AUTHOR'S NOTE
this chapter is dedicated to the late Monty Oum, of Rooster Teeth, who died of a fatal allergic reaction around last week.
i know, he has nothing to do with Dota 2, but being an admirer of what he does, i wanted to honor him in some way. hope you guys don't mind.
Four Corners of Heroes Lane
Heavy panting filled the empty morning air, a fit looking woman dressed in cyan and orange jogged through the lane, nearing the end of her route. A routine that lasted a little over an hour for the woman since she started before the break of dawn, her plan on finishing her run before the public started filing in Heroes Lane ended with a success as she slowed her trek down to a fast walking pace.
She eased her breathing as she stopped to scan her surroundings, searching for a spot to rest. She smiled inwardly when she got what she was looking for; a bench only occupied by a short raggedy looking man. She calmly made her way towards it, excusing herself as she sat beside the man.
She brought out a bottle of water, taking a little swig as she eyed the man next to her. She took notice of the man's features, seeing his white, bushy beard and pale skin. He wore thick, green tinted glasses that almost covered most of his face. His dirty clothing had tears and holes, with a long brown piece of cloth he used to cover his head, tying it around his neck. The man also had a peculiar looking walking stick beside him.
The man turned his head, facing her as she capped the lid on the bottle. He smirked, showing a toothy grin at her. "Weather ain't too cold for ya?" he asked her.
She raised a brow at him, not at all expecting anything. "It was, when I arrived earlier." She answered, sensing no hostility. "A good run always warms me up."
"I could ask the same to you." She retaliated. "We have many places that you can go for shelter. You look like you're freezing."
"Nah." Came his answer, waving off her concern. "But's nice seein' the Guard Captain care, yea?"
"Oh, you recognized me?" she replied, her voice laid with a hint of surprise. She hardly, if ever, got any familiar glances unless she was in her uniform.
"Nothin' gets past these keen eyes of mine." The man said as he adjusted his glasses, snickering all the while. "Stressed out more than ever, hm?"
"You noticed?" Slithice didn't bother denying that the stress the case she's been keeping an eye on; it was one of the reasons why she's been spending most of her mornings in Heroes Lane for the past month.
"Yea, always lookin' angry, and so focused in runnin'." The man nodded, mostly to himself as he leaned on his stick.
"You're not from here, are you?" Slithice asked curiously. She'd rather steer away from being reminded of the case, instead focusing on the man's odd accent. "The way you talk, it's a bit different from around here."
"Hehe, you can tell too?" the man scratched the back of his head, bashfully looking away from her. "Yea, well, I'm just an illegal immigrant, trying to find a nice place to sleep."
"Wow, you're actually telling me this?" Slithice responded, surprised by the man's answer.
"You seem like an understanding person, Guard Captain." He said, once again showing his toothy grin.
"So why are yo-"
"Help! Thief!" the Guard Captain was cut off by the sound of a woman wailing for help. Both the man and she turned to see a shifty looking man clutching a purse in his hands as he ran farther away from the woman that cried for help.
"Damn it!" Slithice cursed, standing up and prepared herself to chase after the man, but a hand held her in place. She turned to see the man with a grin wider than ever.
Slithice was about to protest, wanted to berate the man for impeding from doing her job, but held her tongue when he brought his stick up and aimed it at the thief. It was at this moment that Slithice just noticed there was a trigger on the stick, her eyes widening at the revelation of the stick not actually being just a simple walking stick. His grin widened as he lined up his shot, and pulled the trigger.
Before Slithice could even react, the sound of gunshot rang through her ear followed by the man crying out "Boom!" staggering her back to the bench. With a hand on the armchair, she turned to find the thief now staggering on the ground, clutching his gored hand as it bled all over him. The man that had fired the shot was already heading towards the thief, comforting the woman on the way. Slithice shook her head, getting the ringing to stop before joining the man.
The scene was settled within the hour, the thief carted out by the paramedics that were called to it. The woman was extremely grateful, if a little frightened, for the man's timely shot. Slithice assured the City Guards that came to the scene that she would handle the man, leaving another "case" in her hands as she ushered them out of the park as the few arriving lookers were turned away.
She ended up even more exerted than she had planned, leaving her track jacket open so she could try to feel the cold that she was supposed to feel. She went back towards the bench, the man still sitting in the same position as if waiting for her. He even patted the empty spot, signaling her to join him again. She did exactly that.
"I just realized who you are." She stated, earning another snicker that was slowly getting on her nerves. "Sharpeye. The renowned Knollen Sniper from the war." The man reacted with his signature grin, not displaying an ounce of hostility at her direction. "I remember, as a child, reading how Sharpeye had felled many of our own nation's troops."
"Gehehe, yeap! That's me!" he bashfully admitted. "But people mostly call me 'Kardel', Guard Captain. Nice to meet 'cha." He tipped his head as he introduced himself.
"Why are you here?" she asked curiously. "I thought someone like you would be celebrated in Knollen."
"Eh, not really. They convicted me as a war criminal." He replied, shrugging her question in stride. "Some sympathizers helped smuggle me out, and it lead me here."
"How come? I'm sure you did a lot during the war."
"I know. Was just doin' my job as a soldier." He told her, his tone not changing one bit. "Funny, 'more recognized for my actions here, by the people we were at war with, than back at Knollen."
"Well then you have to at least stay at one of the shelters." Slithcie reasoned. "You can't just slum it here."
"Can' I?" he said, as if challenging the Guard Captain. "Heroes Lane's the home for heroes! I'm at the right place!"
"But we still can't have some vigilante running rampant down the lanes." Slithice explained, hoping the subtle threat in her words would usher him towards her suggestion. It didn't work.
"Don' worry. Only fired this thrice!" he said, gesturing his makeshift stick-rifle. "Only have 9 more. Can' waste 'em all now, can' I?"
Slithice shook her head, slightly distressed at how her efforts in this trivial issue were not bearing fruit, but the light smile on her face showed that she was amused by his quirky, if slightly grating personality. She sighed defeatedly, standing up from the bench. The man looked at her with a flat confused expression. She met his gaze with a smile.
"Well then I guess I have to check up on you once in a while, to make sure nothing weird's up." She told him, leaving him to go about her day.
"Hehe, see ya 'round, Guard Captain!" the Knollen Sniper said chipperly, bidding the Guard Captain farewell.
She set off, heading further down the lane in hopes to leave the park before the cold will settle in her again. The sweat that had covered her from her morning run; and the exertion of dealing with the thief earlier; had slowly left her freezing. She rubbed her shoulders, wishing she had brought thicker and warmer outer wear. Just as she was contemplating choices in hindsight, she felt a warm jacket wrap itself around her. She looked down, seeing its blue color as she felt a warm arm drape around her shoulders.
"Not interested in a man's warmth?" Slithice giggled upon hearing the former menace's voice, tightening the barista's blue jacket around her.
"You're one to talk, Luna. In fact, I've never seen you interested even in a woman's touch." Slithice countered, earning a scoff from the slightly older woman.
"Not interested. It's all a waste of time." Luna replied with a huff. It always surprised Slithice, how someone like Luna doesn't have a significant other, or at least a more outgoing sex life after learning of her history with their infamous Queen.
Slithice turned to formally greet the barista, but gasped in an exaggerated shock when she noticed Luna only wore a blue tank top that hugged her figure. "Luna! Why aren't you wearing anything? It's freezing out here!" the Guard Captain berated.
"Says the person jogging with less." The barista countered, looking pleased upon Slithice's reddening face. "And besides, you're wearing my jacket right now. It's obvious why I'm wearing nothing."
Slithice rolled her eyes, knowing full well that she lost. Instead, she opted to change the subject altogether. "Why are you here, Luna?" She started. "I thought you'd spend your winter mornings in your apartment."
"Keeping an eye on a friend's younger sister." She told her. "She's helping the 'Broodmother Foundation' with something here." Slithice nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer. "And somewhere down the line, a sneaky street cat told me you're having trouble dealing with the case."
Slithice could feel her own body tense, and she knew that Luna could feel it too. She turned to meet the barista's concerned gaze. Huh, funny. she thought, when just a little over a decade ago, tthat very same gaze was instead filled with hostile tranquil rage. How a former menace to society, one of the most feared people, ended up being one of her most trusted people, she'll never know. She looked around their environment briefly, before pulling Luna out of the lane, leading them towards one of the Protector's smaller trees.
"The higher-ups keep on holding me from finishing the case." She confided. "It's like they're going out of their way to make sure this case goes untouched. They're either afraid of what we might uncover, or they themselves are involved. I don't like either possibilities, Luna."
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard with this?" Luna asked her. "All of this might not end well for you. And I'm not talking about the Marauder."
"I know, I know! But I can't just let this all go!" Slithice gathered herself after her abrupt outburst, before continuing on. "And even when I make some headway on it, it's almost never worth it."
"What happened with trying to get Angelo's help?"
Slithice scoffed, reacting as if that was the most absurd thing she's ever heard. "I tried. But his people wouldn't even let me near him. Always spouting some bullshit excuse on how he's 'too busy' or something like that."
Luna sighed, palming her face exasperatedly at what she had decided to do. She grabbed Slithice's hand by the wrist, dragging the shorter woman along with her.
"Eh, Luna? What are you doing?" Slithice said, struggling under Luna's hold.
"I know someone who might help you out." Luna explained. "I don't know if she's around though, but she's usually is."
Somewhere Down the Lane
A perky redhead felt her spine shiver, wondering if her warm, fluffy green jacket provided enough warmth. She rubbed her body just for a moment, making sure that nothing was wrong with the fabric. When she felt it was in fact efficient, she got off the bench, stretching her body as wide as she could while yawning all the while before she made her move, subtly tailing a certain scarred, red-coated man.
She was careful with every step, making sure the dangerous man she was following was not suspicious of her. Of course, that was not an easy task, when the small wildlife of Heroes Lane would approach her, oblivious to her true intentions. She tried ignoring them at first, and shooing them away when that didn't work. Of course, she wouldn't be known as the 'Enchantress' if she barely even glanced at the cute critters, so it came to no surprise to anyone who knew her that she'd end up crouching on the ground, playing with the squirrels and the birds.
Her eyes widened when she realized the mistake she made thanks to her lapse in judgment. Damn it. she thought, as she stood with a few squirrels lingering in her arms and a pigeon resting in her hair. She ushered them away, moving to search desperately for the man that had escaped her eyes. She cursed to herself, throwing a fit uncharacteristic of a woman her age.
"What's wrong, Ench?"
Eep! Aiushtha turned on her heel to come face to face with one of Selemene's trusted, along with someone she doesn't know (though she has seen that person before.)
"Luna, hehe. How you doing?" she responded sheepishly. Noticing the other person's suspicious glare, she put on her façade for them. "Anything new with 'Mene? How's Nova?"
"Cut the chat, Enchantress. The Guard Captain here needs your resources." Aiushtha's smile fell as the circumstances of her situation had become somewhat convoluted.
"She needs to get an audience with Angelo." At this, she was genuinely surprised. Luna would never associate with that man, even if it's only a slight connection.
"What for?" She asked them.
"It's not something we can talk so openly." The Guard Captain voiced with a mildly threatening tone.
Aiushtha gave them a smirk that seemed to annoy Luna, who seemingly knew what the vet was thinking. "My kerfuffle with him isn't as different as yours, Luna. After 'Mene got me out of that devil's clutch, I've never spoken to him since. And it's been years."
"But knowing you, it shouldn't be too hard to get back on track." Luna said, subtly complimenting Aiushtha's skills.
Of course, the vet didn't take it as that, despite her sunny smile. "I am never going back to that man, Luna. Just like you." She told them, unfazed by their stature. "But if you help me find a man I've been tailing, then I can set the Guard Captain down the path she so desires."
Although the Guard Captain was confused by her words, Luna replied with a smirk of her own. "Alright, show us the way."
"Great!" came her perky reply. "He's walking, so he shouldn't be that far off."
"Who is it, that you're looking for, anyway?" the Guard Captain asked curiously.
Aiushtha turned to give the Guard Captain a knowing look. "Oh, nobody. Just an Artist."
Even Further Down the Lane
"A-a-a-are you re-really, an artist?"
"Oh, of course!" he replied to the shy painter, who couldn't stop shaking in his presence. He took her hand in his, moving down to kiss it. The woman's face ended up being a deep shade of red, but she was still deeply uncomfortable by the man's affection.
"Wha-, what do y-y-you do?" the painter asked him.
"Oh, many things, love." He said, worming his way towards her. "I'm especially an appreciator of the fine arts. And yours! Oh, truly, I can feel your very soul coursing through the paint brush."
"B-b-b-b-but, I'm only a lowly st-st-student." She replied, trying her best to tug her hand away from him. He smirked into her hand, taking full delight at her squirming.Oh, I will enjoy this. he told himself, already planning on how he'd savor the moment with his newest subject.
"I'd love to see you work. Why don't we find a nice secluded place, where we both can admire your," he kissed her hand once more, feeling the young woman squirm. "handiwork."
"Nevermore!" Upon hearing that woman's voice, all effort went to make sure that he didn't squeeze this painter's hand.
"I'm sorry, young lady, but I need to speak to him." The young painter nodded frantically as he was dragged away from her. She spent no time in running away from him as fast as she could.
He closed his eyes, unwilling to see the painter leave as well as containing himself, making sure that he doesn't cause an outburst. Lucy wouldn't want that. he reminded himself. He turned where he stood to come face to face to the bane of his existence. The Vet that once was held dearly by Angelo himself, standing on her toes right in front of him with a smug grin plastered on her face. A quick glanced showed that there were two other women behind her as well.
"Tread lightly, woman." he said through gritted teeth, pointing a finger directly at her chin. The fact that she was unfazed almost pushed him over the edge, and it took every ounce of him to not gut her right where she stood. "Angelo's order is absolute, but there is a limit a man can take."
"Oh, I'm sure." she replied, rolling her eyes at him fuming. "Who was that, by the way, hm? Ah, you know what? It doesn't matter." She said, waving him off before he could respond.
"What do you want?"
"Oh, someone wants something you can give."
Nevermore raised a curious brow. "Who? Blue Tits?" he gestured toward Luna, looking none too pleased by his nickname.
"You know, for someone who claims to be a 'poet', you sure don't have a knack for words." She teased.
"Oh, I do. But in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not in the best of moods right now."
"Relax, Nevermore." She said with her arms held up. "This won't take long."
At this, the woman that he now only recognized as the Guard Captain approached him, all the anger he held for the Vet seemingly disappearing from his system. He graced her with a comforting, if sinister smile; one that's not responded in kind.
"So we meet again." Sithice said, her voice laced with a teeny bit of venom.
"Ah, Guard Captain. A ray of sunshine in this cold, dreary day." Nevermore brought his hand to her face, grazing her hair to the side so he could see her face. "Word has it, that you, are an exceptional singer."
"I may have some formal training." She said, admitting to her less known talent, not letting the Artist see how surprised she actually was. "But I'm not here to indulge you in your perversions. Especially if it possibly leads to my untimely death."
"By all means, Guard Captain." He bowed, showing a surprising amount of respect to her. "How can I be of service?"
She drew a long, cold breath, before voicing her request. "I need to speak to Angelo. I require his assistance."
"That is an odd request. I'm guessing his men are making it hard on you?"
"Like you wouldn't believe."
Nevermore stood up, raising himself to his full height as he towered over the three women. He straightened his jacket, glancing at his phone for a brief moment. "That doesn't sound too difficult."
"You're oddly cooperative, Nevermore."
He chuckled, finding amusement at her bewilderment. "That's because you're not after my own hide. I have no reason to fear you now, least of all close off any assistance."
The sound of a phone ringing paused their discussion, as they looked down to see Nevermore's phone. He glanced at it, his face neutral, before staring back at the three women. "I'll be sure to tell Angelo that you'd like to talk."
With that, Nevermore made himself scarce, leaving them standing where they were. "Tell the Lieutenant I said hi!"
Slithice couldn't help but chuckle, remembering how much Slardar hated the Artist, thanks to how hellish their time was during that horrendous case. If anything, at least things are now heading her way to the right direction.
"You should be careful, Guard Captain." Aiushtha said out of the blue. "This is a dimly lit path that you're crossing, and you might lose your way."
"Or worse." Luna added.
"I know." She sighed, knowing how heavy the case is. She turned to Luna with a tired smile. "Hey, if all goes to hell… Can I work at Dark Moon?"
Luna smirked at the odd request, while the Enchantress giggled. "That's up to 'Mene. But if that time comes, I'll vouch for you."
"Thanks, Luna."
"Well, looks like you ladies have things under control." Aiushtha stretched her arms and legs as she already made her move. "See you 'round! I have a serial killer to observe."
"Do you always tail 'em around?" Luna asked, curious about Aiushtha's daily routines.
"Only him." She answered. "And only here. Can't be everywhere all the time. Tata!"
Luna brought her arm around Slithice, warming the both of them up during the cold as they kept an eye on Aiushtha's behind.
"So, let's get something warm for you to drink."
"Where're we going?" Slithice asked as she was directed by the barista.
Luna giggled, uncharacteristically of her. "Oh, just outside the park. You'll see~~ ."
Northern Heroes Lane Entrance.
"Thanks for filling in, Elodie! One of our sisters is running a tad late." Noire apologized for the umpteenth time to an embarrassed Elodie, thanks to the attention they were drawing in.
"Noire, it's fine. I'm perfectly okay with helping you guys out." She said, giving a quick glance to Qara, who nodded in return. "Besides, it's just an excuse to hang out with you anyway."
"Aaawwww." Another sister appeared behind Noire, draping her arms around the younger sister's head. "You didn't tell me you got a girlfriend!"
"Shut up, Sev!" Noire retorted, struggling to get away from her sister's grasp. "Stop embarrassing me!"
The older sister relented, pushing Noire to Elodie, sending both girls tumbling to the ground. She was now bellowing with laughter as she Noire struggling to get up off the ground. Unlike Noire's 'school uniform' look and Qara's 'office blouse and skirt', this sister was wearing a black track pants and jersey. All three sisters also sported different hairstyles; Noire had wavy red hair that went to her shoulders; Qara had her brown hair held in a tight bun; Sev herself had tomboyish short blonde hair.
"Man, Noire. You're so easy to tease!" Sev stated still in a fit of laughter.
"Enough, Sev. Get back to work, please." Qara scolded. Sev gave her a quick salute before running to her side. Qara rolled her eyes at Sev's less than appealing quirks. "I know mum adopted most of you, but it's still mindboggling that we could all be so drastic."
"Yeah, well, I guess some things are more nature than nurture, huh, Qara?" Noire said as she helped Elodie up off the ground. "I mean, not all of us came from her."
"I'm so envious of you guys." Elodie said, drawing the two sisters' attention towards her. "My family isn't as close as this."
"But at least you still have one sister, right?" Noire said, steering the subject from anything melancholic.
"Yeah, at least I have that." Both Noire and Qara smiled in relief as Elodie sighed happily.
"Come on, we need to spread the word around." Noire said as she held Elodie's hand. "See you later, Qara!"
Both Noire and Elodie made their way towards the inside of the entrance, spreading the word for help and donations for the 'Broodmother Foundation'. Elodie herself has been doing this since Noire introduced her to the rest of her sisters. She hasn't yet met the eponymous Broodmother, and thanks to the sisters' tales of their mother, she's a bit hesitant.
"You seem busy, kiddo." Luna commented, her arms crossed as she leaned on the entrance's wall. "This what you been doing every weekend?"
"Hey Luna. Yeah, just to keep myself busy, you know?" Elodie answered. She tilted her head, noticing the other woman behind the barista, drinking a steaming cup of coffee. "Who's your friend?"
"Nobody you need to know now." Luna answered cryptically, with the creepiest smile she's ever seen from the older woman. Even Noire cringed when she saw the smile.
"You're creeping the kids out, Luna. Just tell them who I am."
"Nah, it's more fun this way." Luna responded. "You got it from here? I still need to stick around."
"Yeah, got it." She answered with a smile. "Thanks. For being here."
"Anytime. Good luck."
Slithice nodded, waving goodbye to the barista and her friend's sister, making her way out of the park. She let out a drawn sigh as she stared at her phone, checking for any messages and the time. Seeing that it was barely 10am, she surmised that she had time to get back to her apartment. With that, she crossed the road, already on her way with the drink keeping her warm in the cold.
"You're going to lose, Slithice."
The Guard Captain jolted in surprise, throwing her drink up in the air as she spun on her heel to face the person that walked up to her. They both stared each other in silence, until the cup came back to the ground.
"Luna bought me that drink, Gondar. You owe me a new one." Slithice reacted with mild annoyance.
"Noted." He said.
"Were you the one that sent her to me, by the way?"
Gondar smirked smugly. "Who else would it be?" the smirk disappeared as quick as it was there. "This isn't going to end well. Nothing good comes from this."
"What do you want me to even do about it, huh?" Slithice was getting tired of everyone telling her that this would be her end, and she's had enough.
"Let me handle it."
"No."
Gondar wasn't expecting that fast of a response. "No?"
"No, Gondar." She continued. "When this all ends, and it all blows up in my face, I need someone from the Guards, and someone like you to trust."
"You're putting too much on your shoulders, and you know it."
"Well, at least I have a backup job waiting for me." She said with a reassuring smile.
Gondar wasn't having any of it, but he's not going to push into things where he's not needed. "Stay safe, Slithice." He said, moving back to where he came from. It wasn't long till he disappeared from her sight.
Slithice smiled as a tear fell from her eye, accepting the fact that there was no turning back. "You too."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
okay, i'm back from my break! and, if you guys hadn't noticed yet, Nightsilver Tales now has a cover! it's made by Agito666, known for a couple of his shirts being sold at TI, and used with his permission :D (the art piece in question is this | agito666 tumblr com post 108901380060 moon-rider )
anyway, thanks for waiting for quite a while! hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter!
