Chapter 18: Run Before You Walk (Part 5)
A deep, wounded groan left Cayman as he collapsed onto his rumpled bed, the sheets starting to smell as if they needed a wash but quite frankly he barely had enough time over the past few days to eat, never mind do something as unessential as laundry.
"Finally finished? Or at least close to it?"
"For tonight? Yes."
Releasing a slow, exhausted sigh as Till's tiny hands went to work on his stiff neck the gamer tried to let all of the accumulated tension leave his body with varying success, the Fairy giggling as she dug her tiny elbows into his muscle in an action that felt surprisingly nice, as if every tendon and strand was being slowly unwound.
"Sorry I've been running from one end of the city to the next, Till. We haven't really been able to slow down and just have fun with each other the whole time even though we're kind of on our own for the moment."
"Don't worry about it! You've been busy trying to make it so that people don't get ahold of dangerous things and so that we can save those people in Under Eden, I'm not mad. It's even been kinda fun, seeing all of the city."
A note of teasing that likely wouldn't have been present earlier in their relationship came to fore, Till purring, "But what kind of fun were you thinking about, Cayman~?"
Not missing a beat he languidly replied, "Oh, you know. A nice movie, candle lit dinner, expensive wine…"
He paused, wryly commenting, "Actually I'm still not all that rich, so maybe a wine of middling quality."
"Aaaaaaand~?"
"And then we put to use whatever private talk it was you had with your mom back then."
"Ugh, you knew about that?"
Smirking as the little lady plopped herself flat against the back of his head in embarrassment Cayman instead asked, "So do you think anyone will have been stupid enough to think I'm stupid enough to hide incredibly dangerous contraband inside of a simple storage shed located in some run of the mill neighboorhood?"
"I don't think anyone is stupid enough to predict you, Cayman."
He chuckled at the Fairy's comment, reveling in her warmth as he tried to think if he'd missed anything.
The last few days had been a mad rush of activity, running himself ragged as he tried to think of a good way to hide Hoestia's contraband that either didn't fit in his inventory or hadn't been accepted by Till's people.
Money, clothing and other documents or random bits of record keeping that he didn't have time to peruse had been happily stored within the Fairy lands but the weapons, twisted corpses and other similar spoils of war had been a no go, necessitating a bit of improvisation on his part. Several hastily purchased cardboard boxes and a bit of internet research later had shown him to a perfectly average storage warehouse in a perfectly average suburb - or at least average for this city, which was to say it had chain-link fences and security cameras up the ass - where he'd used one of the cars the Orc mercenaries had been using to rent out a shed and dump everything inside.
It was the perfect place to hide if one was short on money and didn't intend to immediately do anything with the contents within. The employees hadn't batted an eye after he'd offhandedly mentioned he was moving to a smaller flat and needed to a place to store his crap, happily taking his money, handing off a key and promptly getting back to whatever they had been doing before.
The corpses were a trickier proposition, since most refrigerated storage centers didn't cater to individual customers but large retail chains or distributors. It was a lot more expensive and maintenance heavy to run such an operation as well so tighter checks on inventory were also run, meaning he couldn't just walk in, bullshit and then be on his way.
But his previous life yet again offered an answer.
Smaller ma and pa grocery shops still needed refrigeration centers and typically didn't have the space or funds to have one in the store proper, meaning they needed small-scale deliveries on a fairly steady basis. Naturally, demand provided supply and smaller or at least more varied refrigeration warehouses rose up, not as large or advanced as the big ones but still adequate in getting the job done.
They were also more used to irregular shipments, schedules or spaces being required on a much more flexible basis. A quick visit and bullshit tale of how he was going to be starting up a business meant he'd been able to dump the bodies in the supposedly 'reserved and empty' containers for a few weeks with no questions asked. Not a foolproof solution but he wasn't going to be keeping them there any longer than that regardless.
The tank with the strange lifeform Hoestia had been working on would be staying with him, safely ensconced in his inventory.
The last administrative pain in his ass had been scouring Kabuki's red-light district for an unprotected car and swapping out the license plates on the thing for his liberated vehicle, just to slow down any potential leads that could come back to bite him. Yet again not a permanent solution but much like the cooled corpses he wasn't intending on holding onto the car for that long.
Already feeling a headache forming just from the memory of all the hassle he rolled onto his back, sprawling out over the bedding as he set Till in the crook of his neck where she liked to sleep, the nude Fairy asking, "So are you going to start planning on how to rescue that girl and everyone else from Under Eden now?"
"Yup, and I think I have an idea in the works...although it's a pretty broad and janky one."
He paused.
"Actually, it's less a broad idea and more a completely worthless one. There's simply too many unknown and unavailable resources for me to craft a halfway sensible scheme at the moment."
A snort of morbid amusement left the male.
"A guy that has to hide his contraband in something only a step above high school lockers isn't in any position to start a takeover of an underground business that probably deals in ten times the cash on an hour-to-hour basis than I have in the past few weeks."
Till sadly nodded, accepting his words for what they were before Cayman more cheerfully replied, "But not to worry, tomorrow morning we're going to gather our stuff and head on out to Yomihara then Under Eden in order to free that girl. We may not be able to bring down the entire place but we can start small, work our way up the ladder of corruption and cruelty."
More confidently nodding the Fairy boldly proclaimed, "I'll help anyway I can, don't you worry!"
"Never doubted you for a moment, Till."
Giggling at his playful response the miniature woman darted forward and sloppily kissed him on the lips, a gesture far more lustful than how it had previously been as the winged female even went so far as to sensuously nibble his flesh, the gamer exasperatedly commenting, "Are you trying to work me up into a frenzy, woman?"
"Hehe, sorry~!"
Electing not to comment on the completely not sorry tone of her voice Cayman merely let his head flop onto the cheap pillow, trying to ignore his twitching groin while mentally grumbling, "First chance we get with all this crap out of the way I'm taking that Fairy to pound town, I'm long overdue for a good fucking."
He was almost impressed with how long he'd held out and refrained from actually sticking his dick inside of anything since coming to this universe, considering its various source materials.
"Ugh, this place is gross. Not as gross as the sewers, but still gross."
"Yeah, I guess everything looks mildly more palatable after wading through literal shit. Don't worry, once we get to Yomihara proper it'll get better. Maybe."
"You don't sound so sure about that…"
"Well can't you just create some of those scented spell items or whatever again? Those were pretty damn handy."
The banter between the duo continued as they carefully wound their way through the depths of the Tokyo underground, following Zokuto's instructions to the letter so as to avoid getting waylaid by any local predators or the like. They had a meeting to look presentable for and showing up covered in blood and guts - assuming they showed up at all if their ambusher was nasty enough - would put something of a damper on things.
Cayman took mental stock of everything he had prepared for the occasion one more time, ensuring that it was as ready as could be. Spear, shotgun and handgun stored in his inventory and ready to be used at the drop of a hat. A pair of corpses belonging to the more intact and physically attractive creatures Hoestia had created - looking distressingly close to humans aside from a few spikes or spines emerging from their bodies - alongside the nutrient tank and a change of clothes for when they got to Yomihara proper.
"I'm about as set as can be."
"Is this really the only road to this place?"
"No, it's just the one the poor or secretive people have to deal with. There's no doubt all sorts of 'proper' highways or elevators the typical patrons can use."
He gave the question more careful thought, eventually adding, "Actually there's probably all sorts of other means to get around the place that aren't purely physical."
Considering that both DxD and Fate were neighboring franchises in this world there was probably teleportation and other means beyond foot traffic to get to the place up the ass.
"I'm sure as hell going to look into that if I ever get the chance, I'm pretty much done with walking through crappy smelling tunnels and other garbage."
Thankfully they made the journey without incident, slipping through an unlocked door that swung forward on silent hinges, revealing Yomihara and one of the few naturally forming highways to the Demon Realm in all its glory.
A towering ceiling that reminded Cayman quite a bit of Midgar from FFVII, what with colossal support pillars and a grungy atmosphere where wealth and poverty lived side-by-side and in easy view of each other.
The shifting and grating light sources didn't help with the imagery of a fever dream on meth, neon signs, bonfires in abandoned barrels, gaudy festival streamers...the whole subterranean city looked like a seriously wild acid trip.
"This place is...different."
Till was obviously ill at ease, her sensitivity to emotions of a more carnal variety no doubt going crazy in a place like this as Cayman gently guided her to a mildly private outcropping of stone and old metal that probably didn't have some kind of nasty predator hiding within it, commenting, "That's putting it rather lightly, but you aren't wrong. Just stay close and we'll get through this perfectly fine."
He flashed her a reassuring smile that was only slightly teasing.
"Mind showing me your party apparel now, Till?"
Obviously glad to get her mind off of the overwhelming impressions from Yomihara she was dealing with the Fairy nodded as her usual attire became inundated with a bright glow, morphing into something that was just as provocative, albeit for different reasons. Instead of a skintight collection of blue fabric that left much of her body exposed the female was adorned in a glittering, gossamer dress that was connected to her neck by a golden choker and billowed sensually around her body, almost see-through but instead merely highlighting her body instead of revealing it.
The gamer found himself instinctively licking lips at the sight as his contracted Fairy sported a pleased blush at his attention.
"You, my dear, are going to make me feel scruffy in comparison."
Giggling at his words the female nonetheless swooped down to hover in front of him, eagerly stating, "Well? It's your turn now!"
"Sorry, I don't think my little display is going to be nearly as enticing as yours."
"I'll be the judge of that~!"
Despite Till's cheerful response Cayman's change of clothing really wasn't anything special, not with his limited funds. A simple, black button down that let his toned arms show, pressed jeans that snugly fit his hips and cheap sunglasses made to look more valuable than they really were while hardy boots covered his feet. A simple cologne rounded out the collection, a muted but nonetheless present scent of some kind of perfume he hadn't bothered to check the name of, only that it was cheap.
"Well? Like what you see, Till?"
The brief burst of girlish admiration he felt across their bond was enough to bring a roguish smirk of satisfaction to his lips as she distantly replied, "Oh, well, you know...you're really handsome when you dress like that, Cayman."
Cupping the Fairy and setting her on his shoulder he cheerfully stated, "Bodyguard for the perfect princess, am I right? And sorry, but you kinda make me look plain in comparison."
The idle bit of flirting earned him a kiss on the earlobe as he straightened his back, taking a quick breath before asking, "You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Ditto. Alright, let's do this."
Striding out from the temporary changing room, slipping his hands into his pockets and affecting an unconcerned stroll that suggested he walked through this place everyday Cayman entered the rowdy, dangerous traffic of Yomihara.
The change in attire was an important bit of maintaining appearances, something he'd learned from his previous life and all the various social commitments or meetings that had come with it. He was going to be brushing elbows with some insanely wealthy and cruel people, necessitating a bit of extra effort to present himself in the best light possible.
Given his meager amount of money attempting to buy a suit would have been a laughable plan, the clientele of Under Eden would spot the poor on him a mile away and laugh at his attempt to dress like them. Conversely, going in with his casual threads would be a bit too sloppy for the impression he was trying to create. Zokuto could get away with it because he was good at what he did and got paid for his services, not his hygiene.
But for himself and Till? They were going in as prospective business partners dealing with some very interesting contraband, except they didn't have any kind of insurance or backer if Real - the owner of Under Eden - attempted to rain all over their parade. In canon only Asagi and her sister Sakura had been able to cow the man and that was because they were extremely influential and dangerous assassins. He was, for all intents and purposes, a nobody attempting to bargain with the titans of the world.
Hence the vague clothing that, while cared for, could be anything ranging from business casual to a bodyguard. It was also why Till was dressed so lavishly, playing the part as a royal princess with her human contractor running security detail, an image that would ideally fool their opponents for the day into playing conservatively.
"...Fake it till you make it, baby."
That thought held firmly in mind the duo continued their work, Cayman interested in what Yomihara was like now that he was in the thick of it.
In a word? Excessive.
Gaudy and raucous celebrations that more often than not turned into brawls between the many Demons and fair amount of Supernatural that teemed all over the place, what looked like an Orc and a Fallen Angel punching the shit out of each other as a crowd hooted and bet on the brawl, a Gegenees manning a huge outdoor grill as it roasted what looked like entire cows on a spit while a slave auction drew a massive crowd just a few buildings down.
The gamer felt his eyes narrow at the latter display, immediately noting the difference between Yomihara and the rest of Tokyo and Tokyo Kingdom.
Sure, there had been venues to display all sorts of 'products' that would have drawn a UN sanction or three back home but from what he'd seen they'd been almost festive affairs, the people being sold off or advertised at least healthy and cared for, if not exactly happy. Shit, with the benefit of hindsight some of the girls or guys in the auctions or display windows would have liked to be bought. Sure, there was always the chance they get saddled with a nasty piece of work but in such a rich, tourist-laced area? Who knows, there was always the chance you could snag yourself a gullible rich boy or gal that would want to keep you around.
And slavery had more than just the sex trade going for it, there were plenty of businesses in this reality that would probably greatly appreciate unrecorded and dependant employees that were nonetheless competent. The Devils from DxD, with their population problems, would no doubt appreciate the help from undocumented humans that could take care of menial or administrative jobs while the factions of the Taimanin universe had no shortage of organizations that appreciated willing soldiers or the like.
Sure, a life of forced military service or menial work with the entirely optional opportunity of earning your freedom might seem like a raw deal but when the alternative was being passed around as a client of the day's personal cum dumpster? You take what you can get.
Yomihara had NONE of that thin layer of civility, the chance of freedom or to make something of your life.
Cayman stoically stood a fair distance away from the ongoing auction that had the festive air of a carnival but with the malicious undercurrent of a slasher film, a horned and red-skinned Demon dressed like a court jester flourishing a gaudy chain across the illuminated stage as a young cat girl was harshly yanked along the edge of it, completely nude and sporting a variety of bruises and markings along her neck, wrists and ankles.
"No illusions here."
While it was too loud to hear what was being said Cayman got the gist of it, the Demon hauling the girl up by her collar and bluntly prying her nether lips wide, showcasing an assumed virginity to the crowd as they went wild, feral glee and lust a damn near tangible thing.
His gaze drifted to the choking female and felt his lips purse, shaking his head before walking away, trying not to notice Till's roiling anger, helplessness and frustration as she watched alongside him.
The chick hadn't been small in a legal loli way, her tears and terrified expression just a bit too innocent to let him believe that.
But what was he supposed to do? He wasn't even sure he had the means to save one girl, let alone every unfortunate soul that was in trouble.
He sighed, not for the first time wondering why he'd been born with the love of killing and then getting cursed with a worthless fucking conscience to go along with it. Whatever trick of genetics or cosmic power had overseen that deal was an idiot.
"Let's go, Till."
His contracted Fairy just nodded, their prior moods of calm and eager purpose turned into an icy desire to salvage what good they could of this messed up field trip.
"Welcome to Under Eden, honored customer. Please, come this way and master Real shall be with you shortly."
Offering a polite nod to the suited man whose expression looked like it could flip between subservient politeness and wicked malevolence at the drop of a hat Cayman replied, "Much appreciated, I'm sure Real has a busy schedule and meeting with someone like me has to be hard to fit in properly."
Accepting the schmoozing for what it was the butler-like attendant bowed his head slightly, generously responding, "Under Eden is always willing to make time in order to meet with those who show promise and the potential for new...entertainment."
Cayman had to physically fight back a grimace at the guide's use of the word 'entertainment', the syllables feeling as if someone had just ran their bare dick against his ear.
"Here we are, honored customer. Please, make yourself at home. I wish you luck in the coming negotiations, master Real will be seeing both you and additional guests at the same time, he believes that you may have something in common."
It was only with a great deal of practice and force of will that Cayman avoided doing a double take right in front of the attendant as he unlocked a door and ushered him inside, the gamer inwardly groaning at this latest development as Till silently rode atop his shoulder.
"Why can't things ever be simple? It's just a high-stakes, incredibly dangerous meeting with a man who has a shit ton of influence, will know my face afterwards and holds an innocent life that I desire as his bartering chip. Are the unknown guests really necessary for this whole song and dance?"
Not letting his inner frustration and salty tears show Cayman smoothly strode inside, eyes hidden by his seemingly expensive shades as he rapidly took in details.
Nice, tasteful furniture of cream and wine color, a soft carpet that was no doubt a murder to keep clean and varnished wood cofee table loaded with a variety of appetizers that probably cost as much as twenty happy meals apiece.
And two beautiful women in the unmistakable garb of Taimanin, their profiles ones he recognized which filled him with both reassurance and apprehension. Reassurance because he could at least guess at their skills and motivations. Apprehension because if he was going to carry out this deal he was more or less outing himself as a conspirator with a criminal organization, using resources Sanctuary likely considered highly classified contraband as collateral.
"Well SHIT. Alright, thinking cap is on."
Strolling into the room with confidence he sure as shit didn't feel two pairs of eyes immediately locked onto him, the more mature of the women offering a polite smile from where she was sitting comfortably on one of the couches.
"Greetings, are you perhaps a representative of Real? I was under the impression that we were to be meeting with him personally today."
Natsume Amadare, a Taimanin that focused less on her combat skills and was more of an investigator than she was frontline fighter. A potent negotiator and speaker who's warm yet sultry words Cayman could easily see bewitching those who had no idea who she was, lovely yellow eyes boring into his own with intelligent curiosity.
"Unfortunately it looks like Real's attempting to save time by having both of us attend today's meeting. Apparently there's some business between he and I that you two might find intriguing."
"...Someone contracted with a Fairy, working with Real?"
Standing at Natsume's right shoulder was a true example of feminine beauty that Cayman couldn't help but regret would almost assuredly be an enemy in the near future. Mai Nanase, a highly accomplished Taimanin despite her youth and relative lack of field experience who utilized origami cranes and paper to manifest a variety of different effects ranging from melee weapons to timed explosives.
She also just so happened to be an 11/10, in his opinion. Long, snowy hair that fell to her thighs and was adorned with gem-like decorations while brilliant orbs of reddish-pink stared at him with muted suspicion, her body short but nicely proportioned with a decently sized bust, thin waist and flared hips and thighs.
A pity about her soft and inflectionless tone clearly not desiring him as a friend or ally.
"Now now, Mai. That's no indicator of his status, their relationship could be one based solely off of lust."
Natsume's teasing observation caused Till to scowl, Cayman lightly tapping her on the leg in a mollifying action as he took up a seat across from the Taimanin duo, not bothering to access their stats as it wouldn't really help him all that much in this situation. He wasn't looking for a fight regardless.
"So what brings two Taimanin to a place like this? You were wondering what I was doing here, Miss Nanase, but I could turn that question right around."
The typically stoic and reserved Taimanin twitched slightly as he revealed that he knew her name, Natsume's expression not shifting a millimeter as the more experienced operator simply smiled before responding, "I'm sure you'll receive your answers in due time."
Before he could reply to the blunt deflection of his inquiry the door to the sitting room once again opened, admitting a trio of wildly different figures to enter.
The first was a towering, green-skinned creature that looked like it might have at one time been an Orc or similar species but had undergone enough cybernetic upgrading that it looked like mecha-frankenstein instead of a humanoid being. The next to enter was a corpulent man dressed in finely spun robes that might as well have slapped observers in the face with wads of cash, the final entrant a busty woman dressed in the iconic Taimanin gear although her placid expression and unfamiliar features didn't give Cayman any hints as to her identity.
The way Mai briefly stiffened upon seeing her was a good indication that it hadn't exactly been a voluntary change of careers.
He set those thoughts aside as Real calmly sat himself in one of the remaining chairs, the brainwashed or mindbroken - it was anyone's guess - Taimanin standing behind him as the cyborg brute took up position by the door.
"Alright, here we go."
Mentally readying himself Cayman met Real's affable and not at all predatory expression head on, the owner of one of Yomihara - and indeed the world's - most affluent brothels pleasantly greeting him with, "I welcome you to Under Eden, Mr. Lute. Zokuto informed me that you were interested in trading for one of my establishment's newly arrived merchandise."
Ignoring how Mai bristled at the reveal - Natsume's expression not shifting so much as a millimeter - the gamer responded, "That's correct. If you have my name then I suppose you have the rundown of what I was up to over the past week."
"Indeed. While the exact details are unknown you and a collection of operatives alongside none other than Miss Yukikaze were engaged in bringing low Dr. Hoestia. That you are here now, alive and well, suggests that the mission was a success."
"It certainly was, which brings me here today."
Cayman had to resist sighing at how easily Real had gotten ahold of his info. It was by no means secret and Zokuto would have been able to tell the man all sorts of context clues from their little meeting but it was a lousy reminder of just how far down on the totem pole he really was, that the man before him could so easily reach out and snag whatever information he so desired.
Then again he doubted that his records were all that detailed, considering that he'd been dumped into this world a bare few weeks ago. If Real had anything more than that then he knew more about his own life than he did.
"Ah, but where are my manners?"
The corpulent male turned to the thus far neglected Taimanin duo, greasily stating, "It's a pleasure as always to make the acquaintance of Miss Asagi's enforcers, how are you lovely ladies faring this day?"
Real's words had a clear edge to them, eyes narrowed as Mai returned the stare with unveiled distaste while Natsume just offered a vapid and consoling smile, calmly stating, "Enforcers is such a strong word. We are merely here to ensure continued friendly relations and to safeguard our world. After all, an intact world better suits your purposes and continued productivity, does it not?"
"Indeed it does. An odd topic to bring up, considering your leader's initial visit to my establishment."
"A mere misunderstanding of circumstance and lack of communication on both sides, such an unfortunate crossing of paths need not repeat itself. As long as no one seeks a fight, of course."
The mood was undoubtedly one of chill and thinly veiled spite, Cayman quickly cluing into what the whole debacle was about. Asagi and Sakura had gone to retrieve Rinko and Yukikaze after they had been tricked by Real into a deal they couldn't go back on, threatening the man and essentially offering him an ultimatum of releasing their allies or getting acquainted with the sharp end of a knife.
"Looks like Natsume is in charge of keeping in contact with Under Eden, no doubt making sure they aren't getting up to any suspicious shit."
Renewing his attention on Cayman the owner of the brothel mused, "So what is this bit of collateral you apparently bring to the table? Zokuto suggested that your lack of conventional monetary assets would necessitate some other kind of bartering material, most likely what experiments Hoestia was working upon."
He offered a genial smile as yet again the pair of Taimanin stiffened, Till also uneasily shifting as she sensed the approaching danger.
"I imagined that you would also appreciate the opportunity to display a valuable bargaining chip to the Taimanin as well. They are always in the market for force multipliers - look no further than the tamed animals native to their headquarters - and imagined that we could bid on such a rare piece of merchandise."
He nodded, as if bestowing upon Cayman a rare and wondrous favor.
"Consider it an act of goodwill, to a possible future associate. A sweetening of the pot, if you will."
Returning the gesture with a friendly grin the gamer responded, "Well thank you very much for the consideration, I appreciate it."
Inside the privacy of his own mind, however?
"Oh my god. This mother fucker is trying to get me killed in the first few seconds of this damn meeting!"
He could read between the lines just fine and saw what Real was doing plain as day. The bastard deliberately brought in the Taimanin duo before bluntly telling them that Cayman had both worked with other Taimanin operatives and subsequently appropriated Sanctuary resources to use as collateral in order to buy what was almost certainly a sex slave with a known criminal element that had done some seriously messed up shit to comrades of theirs.
If that wasn't an invitation for them to take him somewhere dark and secluded with some pointed questions then he didn't know what was. While they probably wouldn't kill him or rough him up too badly he would almost certainly lose a whole hell of a lot of standing with the Taimanin and Sanctuary, assuming anybody was even looking after him in the first place.
"Dammit. I set myself up for failure on this one."
He'd underestimated how much of a potential threat his actions would come across as to Real and Under Eden. A guy that knows all sorts of info about their organization, is apparent allies with Taimanin that have a sour history with them and is a Sanctuary Surveyor at that?
"Yeah, small wonder Real is hoping to marginalize my influence or even have me taken out behind the shed, an establishment like this doesn't stay around for very long if they just let loose ends run about willy nilly."
Till glanced at him, apprehension clear to sense through their bond even if she was careful to keep it from showing on her face, the male's mind running a mile a minute as he tried to think of a way out of this whole mess he'd wandered head first into...and slowly, gradually felt a smug sense of triumph do away with his previous mood.
Real had made a simple miscalculation when cooking up this little scheme, albeit a fairly dumb one.
Basically, he'd taken Zokuto at his word when Cayman had pretended to be a fairly immoral dude that wasn't above using resources that weren't his to get things he desired...a ruthless person that wanted to buy Yumi because he wanted to fuck her and nothing else.
He hadn't counted on the younger man desiring the girl because he wanted to help her, make use of her powers and make his partner happy. And he definitely hadn't considered that Cayman would have no trouble whatsoever dealing with the Taimanin afterwards. What did he have to hide or fear from them? He knew Natsume was used to dealing with people a hell of a lot more malicious than he was while Mai would follow the older Taimanin's lead.
"You almost had me there, Real. But I've dealt with your kind before and I know how to play that game."
Under Eden wanted him dead, thinking he was small fry that had stumbled across something he shouldn't have? The solution was simple, make a show of strength that would have them taking a moment to consider that he wasn't a small fry and knew precisely how to use the knowledge and resources he had. The only thing monsters and daggers in the dark understood was mutual threat.
"Well if you went to all the trouble of arranging this then let's get started. And behind door number one…"
With a stageman's flourish he dumped one of Hoestia's creations onto the sitting table, the immediate scent of blood and battle filling the room as all eyes immediately darted towards the battered and bruised corpse that was unmistakably female, albeit its groin and heart had been blown apart by some of Yukikaze's bullets. Despite all those disfigurements it was still clearly of unknown origin, having no mouth or nose but long, dark hair and elongated, clawed limbs of lithe power while slitted eyes gazed with predatory instinct, even while long dead.
"Well? Care to verify its authenticity?"
Real regained his composure and nodded to the likely mind-broken Taimanin, the woman walking forward and scraping some DNA from the corpse's mouth and skin before setting it on some kind of medical scanner as the device hummed to life.
While it was admittedly a bit of a risk that he gave them free access to the genetic material of Hoestia's creations Cayman was relying on the fact that if his predecessor's inventions were so easy to replicate he wouldn't have been such a hot commodity across the world and had a hit squad sent to track him down. And it wasn't like Under Eden was some hotbed of cloning or genetic restructuring, their focus had been on altering what was already there and ensuring their female slaves were the perfect prostitutes, gifted most of those innovations by other factions to test and observe.
He was fairly confident it was - while a gamble - one with good odds.
A muted beep escaped the machine no more than a minute later as Real investigated the corpse with barely concealed interest, the Taimanin's eyes widening slightly as she mused, "Several distinct genetic sequences are present, but...no recessive or failed connections. They seem stable, master."
Real looked genuinely intrigued for a moment before turning to Cayman, business mask in place.
"While interesting no one would be interested in a damaged and deformed body such as this. A compelling proof of concept but nothing more."
"Agreed. But this is what you're getting for now, not until I get an agreed upon deal with all sorts of assurances and such."
The room blinked in open surprise at his bold words, Real meeting Cayman's level gaze as he clearly expected the younger man to capitulate under the force of his scrutiny.
Their clash of wills was no doubt an odd one to watch from an outsider's perspective, that of an unknown and seemingly poor newcomer versus the indomitable and wealthy beyond imagination owner of an establishment exclusive only to the most rich and powerful the world over...and it was no doubt even stranger that the latter gave way with a dismissive snort as the former held naught but confidence.
"Very well, then why not retire to a more relaxed setting and discuss such matters?"
He let his eyes drift over to where the Taimanin still watched the proceedings with obvious suspicion, the man's goal of them still disposing of Cayman not subtle in the slightest.
"How does dinner sound?"
"In this establishment? I'm not about to turn down an offer like that."
Real motioned for the Taimanin slave to send word as they all rose from their seats, Till quietly whispering in her contractor's ear, "You know what you're doing, right?"
"Eh, mostly."