For the next few days, Holly and Artemis indulged in some much needed rest and relaxation. After sleeping on desks for a few weeks, the both of them slept long and deep on comfortable beds. They decided to simply recover for a time, and spent the days working on Holly's English while Artemis pecked away at the keyboard of his Scroll. He brokered a deal to purchase the building for roughly half of the take from the Mockingjay job, with another few thousand to secure the building and renovate the sixth floor into a livable apartment.
"In a week's time, we'll be able to move back in and we would still have enough money to live comfortably for a few months." Artemis said. "So we can proceed with phase two."
"This plan has phases?" Holly asked, not sure if she liked what she was hearing.
"Yes, several." Artemis said. "Our next move is the Ritual."
["The Ritual?"] Holly asked, confirming the words.
Artemis nodded. "Yes. My hypothesis is that our magic is different from this world's 'local flavor' so to speak. It's possible that we could get usable magic if we perform the ritual here."
["It can't be that simple,"] Holly said. "Would have did it already."
"Ah, 'done it," Artemis corrected. "And yes, this is where things get complicated." He pulls up a map on the scroll. "The closest oak grove near a river is about twenty kilometers from the city, and the area is too rough to land if we flew." He pointed to another place on the map. "We'd have to land two kilometers away, here, and hike to the river. From there we'd have to trace the river until we found an oak tree of sufficient age."
"What about the Grimm?" She asked, a slight chill crawling up her spine.
They'd dealt with Grimm on their way to Vale. They had been able to see the city from the top of a hill, and had hiked toward it for several hours as the sun slowly set. It had been eerily quiet for some time and the silence had both of them on edge as they wondered what predator could be lurking in the shadows. Holly had her neutrino drawn and they were both moving carefully and quietly. Then a twig snapped behind them. Holly whirled around to see a monster, some horrific beast wrought of crude oil and broken bones, wearing a canine mask painted with blood.
["Duck!"]
She fired her Neutrino as it lunged, missing by inches. She rolled to dodge, fingers flying over the weapon. She tweaked the spread wider, to compensate her altered fingers, and cranked the power as high as it would go. The maximum setting only stunned it for a few seconds before it sluggishly hauled itself off the ground. "D'arvit!" She fired once more, then they ran. They sprinted like only those running for their very lives can, Holly turning every few seconds to fire and allow Artemis to catch up. The creatures hunted in packs, it seemed, because there were more of them every time she turned to fire a volley. The monsters kept gaining as their hearts hammered and their lungs heaved. They broke through the clearing, finally in view of the city walls, and they heard the sound of gunfire and yelps of pain behind them. As they reached the gates, they turned to see the creatures lying on the ground, slowly sublimating like smoke off a dying fire.
"No way around it," Artemis said. "We'll have to hire a Hunter, on top of commissioning the flight. It'll leave us about a month's living expenses after, if I've done the math right." He trailed off, fingers tapping on the scroll.
"Hunter or not," Holly began. "I need a gun. Something made for Grimm." Holly loved her Neutrino, but the Grimm had barely been phased. If she was leaving the city, she'd be loaded for troll... or Beowulf at the very least.
"There are several reputable arms dealers in walking distance," Artemis pointed out, pulling up the relevant addresses. "Hardly surprising given our proximity to Beacon. Campbell Armements seem to be the economic choice, but their products suffer as a result of cost cutting measures. Wizard Boomsticks favors heavy weapons and high explosives. Looks like Nomad Munitions is our best bet for something durable without being overwrought..." He trailed off as Holly smiled.
Hours later, they'd progressed through all three of those and several others as Holly carefully examined the inventories. She took pistol after pistol in her hands, testing balance, glaring down iron sights, and otherwise evaluating firearms of all kinds. The Neutrino was a very large shoe to fill, and Holly wouldn't settle for anything less than the best. She finally found a candidate as the afternoon began to wane, in a shop called the Gunhaus. The pistol in question, according to the shopkeep, was the high-end 'Fractal Classic' from S.D.C. Arms. Chambered for .45 magnum rounds with a ten shot magazine. A port beneath the slide would open up to accept a cartridge of dust to coat the rounds as they left the barrel. It was an excellent piece, as good as it got without trading up to a rifle or commissioning something less than standard. And it was at a fair price... or at least that's what the sticker said.
"I'll take it," Holly said to the shop keep. She pretended not to hear Artemis muttering "Thank Frond." She laid out the stack of cards on the counter. The cashier, a burly man with short cropped hair, merely smirked and tapped the top of the register. The price was different.
"So sorry ma'am. It looks like you don't have enough." He spoke in a sickly sweet voice on the edge of sarcasm. "You might want to try a more modest store."
Artemis narrowed his eyes. "Exactly ten times the price advertised," he said, dryly. "I wonder... are you incompetent for failing to price the item correctly, or for assuming such an obviously fraudulent markup would go unnoticed?" He spoke as a connoisseur, unimpressed with something on his plate.
"Oh I'm so sorry," the cashier said, his voice dripping sarcasm like tainted honey. "Let me apply a discount for you." He tapped a few keys, and another zero appeared on the end of the price. Artemis almost scoffed.. In another world, he'd simply purchase it at the inflated price, then come in after his shift to have the overpricing issue resolved and the cashier sacked. The lack of his usual resources was beginning to chafe again.
"Sexist or racist?" Holly asked, bluntly. She glared daggers at the cashier, daring him to answer.
"Oh I could never. The sticker price was simply a sale price that hadn't been removed," he lied smoothly. "I'm afraid I can't lower the price any more." He smiled maliciously. "You might try Campbell Arms, if you're looking for something a bit more... modest."
There was a blunt impact and a strangled ringing noise as the bell over the shop door was knocked from the frame, bouncing sadly across the floor. The door had been kicked open, and a monochromatic assortment of well-dressed thugs strolled into the establishment. Two of them were carrying crude machetes, painted red. The other two carried the same low-end pistols that Holly had passed over at Campbell Arms.
"Hands in the air," said the lead thug, pistol leveled in an embarrassing horizontal grip. The shopkeep reached for the sky. Holly's arms were held loosely up, and slightly forward. Artemis didn't raise his arms at all. He glared in open contempt at the thug.
"Gangster style?" Artemis spat, as if he'd tasted something foul. "You cannot be serious."
The thug pointed the gun at him. "Hands in the air."
"Rotate your wrist," Artemis commanded, his mismatched glare boring holes in the thugs trendy sunglasses. "If you're going to threaten me, do it properly." He had the attention of the crowd now, drawing incredulous stares from everyone involved... except for one. Holly crept closer as Artemis continued, cloaked by his audacity. Artemis grew bolder, stepping closer. "Can you even hit me at this range?" The thug fired a shot. Predictably, the shot barely grazed his shoulder. Artemis barely winced, and stepped closer still.
"Hands in the-" the thug growled.
"Yes yes, you've said," Artemis cut him off. "Observe." He stepped to the side, out of line of fire, as he grabbed at the thug's gun. It discharged uselessly into the empty shop behind, and Artemis grabbed the top of the pistol. He forced back the slide.
"The motion of the slide pulls the entire gun in this direction before the bullet has even exited the barrel. Holding your weapon like this guarantees that your shot is always going to be several feet to the left of where you're aiming." He grabbed the stock with his other hand, and forcibly rotated the gun. "Holding your weapon properly," he hissed, sparing a second glance to confirm Holly was indeed taking the opportunity. "Allows gravity to mitigate this, and the round actually has a chance of making it to the target. Though I suppose that's expecting too much competence from you."
He removed his hands from the weapon, backing up slightly. The thug whipped the pistol across his temple, spangling his vision with stars. The thug kicked him in the chest, and the next thing Artemis knew, he was staring at the ceiling. Flat on his back, the thug stepped up to him, racking the slide on his pistol. "I'm going to enjoy this," he hissed, leveling the pistol at Artemis. He frowned, rotated the gun, and pulled the trigger. 'Click.' He blinked dumbly. He racked the slide and pulled again. 'Click.' And again. 'Click. Click. Click.'
Ordinarily, Artemis was not a violent man. Despite a few passing efforts from Butler, he was completely inept in a straight fight. So, true to form, Artemis resorted to the most underhanded move he could possibly make. With all of his strength, he aimed a kick at the man's groin. The man coughed, and groaned in rising pitch as he doubled over. Given the opportunity, Artemis kicked him in the face, shattering the sunglasses and sending the thug toppling to the floor as he cradled his family jewels. He didn't react as Artemis scampered behind a display.
Holly had stepped slowly, and quietly, years of recon training silencing her footfalls. She crouched low, keeping out of the line of sight as she crept to the other thug with a pistol. When she heard the thud of a body behind her, she acted. Lunging forward, the former officer grabbed the barrel and twisted the gun followed by his wrist. A quick disarm with practiced ease. Continuing the motion, her leg swept into his. She forced his shoulder back with her free hand, and he knocked his head on a shelf of ammo boxes as he fell. A flash of blue rolled over his body as he clutched his head in a daze.
The other thugs reacted far too late to do any good. Holly charged, firing three rounds into center mass. The first thug's aura broke as he slashed at her. She ducked low under the blade and sunk a punch into his stomach. As he bent from the blow, she spun on her heel and grabbed the wrist that held the blade and shouldered his arm to throw him hard into the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Holly saw the other raise his machete over his head. She kept her momentum, throwing herself into a roll.
"AAAAARGH!" screamed someone behind her. The thug she had thrown was clutching his leg as it poured blood. The other thug advanced on her, swinging back his bloodstained blade. Holly fired into his chest until his aura broke. She spun it in her grip as she darted forward. He chopped down at her again, and she dodged to the side before bringing the grip of the gun down like a hammer onto his shoulder, cracking bone. The machete clattered to the ground. She kicked out his knee from the side, dropping him low. Once more she swung the pistol, a single blow to the head knocking him out.
As the lead thug finally picked himself up off the floor, rubbing the back of his head, he came face to face with a pistol aimed right between his eyes. Wisely, he raised his arms without a word.
As the shopkeep called for the police, Artemis picked a sharp knife out of a display, and ripped open the box. He approached the man who'd been injured.
"I'm prepared to administer first aid," he said. "I need you to release your leg so I can cut away the trousers.
The man nodded, grit his teeth, and released the limb. Artemis worked quickly, slicing a line up the length of the trousers and rolling them past the wound. It was deep, but not too bad... he was losing a lot of blood though.
"Keep applying pressure,' he said, followed with. "I'm going to remove your tie, for a tourniquet."
"Why are you helping me?" he asked, as Artemis loosened the windsor knot. "We just tried to..." He trailed off. He didn't need to say it.
"I could give you all manner of reasons." Artemis said as he began to wrap just above the wound. "I could tell you it was because I didn't want to watch you suffer, or that I believed you would do the same in my position. But I am neither so compassionate, nor naive." He pulled the knot tight. "In truth? It just feels like the right thing to do. The battle is over, the losers are docile, and the police are en route. Death by negligence is unnecessary."
Something caught his eye. A slight glow along the edge of the wound. He watched it carefully. The blood began to seep slower, and the wound seemed to slowly shorten as he watched.
"Fascinating..." Artemis said. "I don't suppose you feel like explaining?"
The thug raised an eyebrow. "It's Aura. I'm not gonna pretend I know a lot about it. Makes you harder to hurt, makes you heal faster. You can beef up a crappy weapon with it."
"Is it common?" Artemis asked, the implications already being able to filter through his brain.
"Not really. Doesn't really come up unless your profession calls for it." The man said. "It takes some getting used to, and you need to work at using it right. Worth it if you get shot at... Or cut... by your own guys." He shot a glare at a thug nearby, still out cold.
Holly greeted the police at the door, delivering a situation report with mechanical efficiency. The officer raised a brow. "You an officer?" Asked the sergeant as she pulled out a pen and started jotting down notes.
"Ye-.." Holly stopped. "I was. It's been ages since I wore a badge though."
"Well you should apply. We can always use experienced officers." She smiled, and proceeded into the store to interview the cashier. As the authorities led the crooks away in handcuffs, Holly watched Artemis give a statement to the officer. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she watched as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and withdrew a magazine.
'No,' Holly thought. 'He couldn't have.' He followed that up with a loose round from the pocket of his trousers. The officer kind of looked at the ammo, then back up at Artemis. His free hand darted across his pockets, wisely ensuring they hadn't been picked, and he walked away. 'Of course he did.'
It wasn't until they arrived back at the hotel, still without a gun, that they'd compared notes about the incident, and what exactly Artemis had done to buy Holly the time she needed to act.
"So let me get this straight, mud-boy," Holly said, once back in the safety of their hotel suite. "You palmed the magazine?"
"And the round from the chamber," He said. "I really shouldn't have gotten away with that. I imagine his employer would have harsh words for him."
"I have harsh words for you right now," Holly growled. "What were you doing back there? I know for a fact you're smarter than that."
"Think it through Captain," Artemis said, calmly. "If I hadn't done something, we'd both be dead. The shopkeep too, I suppose."
Her rank caught her off guard. She thought about the situation, wondering what Artemis was getting at... and the pieces started to fall into place.
"They weren't wearing masks," She said. "They were wearing uniforms."
"Indeed," Artemis said.
"An organized group, likely the type that conveniently has witnesses to place them anywhere but the scene of the crime..." she stopped, looking at Artemis. "They can get away with anything."
"Correct. You see it all the time in the smaller syndicates." Artemis said. "The uniform creates notoriety, and obfuscates numbers and identities. Given the ineptitude, this was probably a 'rite of passage' crime. Something to prove they were worth the boss' time."
"Artemis, he could have killed you. One slip up, and you'd have far worse than a graze." Holly said, grimly. Artemis was silent. There was no sound in the room save for the ticking of a clock. Holly was about to speak again, when he finally spoke.
"An hour per second, for a count of forty," he said, almost mumbling. "Then thirty minutes per second for a count of eighteen. Then backward, one minute per second for a count of two."
'Abbot...' Holly shivered. A part of her still remembered what it felt like, when the blade ran her through. "Artemis, that didn't happen. It will never happen. You made sure of it." She wished she'd seen it, the shot that Artemis had made through a hole in time itself to undo her untimely demise.
"That formula is burned into my mind Holly. That image, that ghost of a memory still haunts me. I could never bear the burden of watching it come truly, permanently to pass. If I had given my life to preserve yours, I would consider it a coin well spent."