It became evident after about five minutes of debating over what exactly he was going to lend us that you don't argue with Death, however much you might disagree with his intentions. If he wants to do it one way, you do it or you go seek help from another badass if you can find one. Seeing as this guy was the baddest of the bad, I decided to accept his most generous offer of shapeshifter help after deciding there was no way around it. The idea of working with animals sent uncomfortable prickles down my spine but if I had stooped as low as to help a vampire out, I might as well go the whole way. Besides, if it meant there was less chance of me being killed by one pissed of Master of the City, then I was all for adding to our numbers.
"Three blind mice. Five hunting dogs. Two wild cats." Death remarked, turning his head slightly and staring off into the shadows. There was a slight shift in the darkness, as though someone or something had been lurking there but had now moved. That made me nervous—when someone is deliberately keeping themselves from view, it means they've got something to hide. Not a happy thought. "It is done, Executioner. They will be waiting for you ouside."
Shoving aside my unhappy thoughts, I forced myself to smile. "You have my gratitude, Death…"
The man returned the smile, albeit in a rather more creepy fashion. "You may also have the pick of my personal arsenal."
I gaped at this display of generosity, wondering what had prompted him to decide to help us so thoroughly. What did he think he was going to get out of this at the end? It was a worrying thought but I didn't have much time to contemplate the consequences of this move, as we were soon being beckoned through a dark doorway into the room beyond that housed enough weapons to satisfy even the most homicidal of maniacs. Perfect.
---
When the three of us finally emerged from the tall building, we looked a bit like an ensemble from an action film. I had a large, machete-like blade strapped to my back, though under the material of my coat so that it wouldn't arouse unwanted suspicion. To draw the swordlike weapon, all I had to do was grab the hilt hidden under my hair and whip it out… though I'd also have to take care not to stab myself in the process. I also had the old reliable 9mm Browning Hi-Power tucked into a holster at my right thigh, as well as another small pistol tucked under my jacket for backup. I didn't take the time to look at what the others had taken, though I imagined that Wufei probably had guns stuffed up all sorts of places to keep them hidden and Trowa probably didn't need any weapons at all. Vampires had that super strength thing going for them, after all.
Movement from the darkness at the side of the building made me jump violently and I was halfway through drawing the Browning when I suddenly remembered what Death had said. They would meet us outside, whoever they were. I reluctantly removed my hand from the smooth metal of the gun, against my well trained instincts, though I kept it hovering nearby just in case these guys decided we looked nicer to eat than work with.
The first to come into the dim glow of the street light was revealed to be a woman who didn't look much taller than me—that's quite short, if you didn't know—with deep blue eyes that shone almost purple in the faint light. Her dark hair was cut boyishly short but she still had an air of femininity about her as she came towards us. The most intimidating thing about the woman was that, although she looked fragile, power pulsed out of her like electricity, running over my skin in almost painful prickles. She was putting on a show for our benefit—it wasn't necessary though, I was wary enough of shapeshifters without needing them to thrust their power in my face.
"You are the ones we will be helping?" The woman asked, placing both hands on her jean-clad hips. For a lycanthrope of such power, she was dressed pretty normally; just jeans and a baggy sweater. It didn't seem appropriate clothing for someone who transformed into a deadly beast every so often. "I am Hilde. Hilde Schbeiker."
I inclined my head in acknowledgment, not sure how I was supposed to greet her. Shaking her head seemed like the natural thing to me buy I'd seen shapeshifters engaging in some pretty strange greeting behaviour before so I didn't want to make the wrong move and piss her off before we'd even begun properly.
"Duo Maxwell." I offered, folding my arms over my chest and tensing my biceps slightly. I might not have been built like Superman but I could still get the job done when I wanted to. "This is Wufei Chang and… Trowa."
The woman's eyes flicked to focus on the latter and suddenly narrowed. Her power surged to painful levels once more as her lips were pulled back into a dog-like snarl, eliciting whimpers and whines from some of the shifters still hidden in the shadows. I got an image in my head of a dog with their hackles raised… I guess wereanimals and vampire don't get along that well, though Trowa and Quatre were obviously buddy-buddy. Sex helps, I suppose.
"Look, lady. I trust him about as much as I trust you but if you're going to help us, you need to get the hell over whatever problem you have and calm down." I could hardly breathe from the power throbbing over me so my words were strained.
Hilde's eyes now shone like gold with tiny little pupils and as she smiled, her teeth were pointed like the fangs of a wolf. I swallowed but stood my ground, keeping my eyes hard. Big, bad, hard-as-nails slayers don't get scared by pointless shows of power from whiny little animals. Or if they do, they sure as hell don't show it.
"Very well…" Slowly, she regained that feminine softness but somehow the effect was ruined by what I had just seen. I knew that there was a beast lurking beneath the surface of those pretty blue eyes, one that would snatch me up and eat me like Little Red Riding Hood without even the slightest flicker of remorse. I felt queasy at the thought.
Once her power had toned down to a very low hum that just pricked the edges of my senses, other shapes began to emerge out of the shadows of the building and surrounding trees. I quashed the urge to get my gun out, as it was just habit by now to arm myself against lycanthropes, and watched as six people stood just behind her. What a motley crew. I forced myself to relax, glancing sideways at an equally uneasy Wufei.
From what I remembered of Death's earlier words, I presumed that five of the grand total of seven beasties were shifters of the canine variety. Wolves. The remaining two were little kitties with big sharp fangs, felines who most likely wouldn't be happy to roll around with a ball of yarn. The thought of working with this many made me feel sick to my stomach; I normally went out of my way to avoid contact with shapeshifters but it seemed like the things I didn't like just weren't to be avoided anymore. On the contrary, they were being shoved right in my face.
