JINX
"So, what'd you do for a living? Before you became that?"
That was one of a plethora of questions from Jinx to that pale, bald woman just left unanswered, as both wandered across as most empty alleys of Zaun as they could, on their way to the Dreadnought fellow Jinx was so eager to meet.
Obviously it took a while to prepare, as Jinx had to pack up some Chompers, those monster-faced grenades, a couple of rockets for Fishbones and the dearly little rocket launcher himself, as well as Pow-Pow and the sidearm as well. All for a possible field work's day, if that one person was the 'immediate start' type.
And, last but not least, Silco's head, as she had to take him for a walk once in a while, something he wasn't able to do, lately, being ill from a case of 'shot-to-death-by-daughter-ititis'. Besides, though the original Silco did appear to know the Dreadnought to enough extent, the Silco she knew didn't. It seemed fair to bring him along to meet this guy, and remember - if not learn again - why the Dreadnought guy was so feared.
"Sheesh, that's like what, the twentieth question?", Jinx asked, and still no answer. "You're mommyless or a Piltie, aren't ya? Pretty please, just don't be both, I already got one-"
"You still persist on your questions, Baron-kin.", the pale woman stated. "Of the irrelevant kind."
'And I'm the annoying one, but look who won't shut up...', the Mylo got in the way.
Jinx groaned. "And since when 'you have kids', 'what's your favourite color', 'what's with the dull colors', 'what you dream the most', 'what's your poison' and 'ever considered getting the big-ass nails some life' are all irrelevant, baldy?", she asked.
"The name is Rhott.", Rhott said, bluntly. "And you'd do best to memorize it."
"Whatever, nice to meet ya.", Jinx said. "Still, we're gonna be working along, so we might well know each other. At least kills the boringness outta this trip!"
"You delude yourself, Baron-kin.", Rhott replied, slightly shaking her head, as they continued their trek. "If we're-"
"It's Jinx, by the way.", Jinx interrupted.
Rhott stopped her track and stared at Jinx, menacingly, attempting to tower her in stature despite both being of a clear same height. "Listen well.", she warned. "His benevolence is why you and I walk to him, but he stated I can take your corpse, if it comes to it! Remember that."
Jinx tilted her head, shrugging, humming a bit.
"At any rate...", Rhott started, waiting for Jinx to try and interrupt her again before she turned around to resume their walking. "If we would ever 'work along', it'd be merely by the Dreadnought's design, and nothing more. You'd do well to remember that, too, Baron-kin."
"What's with this 'Baron-kidney' deal, anyway?", Jinx rolled her eyes. "All this title-ing thing is just dull."
"It is what it is.", Rhott said, trying to contain herself. "You are the daughter of the one once named Silco, aren't you?"
"Adopted.", Jinx answered. "You remember that."
"And Silco was a Chem-Baron.", Rhott continued. "Hence the term."
'She's not wrong, I guess.', the Claggor said, as Jinx brushed him off.
"Enough with questions, we should keep moving.", Rhott stated.
Jinx shrugged. "Bet you never heard of a woman called Sevika, have ya?", she commented. "You and her, you'd both do along so fine..."
"Unlikely.", Rhott replied, apparently perceiving it was becoming pointless to get that one to remain quiet.
"No, for real.", Jinx said, snickering. "Both of you, walking tall, pretending you're so tough, deadly and badass, but deep down, all you wanted was a plushy doll when you were kids, you just won't admit it."
"Am I so easy to read?", Rhott asked, in sarcasm. "I don't try this with you, even with your looks or that head you carry on your hip."
"Hey, give Silco a break!", Jinx retorted. "It's been a while since he had a walk!"
"I will, as long as you keep your comments to yourself.", Rhott replied. "A fair trade, if any, Baro... Jinx."
Jinx shrugged for a while. "Don't worry, I'll give you one.", she said. "A doll, that is. Better late than never..."
As they came across an alley, Jinx eventually stopped, as did Rhott, when they saw the bodies. Apparently a Chem-Punk gang, most of eyes bugged open, all with slashes and stab marks all over the floor, blood splattered in outrageous ways not even her finest drawings under blue and pink crayon would.
Jinx, though she did feel a subtle shiver on her spine, rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're lethal, my door's a witness, but you really have to show-off?", she gestured.
Rhott smirked. "Tempting as it is to take credit, this wasn't of my craft.", Rhott answered, raising her head. "Instead, this was collaboration."
Jinx raised her head too to then notice some figures, man-sized, stuck to the walls, but then let themselves fall to the ground. There were two of them, but Jinx could see those guys could play hardball, each with a forearms and hand replaced, apparently painfully, with thick, black metal limbs resembling talons, with the thickness of a powered mining drill. The other forearm and hand, though human, sported what seemed to be a hand, homemade claw, obviously meant to hold into the walls. Each was as pale as Rhott was, just not more than Jinx, and also bald, sporting overalls with dull-ish colors as well.
Jinx felt a bit uneasy on that.
"Extensions of the Mighty One.", Rhott gestured. "Hands, just as I, but you can call them his Nails, per say."
"A path is cleared, Rhott, devoid of danger.", one of the 'Nails' said. "From either the baron scum or the topsiders. Many will still believe this to be the work of the beast."
A howling was heard in the distance, as the pale ones, Rhott included, looked a bit across the surroundings, on alert.
Jinx instead grunted, annoyed. "It's that stupid mutt, again!", she said, angered a bit at that. "Been like that for a couple nights, now..."
"Perhaps not.", Rhott answered. "Unless you did not hear of the recent massacre."
"What, that Firelight thing?", Jinx snickered, then, tilting her head in ironically innocent way. "I'm too modest to..."
"Not that.", Rhott replied, in a sinister tone. "A couple of nights ago, something descended right amidst a fight between the lackeys of barons and the street filth. Twice the size of a man, it's claws almost the size of those talons, an apparatus at it's back. It tore apart all in it's path, in ways that, I assure you, neither I or them could do.", she gestured the Nails. "An appetite for flesh and thirst for blood to envy gods, it stalks the Lanes of the Fissures, always for it's next victim..."
The howling was heard a second time.
"Okay...", Jinx nodded. "B plus. The howling had the lucky timing, but you put effort, I'll give you that."
Rhott stared at her, with a look that she couldn't believe what that girl was saying.
"What, that meant to be serious?", Jinx asked. "Rhotty, I'm crazy, but that's beyond crazy."
"You dare trivialize the scope of the-", one of the Nails started.
"Do not bother.", Rhott closed her eyes in frustration. "We should go...", she stated, moving forward.
"Cute bedtimer, though...", Jinx replied, starting to follow Rhott and the 'escorts' whom soon started climbing walls again. Jinx did still feel that a bit creepy.
Creepy in a good way, she was looking for folks to scare her pursuers off, after all...
Another howl was heard in the background. Their trek continued as they crossed the downtown of Zaun, as it became clear to Jinx both were headed to the far northwestern extremity of the fissure, and thus she stopped her track as both reached the poorest area of that extremity, one that it was clear it wasn't as touched with the generosity of her father and his associates as the other areas of Zaun were.
Rhott noticed only her steps walking along and stopped as well, turning around to see Jinx suprisingly still. "This way.", she said.
"Silco told me once, anywhere but there...", Jinx said, a bit nervous.
'For once, he gave some good advice.', the Vander said, and Jinx groaned, disturbed.
"The Dredge is where the Mighty One inhabits, for the moment.", Rhott replied. "Unless you don't wish to meet him, and remain as tamed as your old man wanted. The Dreadnought may even believe you unworthy of his attention, after all."
That comment stinged Jinx, to the point the Mylo chuckled and she clenched her right hand into a fist. Of course, like everyone else, always thinking she was weak, that she wouldn't be able to go the lengths she could. She bared her teeth for a while, though she always thought a bit what would Silco, her Silco in this case, would think on disobeying something her once living father told her. He seemed quite permissive of anything else, as long as she didn't went to that particular place, and she never wanted to disappoint him like she did everyone else...
'We've come this far, Jinx.', the Silco said, Jinx' eyes darting to him for a moment. 'No use or sense stepping back now.'
"Gotta go further, right?", Jinx asked, mustering a bit of strength, staring at Rhott and nodding. She released her clenched fist, opening her hand up.
Rhott resumed her walking as Jinx followed her, taking notice of some indeed abandoned areas that Rhott clearly knew where to traverse, the place where the lowest of the lowest in the fissures would inhabit, though definitely not out of choice. Some strobes of light passed through some of the ruins, that grew stronger as Jinx and Rhott headed across. As she looked above in that area, a slight land mass the bridged both extremities of the fissure, forming an arch, Jinx took notice of a particular pipeline which ran along the natural walls of the fissure before it disappeared inside, a bit back from where they came from, but traversed all the way forward.
The particular glow and color indicated what the pipe was. Chem-tech, clearly of an industrial nature, to provide warmth or energy for heavy duty machinery. Or both.
As they reached the edge of the fissure, Jinx noticed a depression where was supposed to be a dead end, leading to a cave entrance barred by a thick iron door, almost like a maw from hell, where a fortified, makeshift checkpoint lied ahead of it, with fences sporting barbed wire, guard towers with spotlights, and of course, people below, doubtlessly in guard duty. Above the iron door lied a sort of a sculpted arch, with a central dragon-ish iris, almost like an eye, where a glow could be seen, perhaps lights inside, something like an office.
The spotlights kept moving across the road by the depression below, obviously searching or keeping a lookout for something or someone by the road, close by. At a side of the road lied a large vertical elevator shaft, wider than most the people used to descend to Zaun, doubtlessly for vehicles. Anyone could argue why not to simply traverse the roads of the Undercity, but then the fact the Undercity itself was unreliable for vehicle transit and safety already spoke for itself.
"You go 'round that, don-", Jinx started asking.
Suddenly, a nearby pile of trash and rubble bursted like a volcano erupting, as something jumped out of it making Jinx jump, rushing to get her Pow-Pow and revving it up to fire, but it was too quick, as the something lunged like a missile at Jinx's direction and hit her, laughing as she fell to the ground. As she rushed to get back on her feet, pumped up by anger, Jinx could see her aggressor.
Only it wasn't a man, but rather the largest rat in history, wearing rags and wearing googles.
Jinx' eyes widened and she screamed, instincts kicking in as she drew Pow-Pow again, upon which Rhott intervened by grabbing the large rotary cannon.
"BARON-KIN!", Rhott roared in a commanding tone, getting Jinx' attention, both staring at each other for a moment before Rhott let go of the weapon and headed to the walking rat, hitting it with her human hand before grabbing it by the throat and taking it to a nearby wall, pinning it as she kept her iron nails ready to finish the job.
"Every time, filth!", she said, angry. "Every time, you do this! I should've let her finish!"
The walking rat however, snickered.
"Can't deny I am getting good at this, though...", the thing spoke, in a nasal, male voice, before it stared at Jinx. "Hi.", it laughed.
Jinx shook her head, totally caught off-guard by that. That... thing, could speak as any other human would. Jinx could now look at the large creature clearly, definitely the size of a hunched man, unwashed and savage, the googles concealing the disturbed animal eyes shining purple, just as Jinx' was - the clear evidence of Shimmer. His wrists and the upper side of his paws were wrapped in old clothing or bandages, doubtlessly recycled and dirty, as well as his tail had stripes of dirty bandages strewn along.
Jinx closed her eyes shut, shaking her head a bit and then opened it, still beholding the same scene. "Your boss got a rat?", she asked. "And he's okay with it!?"
Rhott stared at the Loose Cannon. "The distaste is mutual.", she said, releasing the walking rat. "Weren't only for his utility..."
The rat then took a look at Jinx, though his eyes noticed more Pow-Pow, the Chompers on her waist, Silco's plushy head and, in particular, Fishbones, in which he seemed enchanted by it. "Such beauties...", he said, taking a step close to her. "Where did you find these?", he pointed at Fishbones.
"I-I made'em...", Jinx answered a second later, a bit nervous while keeping Pow-Pow in hand.
"And if you lick or sniff them, I'll rip your entrails, to hell with how Ampare or the Mighty One will react!", Rhott threatened the walking rat, then facing Jinx, whom didn't understand. "It's the vermin's way of marking his property."
"I do have a name, Rhott.", the rat replied, glancing back at Jinx. "It's Twitch, by the-"
"Enough.", Rhott interrupted. "Since you had the courtesy of... reception... you can go ahead, let the Mighty One know we're arriving."
Twitch groaned. "Oh, so I can leave the scavengeds here?", he asked, in sarcasm.
"So you haven't forgotten your utility in His plan...", Rhott said, coldly. "Good for you."
Twitch headed back to the pile of rubble and trash where there was a large bundle, wrapped in cloth, with some shapes being either flat surfaces or horned. No doubt the 'scavengeds' he was referring to, clearly twice his size, and he pulled it on his back, straining a bit to carry them. "Some of your buddies could also carry this, for a change...", he said.
"That'd make you dependant. Lax. Weak.", Rhott retorted. "Your strength-"
"-is why I live...", Twitch said, in a slight tone of annoyance, walking forward with the bundle, past some ruins to a particular section of wall, where Jinx could see something was a bit off with that section, as if it were... moving?
And then Twitch raised his paw to touch that section, putting it up and revealing the blanket painted exactly as the rocks of that place. He crossed it and vanished into the darkness of the place.
'Simple and effective.', the Silco admitted. 'Quite to my liking.'
Then, Rhott was the next to arrive to the blanket and pull it up higher, revealing a vertical fissure leading inwards, into whatever cavern it was, being quite a metaphorical rear crack for Zaun, much like the Undercity itself was the rear crack of the Pilties. The Nails joined in holding up the blanket.
Rhott picked up a couple, more like a triple, of glow sticks which were kept stashed and hidden by some rocks within the crack. She bent them as the sticks came to life, providing a minimum, too minimum perhaps of lighting, doubtlessly for the journey ahead. "Be lost at your peril.", she stated, as she turned to enter the cavern. "Else, with me."
Jinx took a small breath before entering head high and packing with guns into the apparent dark cave of horrors, as the 'Nails' remained behind, letting the blanket fall to hide the fissure, and then went sideways.
Jinx shook her head a bit, following baldy Rhotty below.
Man-sized rats, guys with metal blades...
Those guys were definitely creepy...