Elise walked up the stairs of the tower, wondering about the last three days. After the daemon had attacked Alex, it hadn't shown itself anywhere. Alex thought it was because it knew it was up against something more powerful than itself, but he wasn't sure. The autopsy results showed total invulnerability to any form of attack. Bullets, blades, explosives, nothing worked. Then Alex tried torching it, and he almost destroyed the entire sample. He had left soon after, mumbling something about this being the final straw, and freedom. That's what she was going to ask him about.
As she neared the door, she heard voices. Faintly, she could hear Alex talking to someone. She couldn't make out their words until she got to the door itself. She tried to remember where she had heard the other voice. She also couldn't recall if anyone other that the City Guard had come in or out of the palace in the last few days. She put an ear to the door and listened.
"I don't care. I already told you. Paying customers are exempt as long as they are paying."
"Then you will wait until you have no paying customers, and you will do as ordered."
Orders? Who's orders was he supposed to follow?
"No deal. There has to be another way. I'll find you one. You report back that I'm unwilling to proceed, due to personal reasons. I will attempt to find an alternative."
"And if you can't?"
The next words somehow gave Elise chills.
"Shit happens."
"Very well. I will pass on the message." There was a pause. Elise could hear a lighter, and an exhale shortly after. "But, now I must be off. You should get back to work. I'm sure you know that other hunters will need that English copy of the Folio." She heard Alex grunt. She opened the door.
I turned as I heard the footsteps. "Mornin', sweetheart. You look tired." She took in my clothes. I was wearing a simple dark blue t-shirt and blue jeans, with black shoes. My jumpsuit was being repaired after the attack. "Well, it's nice to see you wearing something more appropriate for the day, even if you still haven't taken the glasses off." She moved over to the balcony where I stood. "I thought I didn't want any smoking while indoors?" I looked at the cigarette in my hand. "That's why I'm on the balcony. Was there something you wanted? I've got a lot of work to do." She looked peeved. "Listen, I am the monarch of this country, and I expect more than that, in terms of attitude, out of you." "Listen, sweetheart, I do what I do. There is no exception. You could be the ruler of the universe, and I still wouldn't care. Now, you wanted something?" She leaned on the rail. "Yes. I heard some voices in here on my way up, but there's no one else here." Something reflected in her expression. I could tell she knew she was headed into dangerous territory with that question. "Oh, that. That was just an old audio log I recorded years ago. I was reviewing them to decide whether to keep them."
I walked over to the bar I had put in to mix drinks. "Drinking at 10 in the morning, eh? Somehow, this comes as no surprise." I ignored her, instead focusing on the cocktail I was mixing. I measured the absinthe, creme de menthe, vodka, and the milk, then shook them over ice. I strained into a collins glass with ice, and drank. "What are you drinking?" I felt the familiar warm sensation of the thujone moving through my system. "Green Russian. Have they found anything about the daemon's lair yet?"
"Yes. It seems that it has made a home in Kingdom Valley, where the ruins of the old royal palace stand." I eyed her curiously. "This didn't start a month ago. It began prior to that, didn't it?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, you trespassed on it's lair long enough for it to mark you, and now it wants blood. Well, normally I would simply say to make peace with your god, but I'm willing to go farther, since I have my own reasons to do this." "Very well. I will take you to Kingdom Valley. Just tell me when you are ready."