was in a too brilliant mood and he felt like nothing could have ruined it.
What they did after that was obvious. After hiding the helicopter to an old warehouse on the edges of the city they dashed to the nearest bar to celebrate their first victory in a long time.
Hak Foo, who was clearly the calmest of them, bent closer to Finn. "Do you think it's such a good idea to let him drink that much?" he whispered.
The Irishman only shrugged and snorted. Valmont was obviously having a great time and he had lost count on how many glasses he had drunk.
"Nah, let him be. He hasn't had much to celebrate lately. Just like us," Finn said and Hak Foo realised that perhaps he should learn to relax a little. Still, watching how Valmont got wasted he felt that he should have done something about it.
His suspicions turned out to be justified when Valmont collapsed on the table.
When Valmont opened his eyes he noticed that he was back in the strange room. He sat up and looked around.
It looked like he was inside of a hut made of earth and branches and lit by candles. The floor was simply earth and there was no furniture. A few clay vases stood on the other side of the room. On top of that the strange woman was still there dressed in the brown robe. Valmont himself was wearing something he never thought he would.
I look just like Chan, he thought to himself as he looked at the explorer's uniform on him.
"Hello," the woman said. She had long, curly black hair and was clearly Asian. Her eyes were black as coal, her skin a shade darker than Valmont's and she lay curled on the floor.
"Who are you?" Valmont asked. Of course, this was only a dream, he understood that, but he still didn't want to have anything to do with her before he at least knew her name. What had almost happened last time could not be repeated.
"What does it matter?" the woman asked and her eyes travelled around his body. Unlike last time, she didn't charge straight at him.
Valmont didn't like it how she looked at him as if he was a piece of meat at the butcher's. He was used to being the one in control.
"To me it matters," he stated coldly. "I have no intention of doing anything with you before I know something." He couldn't believe that he was saying that to a creation of his own imagination. And yet, no other dream had felt this real and he could have almost sworn that the woman was of flesh and blood.
She leaned on her hands and bent closer. Her hair tickled Valmont's face."You'll learn of me... sooner or later."
Valmont could have sworn that there was something malicious about the woman's smile and that her eyes flashes threateningly. Perhaps that too was just part of this dream.
"I'd rather learn something now," he said, but she silenced him with a kiss as she climbed on top of him.
Well, Valmont was still suspicious, but why should he have said no? It was just a dream, nothing was real. All he had to do was enjoy it while it lasted.
He lifted his hand to caress the woman's back and drew her closer. Her skin was soft under her robe.
"Wait," she said and planted soft kisses at his neck while trying to open the buttons of his shirt. Valmont closed his eyes and at first he liked what the woman was doing to him, but then something changed.
The skin that had been soft just a moment ago started feeling rough against him and he felt like she had turned... taller and heavier than before. Valmont opened his eyes.
For a second his eyes were the size of saucers and his mouth hang open. Then he did what every sensible man would have done in that situation, screamed in horror.
"Aah! Demon!" he yelped and jumped to the other side of the room. He backed as far away as he could and looked at the female with a mixture of disgust and terror. Bai Tsa!
"Oh, I can't believe this! I almost did it with a demon! I need a shower!" he wailed and begged that it was just a dream - well, it was, but it seemed more like a nightmare to him.
Bai Tsa stared at him with confusion and anger. "You aren't supposed to act like that! Come back here!" she demanded.
"No! I will never touch you!"
"You don't have the right to refuse! This is my dream, my fantasy, and you aren't even real!" Bai Tsa snapped.
There mere thought that an overgrown fish was having fantasies about him made Valmont feel sick. He was afraid of throwing up on the floor.
"Your dream? No, this is mine," he replied. "Go away at once! Shoo!"
For a while Bai Tsa only glared at him with an expressionless face. "What do you mean, mortal? Are you real?" she asked.
"Real? Of course I'm real!" Valmont said and then he understood it. Bai Tsa was a real too, not a creation of his - perhaps sick and twisted - imagination. In a way it calmed him down because it meant that he wasn't having wet dreams about a demon. On the other hand, he was stuck with her and didn't have any idea what was going on.
"How can this be? I'm supposed to be locked in the Netherworld!" Bai Tsa let out. "What is this place?"
Valmont took a look around. Everything was just like it had been, though now he paid more attention to the exit on Bai Tsa's side of the room.
"I'd rather hear why we're here," he said. Now that he had got over the first shock he felt nothing but deep disgust for the demon and slight worry about what she might do to him.
"An interesting question," Bai Tsa said. "But it does beat the Netherworld." She tried to slither closer, but Valmont did his best to keep her away.
"Don't get any closer! Go away!" he panicked. For a moment the water demon stood his ridiculous behaviour, but then she gave him a slap.
Valmont woke up screaming like a man who was being skinned alive.
"Nooo! This can't be!"
To be continued...
Something to say before I let you go. I have nothing against the Enforcers. I'm mostly writing them from Valmont's POV in the first chapters, and he tends to view them a little like that. There will be side plots with the Enforcers later and they'll get to show everyone what they are really made of.
And secondly (God, will I ever stop?), the references to Hsi Wu and Jade's camera are something I've wanted to get out of my chest for a while. I'm annoyed at that so many people seem to think that the show has some Hsi Wu/Jade subtext. It's a great couple and all that, but if he had developed a crush on her he would be a paedophile. How romantic is that, I ask you.
