Chapter 12: Slate
The garage stank. Not in a gross way, but in a disheveled, mildewed way. The center held Malee, her head aching and her limbs barely accepting her brain's commands to move. Her sprained ankle had yet to be treated and her throat silently screamed for water.
Something was wrong.
Her head felt like it was going to explode. Whatever spell that Auror had placed on her gave the worst hangover she had ever experienced, even worse than the school trip to Okinawa all those years ago.
Someone was there, someone who shouldn't have been.
She opened her eyes and saw a figure sitting in front of her, inside the cell. Her vison as unfocused but she willed it to clear the figure's presence. As soon as the form came into focus the phantom raised its head, a dark purple glow radiated form its eyes and Malee began to panic. She knew that gaze anywhere.
Hidden Snake,
bastard,
Saeng Siriporn,
homewrecker,
Death Eater,
kin-killer…
Grandfather.
"NO!" she screeched, the voice only within her mind.
The air turned frigid, and the world went into a shade of Teton white. The bars of the cell were outlined in thin black, Malee couldn't move. The phantom had control over her mind, every emotion, every thought, every word from now until it decided to stop playing with her. The off-white shade of the world was only broken by the purple gaze of the phantom.
She knew this feeling well, the Imperius Curse on its own didn't feel unpleasant, the commands of the caster in effect became a part of that person's own thought process, a part of their nature. But the distorted version of the most unforgivable of curses that her grandfather practiced trapped the victim within themselves, their environment, actions, and principles entirely controlled by the caster. The curse made them a prisoner in their own mind with their psyche as the warden. Instead of hypnosis, her grandfather was in the business of psychosis.
"Did you think it would be easy?" a voice said. To Malee it sounded like her own thoughts, something that had surfaced from her own self naturally, but the tone was off. It was not an internal monologue. It was an uncanny version of it. A design to provide for insanity rather than obedience.
"Did you think you could simply insult your grandfather, your own patron, the only family you have left, and escape? To act out in your own twisted way and expect no consequences?" the voice said.
"The only thing that ever mattered was that damn Voldemort bastard." Malee thought, a message assured to reach her tormentor.
"The Dark Lord has provided not just for him, but for you too. Turning your back on his great Crusade is a great insult to your honor, a grave fortune." A thought said.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…" Malee kept thinking. Her memories were scattered, she knew that there was a way to get out of this, an escape.
"it never worked."
"Go!" Malee thought.
"Months of tests, all for naught"
"But the last one…"
"There is nowhere you can run."
HE WILL ALWAYS KNOW
A crescendo of pain scattered Malee's conscious, her mind was left in disarray, like a Cruciatus Curse to her cognition.
"A small condolence." The thoughts surfaced.
"it was never meant to be this way."
"The goal. Was. Never to let. You. Come…" Malee fought her thoughts, "Here."
"It was never meant to break you." Malee remembered a fragment.
"All he wanted…"
a constant! A reminder of herself.
The solution!
"WAS FOR YOU"
A poem!
Her mother's favorite
"They sought it with thimbles" Malee thought.
You damn yourself!
"They sought it with care;"
Don't make this mistake child!
"They pursued it with forks…"
There is no redemption in the eyes of the Lord
"…and hope!"
The car's engine squirmed underneath the two, a witch and a salaryman, as they pulled out of the safehouse's garage. The sky was starting to turn a sweet grenadine red as the day ended. Normally Rock liked to meet with Feng when it was daytime, when more tourists were out and about rather than criminals. But he made an exception given the... exceptional circumstances… that had beset him.
Rock was still unsure of his place in all this mess that Harry had sparked. On the one hand there was Revy, whose newly awakened powers would surely change her. Be that for better or worse, Rock couldn't parse right now. He did have a stray thought go through his mind, however. This whole story reminded him of some anime he had watched back in Japan when he was still in the land of the living. From Revy's perspective he thought, this might be akin to getting isekai'd. Maybe being surrounded by people who were magically adept like her would make her feel like she belonged somewhere, which would go far in resolving some of her internal issues. At least, that was his hope. Rock just wanted to see her happy.
Then on the other hand there was Harry Potter. Rock had recalled that night they met at the Yellow Flag. He had seemed very cordial and almost innocent in appearance by that point. It wasn't until he had gotten to sit down with him in some off time that he learned the full extent of what not just Harry, but Hermione too, had gone through with the Dark Lord Voldemort. Dispelling any worries Rock had about their ability to cope with Roanapur's unique attractions.
Yet he had noticed some small changes in Harry's overall demeanor. He had become more aggressive, more willing to take risks. And notably much more interested in guns which, unlike wands, don't have a non-lethal option.
Hermione must have been looking at him, "What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"Nothing all that important." Rock said.
He didn't know what to make of Hermione. He hadn't had much time to talk with her alone since the heist. Rock wasn't sure how the two of them stood regarding each other. She seemed like a dangerous person to have actively dislike him.
"Have you noticed anything weird going on with Roanapur's bosses?" she asked.
"Not really. Mr. Chang is a bit less inquisitive than I thought he might be." Rock said, "But not to the extent where he would be brain-washed."
"Are you sure he isn't acting out of character?" Hermione asked. For her part she still didn't know too much about the inner workings of the city she had found herself in. Except that Rock was the guide and Revy the guard.
"I'm sure." Rock said in finality, "What about Harry? Have you made amends with him?"
"No, I figured that it would be best to talk when we're back in England, whenever that may be." She said.
"That's fair. But I wouldn't wait too long." Rock said. The car pulled into a parking spot near a café.
"Of course." Hermione said half-heartedly as they got out of the vehicle.
Feng was sitting at a table outside, a cup for her and Rock sat on the table. Hermione pulled up another chair and Feng looked at her with a composed surprise.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were bringing anyone else." She said to Rock as he sat down.
"It was a last-minute arrangement. Things are dangerous right now." Rock said.
"Are you his bodyguard now?" Feng asked Hermione slyly.
"Something like that." She said. "Hermione Granger" Feng took the witch's outstretched hand and Rock cleared his throat.
"So, what did you find past the encryption?" he asked.
"Quite the treasure trove." Feng said as she slid a small envelope to him. Inside contained a solid rectangle, presumably the now-decrypted hard drive.
"You can see it for yourself, but the images all come from security cameras around the city. Most of them were the standard intelligence you'd see the Triads collecting. Movements of Russian dealers, Cartel hitmen, et cetera. But there was a separate password protected folder which is what you need to pay attention to." Feng said.
Rock nodded along and looked at the hard drive through the opening of the envelope.
"I assume that the Triad was tracking us?" Rock said.
"Precisely. You, Revy, her," Feng said, referring to Hermione, "and the other one, the guy with glasses and the scar."
"Harry…" Hermione muttered.
"I can't say this was unexpected." Rock said.
"How so?" Hermione asked. She had an idea where his thoughts were going, but she wanted to hear his reasoning.
"Feng, thanks for doing this. I think you'll help a lot of people from getting killed." Rock said as he stood up from his chair.
"As always Rock, I still owe you." Feng said, her expression turning lighter, and her eyes twinkled, but her face still wanted to know what exactly Rock was up to. He knew that, but now wasn't the time.
"Are things still good with Ronnie?" Rock asked.
"I'd be sure to let you know if they weren't." she said.
"I'll be sure to stop by the restaurant after all this blows over." Rock said, Feng nodded sincerely.
Feng stood up as did Hermione. The sweet hacker took one of Rock's hands, looked him in the eyes with a smile, and squeezed lovingly before they parted ways. Hermione watched the exchange longingly. It had been a while since she had seen Ron.
Rock watched Feng walk away for a while, "Let's go." Rock said, "I have some new questions for our captive."
The world faded back into colors. The phantom was gone. Malee sighed in relief, her method working for the first time. Her potion had worked! She leaned up from the cot which she was laid upon, the hungover feeling no longer present. She looked at her surroundings, taking note of every detail she could before getting out of the cot.
There were no windows in the garage, it was only through a small hole in the ceiling where she could see the night sky. The time was indeterminable. Malee still smelled the mildew and slow decay of the wooden struts up in the roof. She tried checking herself, not remembering exactly what happened after she got put to sleep. Her ankle was still sprained, her nose still broken, but at the very least she had managed to hold him off for a time. Or at least Malee hoped.
She tried putting some weight on her ankle, but the effort proved impossible, she simply didn't have the range of motion for standing unassisted. She had made it a point to build her pain tolerance too, but it was all for nought if her body refused to move the way she wanted it to.
Without realizing it she must have made too much noise, or maybe a ward went off, because as Malee got comfortable sitting up, the door leading into the main house opened. Dressed in a smart two-tone khaki field jacket and similar gear emerged an older man Malee didn't know.
Close behind him was another man she vaguely remembered. He was wearing a business casual outfit with a bright cyan tie. Then followed the bitch who'd broken her nose. And finally, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Won, Harry Potter.
"It's about time." The older man said. As soon as he spoke, Malee recognized him.
"Auror Stanley." Malee said.
"I see we need no introductions." He said.
"I've heard of you." Malee said.
"Yet that doesn't tell me why you recognize my voice." He said, pacing around the cell, examining his captive. The other three made themselves a part of the background.
"Kowloon, eighty-six, the apartment above Sing Sing Noodles." Malee said.
His expression hardened, "You were the girl?"
"No." Malee said curtly.
Harry looked at the elder Auror with an asking expression. "Later." He said, the hero backed off.
"I'm going to tell you what will happen in the proceeding few minutes, Miss Thucrit." The Auror said, stopping on the far side of the cell from where she was.
"My associates, Misters Potter and Rock will ask you questions, and you will answer them truthfully. If that proves to be a task too hard for you, then Miss Revy will ensure that you do in fact answer." He said.
"And you?" Malee asked hatefully.
"I will simply observe." He said.
"Bullshit." Malle seethed. "You have procedures to follow."
The man smirked and walked to the other side of the cell, so he was next to where Malee was. She tried to turn and face him, but her body was unresponsive. The Auror pulled her shirt towards the bars, slamming her head painfully against the metal. He gruffly took her by the underside of her jaw like a parent disciplining a child. The man and Malee were face to face, her captor trying to force her cheeks between the bars as far as they'd go.
Sensing what might happen, she used her eyes, the only thing she could still control, and avoided his gaze. But the Auror was upping his game and eventually their sights crossed paths. The Auror's Legilimency attack was fierce and searing. Malee could feel his presence penetrate deep into her mind. It felt like a hot skewer, but she had prepared for this.
Malee was not a witch, she was simply an innocent barback, picked up off the streets by these crazy people. "Really?" the invading thoughts asked. Malee had lived above the bar all her life, her fath-
"She's an Occlumens." The Auror said curtly to his associates. The body-bind had ceased and Malee flopped back down on the cot and tried to mentally recover for what was coming next. She could've sworn she saw Potter slip a vial of liquid back into his jacket. No doubt a dose of truth serum.
The Auror walked back towards the door, conjuring an armchair to sit on while the others did their work. Revy opened the cell and came inside, her hands wandless and gun-less. The Auror waved his wand and a small wooden table appeared in the cell. On it sat several tools: a monkey wrench, a pair of wire cutters, needle nose pliers, a car battery with cables, a few rags, and a small jerry can. What was inside was only Malee's guess.
"You think any of that shit will work?" Malee taunted, sitting up fully on the cot.
"You know, I did much worse back in prison." Revy said as she eyed up the tools. "Little bratty cunts like you always break." The pirate opted for the wire cutters first and Malee found herself unable to move from her seat.
Revy towered over Malee and raised the wire cutters to her victim's chin, a sadistic grin forming on her lips.
"Malee." A voice from behind her said. She was able to turn her head at least to see it was the businessman, Rock.
"I have some questions for you, which I'd highly recommend you answer truthfully." He said. The tone of his voice was detached, almost as if he were talking to a customer on a service call. It didn't help that he was leaning his back against the bars, not even looking at the scene inside. Meanwhile, Revy was tracing an incoherent pattern with the tip of the closed wire cutters across Malee's neck. She was determined not to show it, but internally she felt very uncomfortable.
He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a few sheets of paper. Malee found her torso to be unfrozen as she took them from him. On it were printed out black and white photos of the people who were now interrogating her. Some while they were driving around the city, a few while they met near the Rip-Off Church, and notably one of Potter first arriving near the Yellow Flag, it was dated the earliest of all the pictures.
"Would you kindly tell me why the Triads were spying on us?" Rock said.
"How could I possibly know the answer?" Malee said.
"Revy?" Rock asked.
Malee turned back to the woman who shoved her down onto the cot. Malee lost the air in her lungs as Revy put a knee on her chest. Malee tried to shove her off to no avail. Revy caught one of her hands and snatched the other before Malee could react properly. Revy slammed them above Malee's head and bent down close, tracing the wire cutters across her face. Malee kept her face stoic, but she knew her eyes were snitching on her unease.
Revy opened the cutters and put part of Malee's left ear into them. The two women locked eyes as the blades slowly began to squeeze, a trickle of blood staining the cot's fabric. Malee's constitution held as the cut finished in a slow, agonizing way.
"Malee?" Rock said again as Revy lined up another portion of the ear. Malee's mind was ringing from the pain, something told her that the effects were being amplified somehow.
"Why was the Triad spying on us?" Rock asked again.
"Haven't you put two-and-two together yet dumbass?" Malee spat, earning a swift punch across the face from Revy.
"Please, enlighten me." Rock said.
"The earliest fucking photo is of Potter. My grandfather is a Death Eater. I was the bait. It's so incredibly stupid simple." Malee said.
"It's not a theory I had ruled out. I just wanted to hear you say it." Rock said.
Harry stepped up aside Rock, Malee looked at him upside down, as Revy still had her pinned.
"You're saying that me being sent here was the intention?" he asked.
"Idiots!" Malee shouted, turning back to Revy. "C'mon bitch, you really think I'll fall just for this. Fucking pathetic!" Revy smirked and got off her victim roughly. Malee had felt at least one rib crack from her captor's knee pushing off. She leaned up with difficulty and Revy tossed the wire cutters back onto the table and looked at her other options.
"Well, we now established that Harry was the real target." Rock said. "Where were the trucks going?"
"Hong Kong." Malee said.
"No fucking shit." Revy said as her fingers danced over her tools. Malee's ear was starting to bleed even more, a red streak covering the side of her head into her chest. But she seemed unfazed by it.
"The trucks went to Bangkok, where the cargo would be mixed in with other goods heading to Hong Kong. It's not rocket science." Malee said.
"I see. But when they do reach the city, where do they go from there?" Rock asked.
"How is that in any way important?" Malee asked. Revy spun around and delivered a strong fist to her victim's jaw, not quite breaking anything, but leaving a few molars loose for sure.
"That isn't for you to determine." Rock said simply.
"Fine." Malee said dispassionately. "If I had to guess they'd go to some warehouse. But for those pictures, they must have been on a hard drive. Going straight to headquarters. A tower along the coast called Konpecki Palace."
"Very good." Rock said encouragingly as Revy picked up a rag and the jerry can. "Now can you tell me about Mr. Chang's involvement in all of this?"
"He doesn't know shit. He's just a facilitator for me." Malee said.
"Explain?" Rock asked. Revy meanwhile was dousing the rag with water, which seemed to refill inside the can as fast as it was poured out.
"I was sent to Thailand ages ago to work on drugs, Chang was supposed to keep an eye on me and get me whatever materials I asked for. His fucking nephew or whatever is magical, so he knows about our world." Malee said.
Potter muttered something under his breath and glanced at the Auror, who nodded slightly.
"I guess you were the one who Stunned him, Potter? You rob his truck too?" Malee asked venomously. "All you did with that was make things harder on yourself. He would've found you eventually."
"Your grandfather?" Harry asked.
"Of course!" Malee said.
"Albie." Revy said. "I think we need to cool off some of her attitude."
"In think so too." The Auror said. He waved his wand and a wooden chair appeared in the cell. Malee was shoved by an invisible force into the chair and found herself magically bound.
Revy put her boot between Malee's legs and onto the chair, she got in close again as Potter started to ask his questions.
"What was the extent of Voldemort's influence in this region?" he asked.
"I didn't lie to you when we first met." Malee said.
"I just want more detail is all." Harry said.
"I don't have any to give." Malee said.
Revy smiled and kicked over the chair, Malee crashed on her back and her face was met with the slap of a damp rag. The rag was starting to absorb the blood from her ear when the water hit her face. It entered her nose and pain shot through like a spike as her brain tried to figure out what was happening. Revy didn't stop the flow. Malee felt her throat swell as water gushed through and into her lungs. She tried to be rational and control her body's breathing. She had been through this before. But Revy must have inferred this and kept pouring.
The water was filling even more and Malee had given up trying to control her breathing. Her ears were screeching in pain as water poured through her nasal passages. Her throat was so swollen that nothing but water went through. It was then she realized that nothing else in the world meant more to life than oxygen. There were flashes of light behind her closed eyes, and just as she thought her ticket was punched the flow stopped. Her body was free.
She ripped the cloth off her face and hurled onto the floor on all fours, puking and coughing out as much water as her body could. Her head was completely rolled. In that moment, seeing a mix of water and blood, which was pouring out of her nose now too, go along the floor and into a drain on the floor, she would've admitted to anything.
"C'MON!" Revy shouted, delivering a swift kick to Malee's side, causing her victim to cough up more water. But she didn't fall over.
"Voldemort and my grandfather, they…" Malee started to say, coughing up more water, "They developed a distorted version of the Imperius Curse."
"How so?" Potter asked. Malee looked over to him. He looked disturbed at what he had seen but was choosing to push on regardless.
"It completely takes over your cognition. All commands seem to become your own original ideas, but they are uncanny in their formation. The regular curse operates on suggestion, hypnosis. Their version relies on overwhelming your own self and inducing psychosis." She said.
It looked like a lot of that went over Potter's head, but Rock was nodding along well enough.
"Do I need to draw it in crayon for you?" Malee jabbed at Potter. Earning another kick and another round of coughs from Revy.
"No, I think I understand. But I don't recall Voldemort ever practicing something like that before." He said.
"Because they didn't finish their research." Malee said, "The Dark lord left my grandfather to go back to Britain, charging my grandfather with building a Death Eater cell that would bring Asia to its knees when the time came."
"I see." Potter said, "But I take it that never happened?"
"No, he's just been using Voldemort as an excuse to do whatever he wants. After you finished off the fucker for good my grandfather was displeased and started to hatch a plan to kill you." Malee said.
"And this whole situation would be it I take it." Rock said.
"I wasn't against the plan to begin with." Malee said. She had finally managed to sit up, using the table of tools as a back rest. "It was when I learned that he wanted to Curse the Thai and British Ministers when I dropped out, which led to him and I falling out."
"Go on." Potter said.
"Originally, we were going to use another distraction to attract you here. A blatant magical duel that the magic community couldn't ignore yet couldn't act unilaterally on." Malee said.
"But what would guarantee me coming here in that event?" Potter asked.
"That's what we got hung up on. I wanted to leave a targeted message. He insisted on cursing the Minister." Malee said.
"Well, your suspicions are at least confirmed now Albie." Potter said to the Auror.
"Indeed. I think our next steps are clear." Albie said.
"Take down this fucker?" Revy asked.
"You can't." Malee said.
Revy kicked her in the chest, "If we could get your bitch-ass we can get his!" the pirate said.
"His Imperius is too strong." Malee gasped. "Even Occlumency won't stop it."
"Then what can?" Harry asked.
"A ritual I developed." Malee said quietly.
"This?" Harry asked, producing the copy of the notes he took while at her apartment.
"How did you get those?" Malee asked when she recognized them. But she resigned, "Never mind, I can probably guess anyway."
"It wouldn't be hard." Harry said, "I was about to send these to the Ministry."
"It's good that you didn't." Malee said.
"Obviously." Harry said, "Now how does this work?"
"I'll help you, but I have conditions." Malee said.
Revy delivered another fist across Malee's face, "You have zero fucking choice here cunt!" she said forcefully.
"I… do." Malee said. She spit out a tooth and looked over to Albie.
The Auror looked into her eyes again and performed Legilimency again. He re-lived that day, the apartment above the shop in Kowloon. Malee was letting him remember. He nodded somberly.
"What are your terms?" Albie asked to Revy's astonishment.
"I will make enough of the potion needed and instruct all of you in the ritual to counter the Imperius. In exchange, you return my wand and let me walk away from all of this." Malee said.
"Like fuck you're getting it back!" Revy said.
"Hold on." Albie said measuredly, rising from his chair. "What evidence do you have that would suggest that we need more help beyond the notes that Mr. Potter has obtained?"
"Those notes are incomplete." Malee said. "There's a vital part of the ritual which I only developed the day the Triad came knocking. I didn't have time to write it down."
"Very well." Albie said, pausing to think for a moment. "What does this ritual involve exactly?"
"There's a potion that the subject must drink. It rewires a part of the brain that controls cognition. After this process is complete, a spell must be placed on the subject to activate this new neural pattern when a certain constant stimulation is introduced." Malee said.
"I see, so you've made a way for someone to essentially break the Imperius at will as long as they remember a constant that anchors them to reality?" Albie confirmed.
"Yes." Malee said, "The hard part is remembering the constant while under the effect of my grandfather's distorted version of the Curse. I've found that even under a normal Imperius, it is much easier to break if you get into the habit of testing yourself periodically."
"I see." Albie said as he thought some more. There was a long silence in the room.
"Maybe we should go back inside and discuss this?" Rock suggested.
"Yes, we should do that." Albie said. "Mr. Potter, please restore Miss Thucrit to acceptable health."
Harry nodded as Revy exited the cell. Rock and Albie went back inside, and Revy watched as Harry performed some basic healing spells through the bars. The water was drained from Malee's lungs, her ankle healed, broken bones mended, and any cuts stitched back together. But the prisoner was still left fatigued and mentally exhausted. Something her wardens wouldn't fix.
The two walked back towards the door but Revy stopped and grabbed Harry's arm.
"I ain't giving that cunt her wand back." She said.
"Revy, not here." Harry said simply as he opened the door. The pirate looked down disappointedly. Malee chuckled in the background as she sat down on her cot, the table having been vanished. Revy seethed and went inside where she found the interrogators filling in Hermione what they learned.
Malee couldn't tell how long they spent inside, but eventually her captors returned, this time with another woman that had bushy brown hair.
"Miss Thucrit, we have a counteroffer to your terms." Albie said.
Malee looked up at him as he explained.
"In return for ensuring that your ritual is completed fully on all of us, apart from Mr. Rock, you will earn your freedom. Your wand however is a sticking point for the one who disarmed you, Miss Revy." Albie said.
"At the suggestion of Mr. Rock, we are willing to allow you to reclaim your wand by a trial of combat. You and Miss Revy will fight in your cell bare-fisted until one of you is no longer able to carry on. The winner will be awarded the wand. If you win, you will receive it once we let you go. Are these terms acceptable?" Albie said.
Malee looked at the old Auror thoroughly. His expression told her that this was probably the best deal she would receive. "Fine, but I don't think this is a fair fight considering my condition." She said.
"If I may." Said the new woman. "I will give you a Pepper-Up Potion if you will sit with me after the fight to thoroughly document your ritual. This could serve as a vital development in defensive magic research."
"And who are you again?" Malee asked.
"Hermione Granger." Hermione said, reaching a hand through the bars.
"Very well Granger." Malee said as she briefly squeezed the woman's hand.
"With that settled, let's not waste any time." Albie said.
With a wave of his wand the cell's bars began to expand outwards to give the cell a wider open area. Hermione had produced a small flask which Malee drank as Revy entered the cell. Malee stood up and the furniture in the cell vanished, leaving open concrete flooring between the two. Malee circled her head around her neck, cracking it at points. She smiled as steam came out of her ears and she assumed a martial pose as Revy sized her up.
The two circled around each other, waiting for an opening. Albie meanwhile conjured a few armchairs for the spectators to sit in, which they did.
"This seems a little barbaric, doesn't it?" Hermione asked Rock.
"You wouldn't believe it, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened to Revy." Rock replied as he recounted the fight between Revy and Roberta to the others.
After a few rounds of the cell, the two fighters moved towards each other, and Revy put in the first strike. Her fist sailed towards Malee's head, but it was dodged. Malee went low and tried to jab Revy's stomach. The pirate sidestepped however and tried to sweep her opponent's legs.
Malee anticipated the move and instead of dodging she adjusted her stance to take the blow. Revy's foot got hung up and Malee shoved her. Revy lost balance and backed off, raising her fists into a more defensive position. Malee giggled at her new dominance and began probing Revy's defense, throwing a few cursory jabs.
"I hope this doesn't drag on too long." Albie mused in the peanut gallery.
"Yeah, last time the fight lasted hours." Rock said.
And this time the fight didn't go on for hours, but it took much more time than either combatant expected. Around one in the morning, an hour-and-a-half after they started, both fighters looked exhausted and had bruises all over their bodies and faces. Hermione and Rock had gone back inside to sleep while the other two stayed up to supervise.
"You just don't fucking give up?" Revy taunted.
"I haven't used all my tricks yet bitch." Malee said demurely as she prepared another attack.
"Let's see it then? Or ar-" Revy began to say, but she was interrupted by an invisible force.
Malee had managed a brief push with wandless magic. Revy staggered and got her legs swept. On the way down Malee delivered a punch and Revy's head slammed on the floor. She wasn't out but Malee made sure to finish the job with one last kick to the head.
Revy was out cold and Malee staggered back, falling on her ass to recover.
"Well done Miss Thucrit." Albie said as he waved his wand. The cell bars began to return to their original positions, passing by Revy as she began to lean up. Malee flopped down on her newly reconjured cot and fell right asleep.
Harry helped Revy up, who was muttering incoherent insults as she was helped inside. Harry laid her on the couch and went to find a bed. Albie meanwhile took a position at an armchair, conjuring an ottoman to put his feet up on. He had long since mastered the art of sleeping with one eye open.
X
Author's Notes:
-MERRY CHRISTMAS!
-I had wanted to get this out sooner so I'd have time to write a holiday one-shot or two, but other plans got in the way sadly. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the way I see it there will be two more main story chapters, one for setup and one for finale. Then I've been tossing around a lot of ideas for an epilogue/omake which I think you will all really enjoy. So, stay tuned!
-The opening sequence was meant to reflect clips that I've seen of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. I have yet to play the game (still got Hogwarts Legacy, Persona 5 Tactica, and the Alan Wake games to get through first lol) but I really liked the mechanic of voices replacing HUD elements along with the really disturbing quality they have which I tried to emulate with Siriporn's Curse of Malee. I also took the idea of having a constant from Inception, and the poem from Spider Murphy in Cyberpunk 2077 (originally written by Lewis Carrol). The chapter title is also a song which I think really captures the scene's tone. And if you have the opportunity to see Model/Actriz live, definitely see them, they are incredible!
-Originally, I hadn't planned for Feng to be in this story, but then things took more of a life of their own and I needed a computer specialist since Benny is still out at sea. I've been keeping up with the manga and I think the dynamic between Rock and her is super interesting considering Revy's state of mind post-Roberta. I can't wait for the English release of Volume 13 too, Le Majeur is definitely going to be a player in my future fics!
-Speaking of future fics, I have two ideas which I've been kicking around. First is a Black Lagoon x Percy Jackson fic since I really haven't found many crossovers which I'd consider to be good on FFN or Ao3 (please send recs if you got them tho). Second is a continuation of this fic in a standalone sequel involving Gunsmith Cats (I just want to see Rally, Bean, and Riff Raff flying in their cars like Arthur Weasley's lol). If either of those sound interesting, be sure to let me know! And I'm always taking suggestions too!
-Anyways, I really do hope you all have a good holiday season. I'll be taking a break for a little while and I hope to have the next chapter out some time in early January. Cheers!