AN: Did a Texas Holdem Tournament last week. I dominated, making multiple people have to buy back in while I kept to my original allocated money. Made it to the top 15 out of maybe 56 people. Downside is I got sick. Upside is I got out of work 2 days cuz I was sick.
This Chapter isn't exactly on schedule (maybe 2 or 3 hours behind) because I'm publishing a My Craft Chapter same day.
RISES IN THE EAST
[Teal]
"Hey there, stud~" Teal greeted from across the bar with her teasing little lilt. "Mind buying a girl a drink~?"
The man she was 'hitting on' gave a sly grin. "Sure thing." He waved one arm for the bartender. "But is this just to get a free drink, or are we making something of this?"
"See for yourself~"
When the drinks started coming out, Teal and the guy, Chiraq, started to talk and flirt. Teal was pouring on the sexiness to keep Chiraq blushing. Or was he red-faced from the alcohol he was guzzling? Between the two of them, one got really tipsy while the other appeared to get really tipsy. Teal made sure to be loud and as noticeable as possible.
Then, when Teal made herself well and known by the bartender and patrons, she excused herself from the bar, leaving Chiraq alone to nurse his drunkenness.
Teal waited a couple blocks away from the bar, her eyes alert as patrons slowly trickled out.
When she spotted Chiraq shambling out, she followed him at a distance like a tiger stalks her prey. She followed him past several streets patrolled by guards, but she acted to the world like she was another drunken patron shambling home. They would only hurry her along, claiming nighttime wasn't safe to spend in a drunken stupor with the Werewolf at large.
When Chiraq looked to be near his home, Teal made her presence known, fake stumbling over and greeting him with her flirty lilt.
"Hey big boy~! Fancy meeting you here~"
Chiraq looked over with surprise muted by Potions of Thickness. Truly they made one thick. "Teal? Is that you?"
"The one and only~ "
"W-what are you doing here?"
"Just fiending for some extra fun if you catch my drift."
A stupid smile spread on Chiraq's face as he fumbled with his door. "Y-Yeah, sure! Sounds swell. Why don't you come in?"
"What a gentleman~" Teal stepped past him and into his home and watched as he shut the door behind him.
"And-and as a gentleman," he slurred drunkenly, "I hope not to do anything untoward. Am I right in assuming... you wish to take this to the bedroom?"
"Why wait? I can do it right here and now if you like."
"O-Okay!" He spoke excitedly, coming up to embrace Teal.
"Just to warn you," Teal embraced him and smiled sinfully, "I like it rough~"
Delight quickly turned into agony as Teal grabbed Chiraq's head with both hands and twisted sharply to snap his neck. He folded like laundry and Teal muffled his screams with one hand before proceeding to 'hit on' her chosen victim with fists and kicks.
He died in a shower of gear and Teal let out a happy sigh, her drunken act forgotten. Her itch had been sated and nobody had seen her come in with Chiraq. Since she left the bar at a different time than him, nobody would connect his death with her either.
She scooped up his Head and gear - keeping the emeralds for herself - and burned it so that his death couldn't be verified. To the guards, he will have simply disappeared. His workplace might send someone to investigate when Chiraq didn't show up to wherever he worked, but they'd find no connection to Teal_Larkspur. None at all.
Teal kept to this routine whenever she went out to satisfy her itch. She'd go to a bar, pretend to get drunk and hit on some guy (or girl, though she could never pull that off right), leave the bar separately, follow them home, get them to invite her inside, then kill them without anyone finding out. The only downside was her victims were always caught off guard and never provided her with a challenge. She preferred a fight, feeling most alive when she was facing someone of equal skill, and life or death came down to the slightest difference in skill. One smart move, a slip-up here or there. Something to tip the scales and conclude the battle decisively. She couldn't get that while killing Crafters in their homes, but she was able to do so against two guards while wearing a Creeper Head to hide her name and face. That had been great, and a nice change of pace from moonlighting as the Werewolf.
Sometimes her routine differed. Sometimes she found herself in an apartment with two or three Crafters living together and she had to back off or risk one of them escaping and blabbing. Sometimes she was rejected and had to walk off with her tail between her legs, contemplatively pondering on her own hotness. One time a guard actually intervened to help escort her, a drunken lady, home and Teal had no choice but to let him do so and live because his partner had seen her and would know the last person he was seen with before he vanished.
But after a couple weeks of this, the one time it really differed was on a night like any other, at a bar like any other.
"Hey there, stud~" Teal greeted, taking notice of the man's features. "Anyone ever tell you that eyepatch makes you look dangerous? Are you a bad boy~?"
"The baddest." The man, Abyssmal, shot back with a wolfish grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure, miss...?"
"Just call me the terrific Teal."
"That a stage name? The Terrific Teal?" Teal laughed drunkenly and Abyssmal studied her with his one eye. "You certainly belong on a stage with how good an actor you are."
Teal's smile became brittle, and she laughed awkwardly. "Hmhmm. What do you mean, cutie~?"
He leaned over to whisper to her. "You're pretending to be drunk. Your eyes are too sharp and have too much clarity to be anything but sober. Your movements are too forced and obvious. No subtly. It's like you're trying to bludgeon me into believing you're drunk."
Teal leaned away, her smile becoming pinched. "I am drunk. I'm four drinks in."
"Hey, I'm not judging. I've pulled the drunk act more than a few times to see if I could get into someone's pants. It didn't work for me, but for you - a woman so shapely and easy on the eyes - I'm sure you could lure in some men. You can just be yourself around me, though. I'm just a fish snared in those fishnet clad legs of yours."
"That..." Teal grimaced, her drunk act falling apart, "has got to be the worst pick-up line I've ever heard."
"Do those thighs go all the way up?"
"...I stand corrected. That one's the worst. Excuse me while I go hurl."
"Hey, hey! Don't go, gorgeous!" He whined. "I liked your flirting! Come back! I'm sorry! Hit on me more!"
Teal left the one-eyed man at the bar, the excuse masking her annoyance that her drunk act was seen through. She spared a glance at Abyssmal as he took his Awkward Potion, tapped the bottom of the bottle on the counter, and tipped it back to down it in one chug, smacking his lips when it was empty. The guy was already hitting on a different patron - a girl with her two female friends. They weren't impressed by his pick-up lines after failing to woo Teal. They took their drinks elsewhere and Abyssmal just shrugged.
Teal narrowed her eyes. She would have loved her next victim to be that sleazy pick-up artist. She'd be doing the world a favor ensuring Abyssmal's corny pick-up lines would never again see the light of day. Her eyes zeroed onto the enchanted bow at his belt. He was an archer. Dangerous at a distance - especially for a close-combatant like her - but easy if she caught him by surprise up close.
She smirked to herself and left the bar first.
She stationed herself in an alley across the street from the bar and kept to the shadows so that the guards wouldn't notice. It was already late and there were patrols of guards going up and down the levels of Daymonte in response to all the disappearances cropping up and being attributed to the Werewolf. There was little they could do to stop her, though some might notice a connection to bars if she kept going. She wasn't too worried about that, however. She was hitting the gym more and more to practice her forms, the lethality of her kicks improving by leaps and bounds. She could take a few nosey guards.
Across the street, through the windows of the bar, she spotted Abyssmal with his white eyepatch with the red X, and shaggy, jet-black hair. He was fawning over another woman near the window. Judging by how he was slapped, Teal could only guess he crashed and burned again.
"Yeah, killing him would be a civil service."
Abyssmal sighed as he leaned out the window, his one blood-red eye looking up the chasm into the night sky wistfully. He slammed both palms against the windowsill before throwing himself back into the dating venue. He moved out of sight and Teal leaned against the alley wall, her finger idly tapping at her arm as she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"Siiiiigh." She exhaled in annoyance, her legs getting tired and making her sit down on some side railing. "Come on. Take the hint. You're not gonna score tonight, sleazebag."
She noticed a lot of women vacating the bar - all of them likely disgusted by Abyssmal and leaving in droves to avoid getting singled out by the Werewolf - but she saw no sign of the one-eyed archer.
"How many no's can one man take?" She wondered aloud, one arm coming up to prop her chin.
She froze when she felt the sharp point of an arrow press into the back of her head.
"Lady," the voice of Abyssmal rang out from the darkness behind her, "I'd like for you to drop your weapon where you stand, and then turn around very slowly."
For a brief instant, Teal considered whipping around to try and knock the bow out of his hands, however she thought better on it, figuring she would have a better opportunity facing Abyssmal than with her back to him. She raised her open hands and turned slowly on one heel, a smile coming to her lips.
Abyssmal took a step back, the bowstring taut and the arrow aimed at her face. He eyed her cautiously. "No weapon? What gives?"
"Only weapon I need is my body~" Teal swayed slightly. "It's an unregistered lethal weapon~"
"As sexy as that sounds, please tell me you're the Werewolf everyone's abuzz over." Abyssmal pleaded wearily. "I really don't want to work overtime on this."
Teal chuckled to mask her mounting panic. "What makes you think the Werewolf is little ol' me~?"
"Last victims were in bars. Saw you prowling in this alley, waiting on me. Figured it was a good guess."
"What are you, a Berserker? A bounty hunter?"
"Only bounty I'm interested in is those thighs of yours. A fella can get lost in those thick, bountiful-"
She gave him what he wanted by swinging her thigh at his face in a high kick. The bow went off and struck her shoulder before the kick could connect. Since it was enchanted with Punch II, it knocked her back a fair distance. She skidded with the impact before kicking off the floor and charging the archer.
In a narrow alley, he had the advantage as she couldn't dodge so well. The Punch enchantment knocking her back would also grant him more time to shoot. But if she could get close to him, she could shatter those arms of his and finish him off. She just had to carefully dodge his shots.
She kept low as she ran forward, her legs tensed like coiled springs to dive left or right to hug the alley walls the second Abyssmal fired.
Instead of firing, however, Abyssmal loaded an arrow, pulled the string taut, and held it. His blood-red eye tracked Teal dutifully, but he never fired. Teal kept thinking he'd shoot when she was within fifteen meters of him. When she passed that, she was convinced he'd shoot when she was within ten meters. When still nothing came, she got within five meters of him before jumping the gun and leaping aside, expecting an arrow.
Abyssmal calmly traced her path and fired after she leapt aside, striking her in the face and knocking her back head over heels to the start of the alley. She spat hair out of her face, her expression livid. Abyssmal loaded another arrow but didn't press his advantage. He was content to pull the string taut and hold it.
Teal growled like an animal before lunging forward again. Just like before, she kept her body low and had her legs tensed, and just as before, Abyssmal didn't shoot until she was right in front of him. She twisted her body to be unpredictable and dodge any arrow he shot, but Abyssmal just calmly tracked her path and fired, sticking her face again and sending her right back to start.
"Nnnngh!" She beat a fist into the floor. "Quit that!"
"And let you lay into me? No thanks." He calmly loaded another arrow as he spoke and held the string taut. "I have something to tell you, however. A proposal-" She lunged forward, her eyes hyper focused and her arm reared back. He sighed. "Or we can wait until you're tuckered out."
Teal's eyes zeroed in on his bow, her body low. This time, she bounced and kicked off the walls in a dizzying zigzag to throw off Abyssmal's aim. Get him panicked enough and she was sure he'd make a mistake and miss.
Abyssmal stared back calmly, his aim never wavering. It made a chill run up Teal's spine, but she forged ahead with reckless abandon anyway. She'd get him! This was the kind of fight she wanted! A challenge! Life or death! Everything on the line!
Five meters away, she felt a flash of inspiration and feinted left before transitioning into a slide that had her legs kicking out towards Abyssmal's. She was going to scythe his legs out from under him.
Abyssmal performed a simple hop, Teal sliding under and past him before he let loose the arrow and struck Teal in the back. The bow's Punch added to her momentum and sent her hurtling towards the opposite end of the alley where she slammed into a dead-end wall and slid to the floor, dazed.
The next moment, a flaming arrow was pressed into her cheek, Abyssmal standing over her with bowstring taut.
"This is my preferred bow. Unlike the one I used before, it has Flame, Infinity, Power V, and Punch II. Meaning I could shoot you," he pressed the bow firmer into her cheek, "take out seven-and-a-half Hearts - if you even have that many left - then watch the rest of it burn away with the last dregs of your life." Teal licked her lips nervously, her blue eyes coming up to look at him while her chest rose and fell. "Don't give me an excuse."
Teal didn't move a muscle. She sat there with the flaming arrow pressed into her face, a cold sweat forming on her forehead. Thoughts of wounded pride warred in her head. How could she be bested by an archer of all people? They were her opposite. Long-range cowards that freaked out whenever she got close. She fought bow-wielding guards before. They would miss their shots, then she'd knock the bow out of their hands and beat them into paste. That's how this was supposed to go! Why did Abyssmal keep his cool!?
"Now that I have you where I want you," Abyssmal stepped back, his arrow leaving Teal's face, but the bow aimed at her and the string pulled taut regardless, "my proposal. Now don't get excited. It isn't marriage."
Teal's lip curled back in an unamused snarl.
"From what I gather about you, Werewolf," Abyssmal continued unafraid, "you've killed a Captain. You've killed a lot of people." He sat down across from her, his bow never deviating from her face. "Why?"
"...Why?" Teal asked, her eyes rolling. "Because I like it. Because... I need it." She shook her head. "Jeb above, why do you care? Why don't you just kill me and claim the reward?"
"I told you, the only bounty I'm interested in is..." He trailed off under her glare. "I'm not a bounty hunter." He remedied. "Matter of fact, I'm a criminal of sorts myself. Ever hear of the Endward Cult?"
Of course she had. They were a large group of Crafters that killed others for... something. She didn't know or care for what, she just labeled them as psycho killers. Not like her though. Completely different. Zealous fanatics.
"So, what, you're a cultist?" She asked.
"I am." Abyssmal nodded. "And, more to the point, I'm a lot like you."
Teal scoffed.
"Oh, I am." Abyssmal insisted. "You kill because you like it? Hm? Or rather, because you like the thrill that comes with it?"
Teal shot him a wary look.
"You're a thrill-seeker by nature." Abyssmal continued. "You long for a challenge. I bet you've fought for your life once and have since been seduced by that rush of adrenaline. It's irresistible. It's addicting. You'll keep fighting and killing for as long as that high lasts, but let me tell you, lazy legs, that high will fade. You'll soon become bored with it. You won't find a challenge anymore." He sighed wistfully. "When you're the best at something like me, you know very little can hurt you. So you take wild risks, chase extreme sensations. There comes a point you've done it all, and all seems boring and monotonous. Unless you witness something like I have." A mad gleam flashed in his one eye. "Then you learn the trick. The trick is to plow through that moment of monotony, go further, reach beyond what's known as possible. That's how you keep things fresh and interesting."
"...I don't follow a word you're saying. Guess that's why you're the fanatic cultist and I'm the sane bombshell beauty."
"It's okay if you don't understand it now. You will eventually." He assured, his bow lowering and returning to his belt. "Before that happens, I'm offering you a position in the cult. Lieutenant. I need good fighters. Doesn't matter if you don't use weapons."
"You want to recruit me? Is this a joke?" She mocked. "You really are a crazy fanatic like the rest. Why would I join you losers?"
"Because I can offer you an even greater high." He promised. "An eternal high that'll never let up. It'll make what you're chasing now seem mundane. And I promise you, this will become mundane at some point." He gestured to her and her killings. "The pleasure I'm offering you-"
"If this is some twisted offer to get into my pants, then no fucking thanks." Teal stood up and stuck her jaw out defiantly. Her pride had been wounded by this crazy sleaze-bag and she no longer had any interest in listening to him. "Take a hike."
"Mark my words, you'll get bored by this." Abyssmal swore as he backed out of the alley. "When it does, come find me in Oak Docks, near the northernmost lighthouse. I'll be there every midnight, under the full moon."
"Bye!"
He smirked. "Don't forget now. I just hate getting stood up for a date-"
"BYYYYYYYE!"
Abyssmal sauntered out the alley and into the night. Teal waited a few moments before dusting herself off with a sour expression. She had been humiliated, and, more than that, she still hadn't satisfied that itch of hers.
She tried to put Abyssmal's words out of her mind. He was just another crazy from that bad batch of cultists. But she couldn't deny that spark of interest she felt when he tempted her with a high greater than what she was currently coping with. Just what could he have meant?
AN: When Teal met Abyssmal.