Chapter 55: Hearts

A towering leviathan glared down at a prostrating man, growling and stamping its foot against the powdered earth below. Its nostrils flared as great streams of vapour exited the orifices with each breath, causing the cowering morsel below to shiver with each blast. Glaring red beams of destruction blazed across the creature's eyes, each burning with the power of a star, a maelstrom only matched by the fiery aura that exuded from every pore of its body. The monster growled and opened a toothy maw, scorching saliva bubbling within, and spoke in a tense, deliberate tone that barely restrained its incandescent rage.

"WELL, LOOK WHO IT IS! How… NICE … of you to grace my doorstep with your oh-so-important presence! I was honestly expecting to never see your face again, Dave…"

Peering past the imposing aura that veiled the creature, this 'monster' was unmasked as a brown-haired human woman, a being that was no less intimidating. She stared down at the man below with an arched brow and venomous sneer, which plastered her mien with an air of superiority. Her medium-length brown hair was held in place within a red handkerchief, dotted in white polka dots. The piece of fabric had been tied in such a manner that a bow decorated its upper surface, allowing a few strands of the woman's light hazel locks to flutter against her tanned forehead. Her slim upper body was covered by a sleeveless denim jacket, whilst her long, slender legs were hugged by shiny black trousers. Harsh clacking sounds reverberated from the woman's brown sandals as she rhythmically beat them against her patio's gravel floor, causing her shimmery red pedicure to glisten in the evening twilight.

The man below her, who was currently prostrating in a shaky dogeza position, was none other than Ripper, the infrangible captain of one of Orario's up-and-coming band of thieves. Ripper shook as each of the woman's insult struck him like a barbed dagger through the heart, yet he pulled his battered soul together and cast the woman above him a radiant grin. "C-Come on, babe! You know that I'm always trying to do my best to keep you safe! I haven't been lazing around these past few days, you know!" To make amends, he then sprung up to his usual towering heights and drew a jangling sack of coins from inside his gambeson, pushing it forwards like a peace offering. "Good ol' Dave the Ripper will always be here for you! Don't you worry you pretty head, Rowan dear!"

'Rowan' tightened her lips and exhaled forcefully, scrunching her face up as if willing herself to maintain the enraged façade. "You can't just keep making empty promises, Dave! You told me that we would be safe in Theseus! You told me that you would build a home for us to start a family! You told me that you would always be by my side! Why should I believe anything that slithers out of your mouth!? This…" She waved her hands up and down, eying Ripper's bag of gold coins as if it was nothing but refuse. "…changes absolutely nothing. Do you realise how close we are to destitution!? No matter how many schemes and plots you think up, we never seem to get any better off!"

This outburst seemed to pop Ripper's air of jubilation, causing him to deflate into a stammering hunch. The two individuals stood silently for a few moments, causing an air of stagnant awkwardness to descend onto them, only accentuated by the pitter patter of water droplets that began to drip from the roof panels above.

This quarrelsome couple was currently engaging in battle below their temporary home: a three-storey wooden building that had nearly cost them their entire fortune to rent. Of course, the wretches that made this mythical space their home would readily swindle any newcomers, which they readily performed by forcing the loving couple to pay no less than three months of rent up front! Following two days of bickering and ceaseless arguments, Dave the Riper and Rowan's tenuous relationship was being held in place by a single fraying thread. This fleeting moment was the husband's absolute last chance to salvage the tattered remains of his marital bond.

Ripper drew closer to his beloved, holding a hand to his heart. Rather than an exaggerated grin, a true smile adorned his scarred mien. "Please, Rowan. Let's have a long chat about all this later, and I promise to fix all our problems, okay? Me and the boys have been planning up a storm to get us out of this mess, and not just the usual schemes! What you saw just now was just the beginning. Soon enough, we'll be back home and I'll be at your beck and call, I swear! Of course, this damned Night Stalker debacle will have to die down first, but I'm sure the guys up top'll sort that bastard out soon enough."

Rowan held her hands to her hips, gazing into her husband's eyes with far less venom than before. She truly loved her spouse, and respected his never-ending ambition, but recent events had tested her nerves well beyond their limits. "Vigilantes, notwithstanding, you have been promising me that for years, yet I still barely ever see you!" She dropped her gaze, using one dainty hand to puff her jacket up, accentuating its volume. "…W-We need you by our side during these trying times…"

Ripper nodded his head with a steadfast aura of determination. "Of course, dear, I promise to stay right by your…" Abruptly, the man seemed to notice an irregularity in his wife's statement, along with the odd gesture that she was now performing. "H-Hold on… What do you mean by we…?"

Rowan was currently blushing faintly as she caressed her abdomen, sending Ripper fleeting looks of adoration and hope as she did so. Even to a musclehead like Ripper, this could mean only one thing.

Ripper's eyes widened and a sense of giddiness took over his entire being. The man shook and took an unbelieving step forward. "W-wait… A-Are you… Am I…!?"

"Yes… You're going to be a father soon, Dave…" Rowan sighed and finally closed the distance between them, taking Ripper's hands into hers. Their precious gold wedding rings twinkled in the amber light that shone from above, reminding the two of their eternal vow. "That is precisely why you need to step up and support your dear wife and future child, Dave. Will you finally keep your promise to us?" She cocked her head to the side with an adorable pout, the last remnant of her fury at the impossible man. No matter how many times Ripper veered from her expectations, she could never quite bring herself to truly hate him.

Ripper laughed heartily and pulled his wife into a tight embrace, mind awhirl with fantasies of their bright future together. "Of course! I-I'll be at your side from now on, Rowan! Oh, I'm so happy that I could run up and down this damned hellhole!"

Rowan sighed as her eyelids twitched in annoyance. "You'd better not, dear, or else you'd be breaking your most recent promise…"

"Y-yeah, of course." Ripper sweated in embarrassment and hastened to calm his elation. The captain put one foot in front of the other and began to guide his expecting wife back inside their abode. "Let's just head inside and I'll take care of every one of your needs. Heh… Every single one..." Thoughts of his growing family, and belated reunion with his dear wife, seemed to elicit more than just feelings of relief from Ripper as he peppered Rowan's nape with gentle kisses.

"D-Dear!" Rowan's cheeks heated as Ripper's intentions dawned upon her; however, she could not deny that carnal yearnings burned within her as well. "I-I don't know if we should... Think of the baby!"

"It'll be fine! Besides, we should celebrate our love, right!" Ripper dashed her quandaries aside and drew Rowan into a hasty bridal pose.

This loving embrace penetrated past any of Rowan's remaining defences, and the defeated 'monster' relaxed into the burly hero's grip. "R-Right… Do be gentle, dear."

Ripper chuckled as he carried his wife past their new home's threshold, a tradition carried out to protect the bride from any lurking demons outside. "Sure, I promise…"

Auburn eyes fluttered as Rowan bit her lip in longing. "Hm… You and your promises…"

The two lovers giggled amid intimidate kisses as they ascended the building's stairs, directing themselves to the master bedroom to celebrate their adoration…

A few hours later, Ripper awoke with a start.

Cold bullets of sweat shot down the man's torso as he quickly rose into a sitting position, darting his tired eyes across the pitch-black room in horrified desperation. Unexpectedly, they settled on nothing… Absolutely nothing, not even a shadow.

The man could not tell why he was wrenched from peaceful slumber, as if ensnared by a night terror, but he could state with certainty that there was a reason for his restlessness. Nevertheless, he sighed and forced his thunderous heart to relax in its throbbing, even if the body that housed it was still suffering from tremulous aftershocks of terror. 'Huh… Not like me to suffer from nightmares… especially with such a wonderful bedmate.'

Looking to his right, Ripper spotted a curvaceous figure beneath the covers: a view that filled him with pride and fondness. The lovely Rowan breathed in and out softly as she rested on her back, forcing her bountiful chest to push and pull against the covers, her twin peaks threatening to burst out of the thin fabric. Chocolate-coloured hair was left free and dishevelled as it hugged the shapely woman's back and clung to her front; and slender arms were held above her head, exactly where Ripper had left them following heated their night of passion.

Seeing that his wife was soundly asleep, Ripper attributed his odd episode to stress, shaking his head back and forth in bemused puzzlement. 'Heh… Good thing the guys didn't catch me like that...'

As a shadow of fear still clung to his psyche, the idea of sleep was not too appealing of a prospect to Ripper. He licked his lips, feeling quite parched. '… Guess I'll get something to drink.' The man stooped down to plant a soft kiss on his wife's forehead, delicately parting a stray lock of hair from her exquisite face, and got up as quietly as he possibly could.

A sense of foreboding wrongness never left Ripper as he pulled a pair of canvas trousers into place, emitting a ruffling resonance that somehow overshadowed the entire cacophony of their shoddy residence.

The house was eerily quiet, a quality that one would never expect from a hastily assembled wooden shack. Window shutters wafted soundlessly in the night breeze and cracked floorboards were perfectly sound as Ripper traipsed across them. Not even the bedroom's door could break the silence as Ripper pushed it aside: a phenomenon that would normally be a relief to the man. Now, it was an indication that something was deeply wrong. It was as if the world did not exist beyond the confines of this one establishment, bowing in the presence of an ineffable entity. Only the light patter of rain soothed Ripper's nerves. Strangely, the sound seemed to emanate from within the building's interior. He ignored the abnormality.

The temperature of the room dropped as Ripper descended the first-floor stairs, now mimicking his surroundings by remaining as silent as the grave. Icy fingers seemed to rake across his exposed skin and serrated shadows danced across his steadily widening eyes, giving Ripper no chance to recuperate or fully process his surroundings. Before he knew it, regular inhales and exhales hastened into hushed hyperventilation as goose bumps erupted across taught skin.

Mercifully, Ripper finally alighted onto the ground floor with a shaky sigh. Worryingly, the house was still vacant of any noticeable ambient sound. Casting a quick glance at one of the building's closed windows, bluish moonlight could be seen filtering in through the wooden shutters, providing faint twinkles of luminescence for Ripper to follow. The man's confident strides quickly hastened into a hurried march as he made his way towards their meagre kitchen, fuelled by the growing sense of paranoia that inched its way into his mind.

Perhaps to gain control over the situation, Ripper chose to step more forcefully now, eliciting sharp creaks from the wooden blocks that constituted the flooring here. Unsparingly, the light patter that should have been rain became amplified and accompanied the sound. Slowly, ever so slowly, the light scratchings drew closer, yet Ripper could not stop himself from continuing in his forceful strides. It was as if he were in a game, one where he could not, under any circumstances, allow the other player to realise that he had noticed their presence.

*Creak*

Patter*

*Creak*

Patter*

*Creak*

Patter*

*Creak*

Patter*

Ripper ground his chattering teeth and kept his now bulging eyes locked ahead of him as he willed trembling legs to power on. It took every ounce of courage for the man to make a hasty beeline towards a large white appliance in the furthest corner of the room.

'Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Whatever you do, do not turn around.'

Ripper wrenched his fridge's door open, bathing the kitchen in a soothing white glow, and flung his body around. The appliance's interior magic stone hummed pleasantly in the hushed ambience, finally adding some life to the sterile scene.

"Huff…Huff…Huff…Huff…" Ripper hurried to take in great gulps of air as he stared at the direction he had originated from. The captain's ever-present confident smirk was now replaced by a gaunt expression, complete with a pair of red-ringed sunken eyes. His right hand held the fridge's iron door in a vice-like grip, whilst the other stuck out a gleaming silvery knife, one that he always kept on his person for circumstances such as these.

Ripper continued to gawk at the hall for some time, his vision steadily acclimatising to the peculiar twilight of this underground residence. Despite Ripper's certainty that an unknown assailant would leap out of the murky depths and skewer everyone he cared for, nothing swept over him.

Nothing.

There were no cutthroats, nor past rivals, nor ethereal monsters hiding in the depths. Not even the disturbing pitter patter pursued him now. Only the gentle thrum of a magic stone soothed his nerves, emanating from his final sanctuary.

After several further minutes ticked by, Ripper slowly relaxed and corrected his posture, rubbing at his thoroughly drenched forehead as he stuck the pale knife back in his pocket. 'M-Must have been hearing things…' He sighed to himself and turned around, plunging a hand inside the fridge, whilst his pale face continued to dart quick glances behind him. Mercifully, Ripper was uninterrupted as he pulled out a tall glass bottle, one containing a peach-red liquid with an intoxicating fruity scent. He stuck the bottle's finish against his parched lips and raised it, pouring over half of the entire concoction down his throat as he drank it in prolonged gulps.

"Ahhh… I needed that. This damned pit really gives me the creeps." Ripper was honestly surprised that no one had attempted to infiltrate his home thus far, given that his neighbours were all well-known felons. Perhaps their newest enemy had fostered a temporary truce between the diverse criminal bands, uniting them under a common fear. "It beats dealing with whatever's on the surface, I guess." Ripper finally began to regain his composure and closed the fridge, shutting off the room's sole light source.

The moment that the seal shut; Ripper flinched and jerked his head to the right. His jaw clenched and heart throbbed; fists balled unconsciously; and his skin drenched of all colour. What should have been a vacant space in their living room was now occupied by a hazy shadow: an ever-changing humanoid figure wreathed in what appeared to be flames of pure darkness. Two pinpricks of hellfire hovered in midair: radiant orbs whose light solely emitted cold detachment.

Ripper took a step back, face contorting into a silent scream, and his grip on the wine bottle fell limp. He quickly darted his gaze down as apprehension filled him, worry for his wife's sleeping state clawing its way into his mind at the worst time possible. However, rather than a clamorous shatter, the plummeting bottle seemed to vacate the world in its entirety, as if it had never been. Ripper's eyes widened and his nostrils flared; he whined in confused dread as he fumbled for his knife and threw it directly ahead of him.

The throw was slow, painfully slow; however, as if the opponent was taunting him, Ripper's knife met its target… and sailed right through its intangible body. The hunk of metal clunked as it became embedded into a faraway wooden wall, matching the icy throb of Ripper's heart as grim realisation dawned on him. He shook his head in disbelief and took another step back, bumping into a table. "Y-You're… Oh, God…"

As if on instinct, a burning resolve seemed to burst from Ripper's soul and eclipsed any trepidation that dwelt within the sacred space. He needed to protect his family, even if it was the last thing he would ever do. Ripper whirred around and inhaled, intent on bellowing a warning to his dear wife above.

"Ghk!?"

Unfortunately, the words were never granted an exit as a frigid grasp clenched onto Ripper's neck from behind, fixing the muscles and windpipe in place. Ripper instantly became aware that this assailant was far beyond his knowledge of strength, and that only the being's fleeting whim was keeping him alive. The captain was now a mere insect in the hands of a predator.

As if sensing Ripper's acquiescence, the creature lessened its death grip minutely, to a level that was not quite agonising, and spoke in a low, piercing voice that sent shivers down its prey's spine. "Your resistance is pointless, Dave the Ripper..." The spectre paused as it uttered Ripper's true name, as if delivering his last rites. "Any form of opposition from now on will result in indescribable agony. Blink twice if you understand the position that you now find yourself in."

Ripper blinked twice, grimacing as he began to lose sensation in his extremities.

"You will answer each of my questions truthfully, and to the best of your ability. Fail to meet my expectations and consider your, and your wife's lives forfeit. Blink twice if you understand."

Ripper bit his tongue and followed the spectre's orders. The icy dullness had now spread over his entire body, resulting in a horrifying sensation: it was as if he were solely a decapitated head in the grasp of a demon.

"Good. Now then… Who are your masters? Where are they located? What forces do they possess? Describe any details that you are aware of in full detail. Any deviation from this will not be tolerated." Daedalus' Demon relinquished his grip further, allowing Ripper to sense his own being once more. It was as if the creature could steal one's sense of self on a whim.

Ripper's mind now worked on overdrive: neurons and synapses exploded to try and understand why he had been specifically targeted. 'A-Am I just a random suspect? What the hell did I do!? I-If I tell him about them, they're bound to come searching for me and Rowan… But if I stay quiet, we're both dead... Dammit… Why? Why can't we just be left in peace?'

Ripper gulped and spoke softly, attempting to appear vulnerable and subdued. "I-I don't know what you mean, Sir… W-We're just a small band of self-run thieves, a dime a dozen here… GAHK!?" A scream failed to escape Ripper's lips as the vice around his neck tightened once more. Tears threatened to escape throbbing eyes as a wave of agony wormed its way into the man's spine.

The demon ignored its prey's convulsions and spoke in a disappointed and wrathful tone. "The blood rushing through your carotid artery says otherwise. I have no time for your blatant lies, particularly when I possess such valuable intelligence. Your earlier meeting was quite insightful."

Ripper gasped, or wretched, as he began to put the pieces together. This creature had been spying on him and his juniors for some time, perhaps weeks. Ripper's mind became a kaleidoscopic matrix as he attempted to identify any abnormalities leading up to this terrifying meeting; anything that could elucidate the cause of his capture.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by an emotionless drawl. "Perhaps I should question your companions… Although, it would be a shame for your juniors' futures to be cut short due to your own inaction." The spectre continued to pile anxiety after anxiety onto Ripper's mind, submerging any logical contemplations under fears and unknowns.

Ripper ground his teeth at this provocation, foolish rage burning within him. He'd be damned if this upstart vigilante hurt his dear friends. "I-I ain't buying it, b-bastard. Y-You've never followed through with any of your other victims. What the hell makes me so 'special', huh!? Why…!?" *Wheeze*

The torturer compressed Ripper's windpipe once more, interrupting his growing rebellion. "Those wretches were mere obstacles, and a means of a wakeup call to Ganesha. You and your companions offer me a direct line to the upper echelons of this region."

Ripper gaped and attempted to bellow at his captor, although the vitriol was reduced to a harsh whisper. "A-All of this? These days of horror… The misery… You turned all our lives upside down just for that!?"

"I will resort to anything to achieve my goal. The livelihood of a few insects is hardly something worth handling with care." The being's tone seemed quite apathetic to Ripper's admonition, which only added to its otherworldly nature.

Ripper gulped and re-adopted a subdued attitude, this time out of true terror for the inhuman creature behind him. "…L-Look, I-I'll give you a lead. Please, y-you have to understand that if I tell you what I know, they'll kill me and my family anyway. We were so close to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel; to freeing ourselves from poverty… I-I don't know what your true motive is, Sir, but surely you can overlook my family, please! That's what makes us both human, right? Just let us go and…"

ゴゴゴゴ "Silence." ゴゴゴゴ

Ripper's pleadings were interrupted by a blood-curdling order: a single word filled with bottomless fortitude.

The body snatcher tightened its grip on Ripper's neck and drew his body closer to its mouth. "We can either have this interrogation here and now, or as I carve pieces from your wife, friends, and unborn child. The choice is yours."

Ripper shivered under the macabre ultimatum, finally dousing any fires of defiance. Instead, he hung his head and spoke any and all worries openly. "D-Do our bonds and futures mean nothing… Does a human life not hold any value in your eyes?"

"Correct. Your existences are meaningless. I hold no warmth towards your insipid lives or empty comraderies. Answer my questions or perish. Regardless, your choice is irrelevant. There are plenty of other subjects in this 'hopeless' region to examine."

"Y-You're a goddamn m-monster…" Ripper now knew in his heart that he was not dealing with a human entity. Tales of demonic beasts spread throughout every culture of the lower world, stories that not even the Gods knew the origin of. This Night Stalker was likely one of them. There was no point in reasoning with a being absent of empathy. "F-Fine… Let's just get this over with… Just, please, please don't hurt my family…"

Tears pattered on the oaken ground as Ripper finally broke. The self-imposed dam that restricted the passage of vital intelligence vapourised, allowing his monstrous captor to savour every drop. No further coaxing was required as Ripper spilled his guts to the world, leaving no details out of the lengthy explanation.

Once the deed was done, Ripper's vibrant body was left as a hollow, mumbling cadaver. He stared at the darkness below him, losing all hope in the once bright future he envisioned. The grip around the man's neck tightened once more, relieving him of any feelings beneath its icy hold. Ripper allowed the action to take place and perked his ears up for the demon's final orders.

"You must be aware of the consequences of speaking out about this. I will know exactly where to find everyone you care for, should any of my words grace another's lips."

Ripper's head nodded dumbly.

"Good. Now, sleep."

A sharp force struck Ripper's neck and the world swam. Memories of the past day's events sparkled in his mind and converged together, coalescing into an unfathomable orb of faded recollections. One final glimpse bid the man farewell as he fell into dreamless sleep. '…Rowan…'

Author's Notes

Well, Hit was quite scary in this scene, wasn't he? I tried to make the buildup a little creepy, but who knows if I succeeded.

Was Hit sneaking up on Ripper here? Perhaps, perhaps not… All that is certain, is that Hit sent a wave of killing intent crashing onto Ripper to wake him up and the man was, understandably, quite shaken. I'm sure that there have been cases where you have been in alone the dark, yet believed something was lurking with you.

I like the reversal of roles during their 'chat': Hit is the irredeemable monster, whilst the criminal isn't an individual you can truly hate. Hit is on a mission, and nothing will stop him. He is in his "assassin mode" and I suppose he flipped the coin and it landed on 'evil'. After Ripper failed to spill the beans, Hit had to turn the scary dial up a notch and that included his acting skills.

There's a 99% chance that Hit would not follow through on his promises, since they are mostly means of intimidation, but I do believe that interrogation is likely a part of his repertoire as an assassin and member of the underworld. It is more likely that pressure point attacks would be used in his interrogations (as he did here), since they are likely more painful than any other torture, whilst simultaneously not permanently damaging his victim's bodies (or leaving traces). However, pressure point attacks do not sound nearly as torturous as carving pieces off someone.

Also, mammals aren't the only sentient beings in the dragon ball universe and may be the minority. Hit would have to intimidate and interrogate insects and reptiles, who may be able to regenerate and could have differing levels of pain/stress tolerance.

Travelling, so may be break in uploads.