How did it come to this? Just how in the hell had she gone from a sweet little angel with a thing for purple to a scantily-clad, gun wielding babe in the middle of a crowd of angry demons? She didn't mean that question literally, of course: she was scantily-clad because an angel hooker was the only cover that could get her into a place like this; she held a machine gun because the magic bag of concealment Mr. Sinclair had given her couldn't hide any holy items, and an M-16 assault rifle was the next best thing for killing demons besides her holy sword; and the 'babe' part? Well, when you spend half your time fighting demons and the other half making hot, wild love to one, you come out looking pretty good (if she did say so herself).
But seriously now: how had she gone from cute little Kieri Suzahn to Kieri Elexion: Demon killer extraordinaire? Not that she was complaining. I mean, she just back-flipped off a dance table and onto the chest of some demon, rifle blasting the entire time, and that was pretty cool. But what a transformation! Maybe it all started after Kazai died...
NO! She was NOT thinking about that right now! She had a job to finish, damn it! She still hadn't gotten the signal from Buwaro telling her he'd found Lazuli, so she still needed to keep everyone up here distracted. At least she was good at distractions.
One of the demons recollected enough of his marbles from her flash bomb to rush at her and swipe a few times with his claws. She dodged each one of his attacks and blew him away with one well-placed shot between the eyes. The rest of the bar's patrons were finally figuring out that shit was getting real and stampeded for the exits while she sent bullets right over their heads. As the last demon scampered out, she paused to survey her handiwork: two dead demon warlords, a dead bodyguard and one illegal nightclub busted. Not bad for a night's work.
Suddenly, someone shuffled behind her. She turned, raising the rifle to stare down the sights at two more bodyguards: Medians, by the looks of them. She hesitated; as much as she hated traitors, killing Medians was never something that came easy to her. But then again, if they worked in a place like this there was no way they were innocent. Not after the things she saw them do in the back rooms.
She squeezed the trigger, and nothing happened. The tiny firing mechanism inside the rifle fell against an empty chamber, and she swore at herself. How could she forget to reload? That was a rookie mistake, she'd been in the game too damn long to let shit like that slip by!
"Heh, outta ammo, girly?" One of the guards snickered as they both drew Glocks and trained them on her, "Funny, 'cause we sure as hell ain't!"
"What now, Lou? D'we shoot her?" The other guard asked.
"Naw, I say we have some fun with her before..." he was cut-off by a sharp intake of breath right next to him.
"What the-" he started as he turned his head to see who had just popped up beside him, only to be cut off again by a massive jet of flame erupting out of the hallway and into his face. The first guard dropped, screaming in agony as the second guard shifted his focus from Kieri to the small fire racing up his shoulder before a large, purple fist smashed against his face. As the last guard crumpled to the floor, their assailant cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, man up!" He shouted to the guard clutching at his face on the ground, "I used a low-intensity flame there and spread it out, you'll be alright!"
"Bu-Buwaro!" Kieri gasped, dropping the rifle.
"Snowy!" He screamed as he rushed up to her and embraced her in one, all-encompassing hug. She smiled at his old nickname for her. At least that little part hadn't changed.
"Are you alright, Snowy? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"I'm fine, Bu, just fine. Did you find Lazuli?"
He shook his head.
"Darn, that makes another dead end."
"We'll find her next time, Snow, don't worry." He stepped back, finally taking stock of the skimpy thong bikini she was wearing, "Which we'll deal with later, because right now you look absolutely delicious."
"Oh me oh my," she said with fake distress, "The big, nasty demon's got me!"
"Mwahahah!" He laughed evilly as he scooped her into his arms, "You're gonna get it this time, Angel!"
"Eek, no!" She laughed as he turned with her to head out through the back alleyway, only to cut-off when she saw the guard with the burnt face standing in their way, handgun trained on them. Buwaro paused mid-step, staring down the Glock's long, dark barrel.
"You bastard," the guard hissed, "YOU RUINED MY FACE!"
"Wasn't much to look at in the first place, dude." Kieri replied icily.
The guard screamed and switched targets to her. Buwaro stepped to the side, narrowly dodging the first shot, but the guard was already lining up for the next. Instinctively, Buwaro turned on one heel and knelt, covering his wife with his body in the hopes of shielding her as she struggled against him, not wanting her husband to take a bullet destined for her.
They were all interrupted by someone screaming: "TERRA SPIKE!" before the western wall exploded inwards. A cloud of debris enveloped the room, blinding the pair momentarily. Kieri squinted trying to see through the dust until it finally settled, revealing one lone figure standing over the now-unconscious guard.
"RHEA!" Kieri and Buwaro gasped with glee.
"Christ almighty, guys," the Jakkai grumbled, "Can't y'all survive one day without me?"
"Good to see you too, Rhea." Buwaro chimed, "We missed you."
"Yeah, well, I can't seem to stay away from you guys for long. How're the kids?"
"They're doing fine, Rhea." Kieri said as Buwaro gently lowered her to her feet, "Speaking of which…"
"Stop right there," Rhea raised a single, clawed hand, "I'm gettin' enough flak from my old village on finding some nice lil' Jakkai and finally tyin' the knot, I don't need to hear it from you two as well," she cracked her neck, "So, you guys find that bitch yet?"
"No," Kieri sighed, "There's really no sign of…"
Suddenly, a widescreen television in the corner flickered on, revealing the face of their mortal enemy. "LAZULI!" They all gasped.
"Whattup, 'tards? I see ya found another one of my little clubs!"
"How in the hell're you still alive after Dublin, you demonic sack a' shit?" Rhea bellowed.
"A magician never reveals her secrets, Jakkai," Lazuli focused on Kieri, "Why, hello Ms. Suizahn."
"It's Mrs. Elexion now, actually."
"Ooh, so the dumbass finally proposed, eh? Bravo," she mockingly clapped.
"Buwaro is ten times the demon you'll ever be!"
"Doubtful, though he is looking especially trim these days."
"I've been working out," Buwaro spoke up, "So when I finally find you, I can squeeze every last bit of life out of you for what you did to Snowy's brother!"
"Lookin' forward to it, but right now I've gotta run," Lazuli pressed a small red button built into her chair, and a small digital read-out display in the corner of the screen started counting down, "And actually, so do you!"
"RUN!" Rhea screamed, and the trio immediately tore out through the hole in the wall she'd made for an entrance. They rocketed down an alleyway, across a street and dove behind a low wall right outside the building just as it exploded in one, massive fireball.
After a few minutes had passed, Rhea pushed herself to her feet, followed quickly by Buwaro and Kieri, holding eachother. It took Kieri a few minutes to convince her beloved she was perfectly fine, and in the meantime Rhea scanned the damage.
"Dammit all, Lazuli, just what're you up to?" She muttered.
"What?" Buwaro asked, overhearing her.
"Nothin'. C'mon, let's get outta here before the fuzz shows up. I really don't wanna explain a demon, a half-naked angel, and a burnin' nightclub to them."
And so the three disappeared into one of the city's millions of alleyways, retreating into darkness while the first rays of daylight started peeking over the rooftops.
Kieri, Buwaro, Rhea and Lazuli are property of raizy. You can find her at .com/