The Last Drop of Hope, Chapter 25 (Patreon)

The new headquarters of “President Alexi” was the lavish grounds of the former President of NyteTech Fellos’ personal penthouse, high up in a massive skyscraper near the center of the city. The area around the base of the building was a heavily fortified warzone, with burned out cars and smaller buildings, massive barricades, and heavy weapons emplacements. The entire place was thronging with NyteTech Security guards, all of them looking battle-scarred and exhausted.

Before they ascended up the tower, Walter took the time to visit the front lines along with Tina and Claire, going up to each of the men and spending a moment with them. To some, it was to offer a word of encouragement or praise, to others he shared a rough joke or friendly insult, and to a few grizzled sergeants, he listened to their professional complaints and needs, and assured them help was coming.

“It’s fuckin’ bad, Captain,” one tough old wolf beastwoman said, rubbing her scarred muzzle with a gauntleted hand. “We’re down to half rations, and we can’t fuckin’ fight on an empty stomach. Runnin’ outta ammo too. Shit, we’re almost out of power. Only thing we got an excess of is fuckin’ gangbangers takin’ potshots at us.”

“We’re working on the food situation,” Walter promised. “We’ll see about getting you more ammo, that at least I know we have more of.”

The sergeant grunted. “I ain’t eatin’ long pork. At least not yet. But fuck me if I know where you’re gettin’ more food with the fuckin’ moonies not sending us more. Damn moonies.”

“Have you heard-” Cecily began, but Tina collared her again and Rain smacked the priestess on the arm.

“I heard all kinds of shit. Right now, I hear my bunk callin’ me. Captain.” The sergeant nodded, shuffling off with her rifle resting on her shoulder.

Tina frowned at Cecily, then looked to Walter. “Morale seems low.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Almost makes you willing to believe wild tales.”

“You’ll change your tune after the first shipment of potatoes,” Claire told Walter. “But we get it: shit’s rough. We were on the force for years, Walter. Let’s just go talk to the Scumbag in Chief.”

“I suppose,” Walter said with a frown. “I’m concerned though. If he sees this as a threat to his power…”

“Then we promise to only restrain him, not kill him,” Tina told Walter. She tried to keep her tone jocular, but Walter just grimaced.

“Well, that’s something, I suppose. I probably shouldn’t take you to him since you’ve made it clear you’re working for this Iris Belzerg, but-”

“That’s Her Majesty, Iris Stylish Sword Belzerg,” Claire corrected.

“If she can feed my men, I’ll call her whatever she wants. Come on. Even my father has to see the need for more food,” Walter stated, and led them to the main elevators. There was more security there, but Tina and Claire actually knew the sergeant on duty, a man named Galil they’d worked together with.

“Shit, you dragged back Ford and Shin?” Galil said, his tone sarcastic as ever when he saw their faces. He extended a hand though. “Good to see you two. Shit, must be even worse in Axel than it is here if you two had to get out.”

“Same to you, Galil. How’s Sedol?” Tina asked, dredging up the name of Galil’s old partner.

Galil shook his helmeted head. “Dead, best I know. Went with Beldia. Didn’t come back. You didn’t see him, I take it? Shit. Well, at least someone made it back. I’d offer to buy you a beer, but we ain’t had anything but pisswater for a week. Head on up, you two would pass any security clearance, and I won’t bother asking you to disarm. Things are too hairy for that.”

The ride up the elevator took long minutes as they ascended the hundreds of floors up to the penthouse level. Tina felt her ears pop at least twice, even as the air in the elevator got slightly easier to breathe with better filtration systems kicking in. She took a deep breath, then blinked. “It’s not as sweet as the air in Axel.”

“What are you talking about? This has the best air quality money can buy,” Walter said, nodding at the vent as they arrived at the 250th floor. “Air pressure system works too, or at least it was.”

“It’s Aqua,” Rain said quietly. “I tested it: the air quality goes up to levels not seen in 200 years around her.”

“What, does she sell it or something?” Walter said with a roll of his eyes as the doors slid open silently onto a gilt lobby of gleaming steel.

“No,” Rain said, going over to finger one of the fake plants decorating the room. “Where Aqua goes, plants grow. And she does it all for free.”

That got a snort from Walter. “As if anyone would give away clean air for free.”

“She’ll throw in clean food and water too. All you have to do is pray to her!” Cecily said happily, exiting the elevator. “I can- wow. It STINKS here.”

“Yes, thank you, you’ve made your point. Come along, Father is waiting,” Walter said, heading towards the real wooden doors at the back.

“No, like, it SERIOUSLY reeks here,” Cecily said, pinching her nose and making a face. “Ugh, this is worse than raw sewage.”

“Kindly keep your mouth shut if you want my father not to simply toss you out,” Walter said, turning around and glaring at Cecily. “He’s rather sensitive about the abscess he had treated last week.”

“If he stinks THIS bad, he should be,” Cecily grumbled but sighed and lowered her hand.

“Perhaps it would be best if Miss Cecily waited outside?” Walter said, his expression pained.

Grimacing, Rain shook her head. “She’s the one who can make clean water. If we need a quick demonstration of what’s on the table, she’s the best bet.”

“We’ll keep her mouth shut,” Tina promised.

“Silence is golden,” Claire said in singsong tones. “But duct tape is silver.”

“I’m not a little kid,” Cecily said in sullen tones, but she did shut her mouth with a clack whenClaire glared at her.

With that, Walter finally turned the gilded handle on the ancient wooden doors, which swung open into a large and well appointed penthouse. The room was furnished with a real leather couch, plush chairs, thick red carpets, and exquisite paintings made of oil and canvas. The room itself was quite large, but the only occupant was a smiling man with a broom, who was sweeping up a sight that horrified Tina: a spilled tray of food.

“Oh, hello there! I didn’t see you come in. Remind me again, who are you?”

“It’s me, Maxwell, Captain Alexi,” Walter said, but that got him only a vague stare from the man. “You know, Walter Alexi?”

More blank stares. The man was dressed in a rather antiquated-looking suit that was smeared with a sandwich and fruit salad. He had feminine features that were still quite beautiful, as well as a pair of tortoiseshell spectacles with heterochromatic eyes: one a milky white, the other pure blue. Silky blond hair poked out from under a fancy wide-brimmed hat, which was very much out of fashion and odd to wear indoors. As she looked at him, Tina’s nose wrinkled: the man positively reeked. The whole room smelled faintly off, but despite his fancy clothes, Maxwell smelled like he bathed in open sewage.

“President Alexi’s son?” Walter added in exasperation.

That finally got through, and Maxwell dropped the broom onto the spilled tray with a clatter. “Oh! Right! Hmm, yes, I remember something about a son… well, I suppose you’ll just want to see your father then, hmm? I’ll just go check on Mr. Alderp.”

With that, Maxwell skipped off, humming to himself. No sooner than he was gone, then Cecily scurried over and started scooping the food onto the tray, even going so far as to run her finger over the grime on the carpet and lick it. Tina didn’t blame her: That smelled like real food, and it had to be worth more than its weight in gold.

She knelt next to Claire, picking up one of the smashed fruits and popping it into her mouth. Claire bent over and grabbed some of the meat and plopped it back on the bread, then stuffed that in her mouth as well. “Bloody revenge, that’s real ass meat. Who the fuck drops real meat on the ground?”

“I thought you said Axel had food,” Walter said, picking up more fruit and eating it himself. He shook his head. “Father always was one to waste his food. He must have been in a fine temper to throw this at his accountant.”

“We do have food, but we don’t waste it, and there’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed,” Rain said, grabbing half a smashed sandwich off the tray to Cecily’s protests and taking a bite.

“I grew up too hungry to EVER waste food,” Cecily said around a mouthful of her own. “It’s not as good as what Lady Aqua makes, but-”

“WALTER! GET IN HERE!” an all too familiar bellow came from an office at the rear of the penthouse.

Sighing, Walter stood up, with Tina and Claire following right after. Rain scampered after them, but Cecily was too busy picking the last bits of food up off the carpet to come. Well, at least that would probably keep her out of trouble for now.

Within the room, Tina found the same red faced bloated walrus she remembered. Alderp’s skin was caked in more makeup, he had a new fake tan, and his eyes were bloodshot from what looked like a mix of drugs and lack of sleep, but his sneer and half-shouting volume were all too familiar.

“There you are! What are you doing here?! I told you we needed to be ADVANCING! And yet I see on the map that our positions are the SAME. We need more people and MORE TERRITORY! Am I the new President of NyteTech, or am I not!?”

“Father, I have good news,” Walter said cheerily. He motioned to Claire and Tina. “You remember officers Ford and Shin, don’t you?”

“Eh? What’s that?” Alderp demanded, stroking his greasy blond beard with one hand. Maxwell leaned over, whispering something in Alderp’s ear, and his expression calmed. “Oh, right. This evening’s entertainment. Well, I suppose I do remember Ford and Shin. A healthy pair of lasses. Well, you’ll have to wait a bit, I have important matters to attend to. Get out of those clothes, Maxwell can show you what I like my girls to wear, and wait in the bedroom!”

“Father,” Walter said through gritted teeth, even as Tina’s hand flexed towards her fire axe. “They are here as emissaries. From Axel. They have food.”

“Oh?” Maxwell suddenly looked up, a frown on his face. “Axel? There was something about Axel… I simply can’t remember…where is my mind these days…”

“I’ve got the food situation handled,” Alderp said dismissively. “But Axel…you mean the remnants of former CEO Beldia’s forces? That could be useful…”

“By handled, do you mean throwing it on the floor?” Claire spat.

“We’re not here to be your bedwarmers,” Tina added coldly. “I suggest you listen to our offer.”

“What? Then what good are you!? Don’t tell me you’ll waste yourselves as simple soldiers! I can offer you so much more! But I need a wife, yes… my first born… a small price.” Alderp grinned wickedly and rubbed his flabby fingers together in anticipation.

“Father? What exactly do you want of me?” Walter asked, sounding baffled. “Please, their offer sounds mad but-”

The door banged open, and a wide eyed Cecily stumbled in. “But you won’t believe what we have to say! Haha, it’s so unbelievable, we probably shouldn’t say a thing!”

“Axel, Axel,” Maxwell muttered. He suddenly snapped his white gloved fingers. “Right! That’s where that disgusting light was coming from! Oh ho, yes, that’s why my good friend sent me here! Of course!”

“There is a new light in Axel,” Claire agreed. “Two, in fact, they are-”

“Running great! We have a power station and everything!” Cecily babbled, jumping in front of Claire and Tina. She turned about, her face transforming into a horrified mask as she made slashing motions by her throat.

“Working power, eh? We have some, but more might be profitable. But what we really need are bodies. How many did you want again, Maxwell?”

“Oh, just a hundred or so to start!” Maxwell said brightly. “But there will need to be a monthly payment, of course. The fresher the better!”

“Why do we need labor? Are we reigniting the forges?” Walter asked in confusion.

“Cecily? What is-” Tina began, but Cecily suddenly shoved them towards the door.

“You know what, a change of clothes sounds great. We’ll get changed into something lacy and sexy!” Cecily babbled as she grunted, her feet scrbbling on the carpet and making a fwip fwip fwip sound as she strained and failed to budge either.

“Hmm, yes. All four of you. I need to have that child soon,” Alderp muttered. He nodded to Alexi. “Good work. Now, get down there and tell the men we need prisoners. At least 100! We’ll start with what we have here, then move on to Axel as well. That will get us what we need.”

“Father, what are you even talking about? Prisoners!? We don’t have anywhere to hold them!” Walter said in exasperation as Cecily switched to trying to pull Claire and Tina out, even as she tried to shoo out Rain.

“We aren’t here to surrender! We’re here to offer alliance! Or failing that, we’ll- CECILY! What is wrong with you?!” Claire snarled.

“He stinks, they both stink!” Cecily hissed. “Out! Quickly!”

“What was that?” Alderp demanded, his tone suddenly dangerous as his eyes narrowed.

Cecily poked her head around Darkness, a smile plastered all over her face. “I said these girls both stink! You know how it gets in that armor! We’ll get them bathed and ready for fucking! Just like you like them, right?”

“I don’t mind a little smell, but I would prefer them cleaned. Very well, go,” Alderp ordered.

“No, Father I-” Walter began, but Maxwell pointed a finger at them.

“You will all go and do as the President Commands,” Maxwell said, and a roaring filled Tina’s ears.

The next thing she knew, she was stripping out of her armor in a strange bathroom, with Cecily clutching her face in her hands.

“Cleanse!” Cecily wept. “Come on, Cleanse! Please, please tell me you’re out of it!”

“I… yes, what’s going on?” Tina asked, her head still spinning. She felt sick, and completely filthy. Like she’d taken a dip in rancid oil.

“I can’t break the spell on the others!” Cecily wailed. “Please, hold them down! He didn’t have as much of a hold on you!”

“I…what?” Tina turned, to see Claire out of her armor, stripped down to her underwear. Rain was already naked, and stepping into a shower. “Cecily? What are you doing!”

“Have to get ready,” Claire said, her tone lifeless and dull. “The Master wants me to have his child.”

“Have his child,” Rain echoed.

Ice ran in Tina’s veins, and she spun on Cecily. “What’s wrong with them?!”

“Hold them down! It took me three casts on you, and I don’t have that much more juice. Plus… I’m worried Maxwell might feel it,” Cecily said, looking around fearfully.

Tina went over, then grabbed Claire, putting her in a hold.

“Let me go! I have to get ready for the Master!” Claire snarled, but Cecily ran over, grabbing Claire’s head and pulling it close.

“Clease! Clease! Ohhh, Break Curse!”

That last one seemed to work, and Claire stopped trashing, hanging limp in Darkness’ grip. “What…what happened to…? Ohgod.”

Tina lowered Claire as she vomited onto the tiled floor of the bathroom, holding her tight in horror. But Cecly was grabbing her arm, pulling her away.

“We have to do Rain! Come on! Hurry!” Cecily begged.

“G-go on. I’m…I’m OK,” Claire croaked, scrubbing at her mouth with the back of her hand.

Tina complied, pulling a slippery and thrashing Rain out of the shower. Cecily was on her in an instant. “Break Curse! Break Curse! BREAK CURSE!”

On the third repeat, Rain suddenly went limp, her eyes rolling up in the back of her head. Cecily sagged to the floor, gasping for breath, her pupils fully dilated so that the blue of her eyes was nearly completely gone.

“Cecily… what’s going on?” Tina demanded.

“Couldn’t… couldn’t you smell them?” Cecily gasped, looking up with pleading eyes.

Tina thought back, and slowly nodded. “Maxwell and Alderp both stank horribly. What exactly…?”

“Demons,” Cecily managed, shakily sitting up and resting her back against the damp wall. “They’re both demons. I…I remembered the name. Maxwell.”

“Maxwell? I’ve never heard of him before,” Tina said slowly, but her pulse was beginning to race. Demons?

“Aqua… told me. I asked…because Lolisa…stank. Not so bad…but…she stank. It’s ‘cause they’re demons…Axis Priestess…we can smell…smell the evil.”

“I’m a crusader, not a priestess,” Tina said, her blood running cold now. “But…demons? What do you mean?”

“Dunno,” Cecily said with a shake of her head. “But it’s bad. And to stink so much…powerful. Very powerful.”

Tina slowly sank back on her haunches, looking to Claire, who was laying there with her eyes closed, her chest slowly rising and falling, while Rain was still passed out on the floor where Tina had set her. “But you’ve heard of Maxwell?”

“Maxwell the Adjuster. Aqua said…” Cecily swallowed, looking sick with horror. “He’s one of the Dukes of Hell.”

Creeping through the dark cityscape felt like old times to Yunyun. The silence was different to be sure. No sound of hovercars, no hum of machinery, and no sounds of fighting either. It was a bit eerie, but she’d rather have silence than noise, as it was far harder for someone to sneak up on you in the quiet than a racket.

“So, uh, any idea what the hell happened?” Kazuma whispered in a tone that carried much too well. Yunyun gave him a pained smile, while Komekko rolled her eyes and Megumin ignored the Outsider.

“You’re not supposed to whisper,” Komekko said in a far more sensible soft tone that was lower pitched so it wouldn’t carry nearly as far. “Just talk quiet like. Everyone knows that. You really are dumb.”

“Yeah, OK, sue me, I wasn’t raised as a magical ninja assassin!” Kazuma hissed in a manner that gave Yunyun a slight headache at just how much unnecessary noise it made.

“M-maybe you should just be quiet and listen,” she told Kazuma. “W-we don’t know what’s happened either.”

“Mr. Hoost says there’s people, but they’re all scattered and hiding,” Komekko informed them. “There’s power on near the transportation hub and stuff, but the rest is all knocked out for some reason.”

“Was there fighting?” Megumin asked, looking around. “It doesn’t smell like there was fighting.”

That was true. There was none of that iron tang to the air from spilled blood, nor the scent of fire and spilled oil that always came with the really heavy stuff. Indeed, the streets were quiet, with no more than piles of garbage littering them, the same as Yunyun remembered.

“No, no way. It’s like everyone got up and walked away,” Kazuma said in a somewhat lower tone, but still much too loud by Yunyun’s expert ear. Then Kazuma actually kicked a can, which went rattling down the street with a loud clatter.

“Hey, do we have to hang out with the outsiders? I think this one has a death wish,” Komekko opined. “He’s even worse than Aqua.”

“You take that back,” Kazuma said, turning and glaring at Komekko. Then he sighed. “Look, sorry. I’m not exactly trained at this stealth recon stuff. I’m more of a people person.”

“You did kill Belidia,” Komekko said with a shrug. “So I guess you’re not totally useless. Well, where’s the people, Mr. People Person?”

“For that, we’re gonna need some damn evidence. People don’t just up and disappear. Which means we need to crack open a few buildings, and find some of those people Hoost says are hiding to figure out what the hell is going on,” Kazuma said. He turned around, pursing his lips for a moment, then pointed. “There. That’s a pretty big residential building. Hoost see any people in there?”

“He doesn’t see people there, he can just sense their heat signature or somethin’. He keeps callin’ it their ‘aura’ but I think he’s just got inter-red,” Komekko explained.

“It’s infrared,” Megumin corrected, but she shrugged. “Could just be magic though, ‘Mekko. So, we do a floor by floor?”

“Why golly gee, we should split up and search for clues!” Kazuma said, earning him flat looks from all three of the Crimson Demons.

“He’s kidding,” Lolisa said with a roll of her eyes. “Uh, right?”

“You’re damn right I am. I’ve got some neat tricks and Lolisa is a mezzer if I understand things correctly,” Kazuma said. When that earned him blank looks, he sighed and clarified, “She can charm people, you know, put a mental whammy on them? Either way, we’re not exactly the murder blenders that you three are. I’ll stick by the one woman armies, thank you.”

“Why how manly of you, Kazutrash,” Megumin said with a roll of her eyes.

“H-he’s right though, um, I think we should stick together,” Yunyun said, wincing at the memories that involuntarily flooded in. Komekko crying, Megumin screaming at her, her eyes burning from smoke and pain, the lingering screams of their parents behind them.

I had to get away. I’d have just gotten us all killed.

Megumin was shaking her head though. “This city is too damn big for that. We do need to split up. Not too far, but we can search different floors of the same building. We have radios, we can use them.”

“Hold on, did you not just hear what I said?! I find some nest of crazy orcs and I’m toast!” Kazuma protested.

Lolisa shook her head. “I think I’d be able to sense a nest of crazy orcs, Kazuma. Don’t you have Detect Foe too? You and I can stick together at least.”

“Fine,” Megumin said impatiently. She pointed to Komekko. “Stick with Yunyun. You’re a good scout, and together you should be able to either avoid or blast any trouble you find.”

“Okay! Mr. Hoost will come with us too!” Komekko said happily.

“W-wait! Megumin, what about you? Y-you’re not going alone, a-are you?” Yunyun stammered, her heart fluttering in her chest.

It’s your fault! You got them killed! Why couldn’t you just be normal!?

“Yunyun, I spar with Iris, and I win some of those,” Megumin said smugly. “Unless there’s a dozen main battle tanks hiding behind one of these apartment doors, I think I’ll be fine.”

Turning to Komekko, Yunyun tried not to beg. “Komekko, w-we can’t let her go alone!”

“Hmmm. I guess so. Mr. Hoost will help Megumin then!” Komekko said brightly.

“Eh, that’s fine,” Megumin said with a shrug. She turned to Lolisa, and a dangerous tone entered her voice. “No playing with your food.”

Lolisa went beet red at that, then looked near to tears, her wings drooping atop her head.

“Hey, fuck off. You know she’s not like that,” Kazuma snapped. “I still don’t like this plan! We don’t know why all the people are gone! It could have been anything! A plague, cannibals like we found-”

“A plague would leave bodies, and cannibals would have resulted in a fight. So just stay sharp,” Megumin ordered. She gave Komekko a quick hug, nodded to Yunyun, then jumped up into the air, running along the side of the buildings around them and vanishing.

Yunyun stood lamely there for a few moments, unsure of what to do, until Komekko skipped off towards a nearby building. “Come on, Yunyun! Let’s see if they left any snacks!”

Yunyun glanced at Kazuma, but he and Lolisa were already walking towards a separate apartment block. With a groan, she scamped after Komekko. Already, they were off the plan. What were they going to do?

Still, once they were alone, Komekko and  Yunyun fell into their old habits immediately. They leapfrogged from shadow to shadow, using only hand signs to communicate and covering one another with their weapons. A trained team of blackhats couldn’t have done a better infiltration of the building, as they expertly snuck in through a window, then scouted the floor ahead of them.

There wasn’t much in the lobby: this was a low income tenement building, so it was bare concrete floors with shoddy light fixtures that were off anyway. That wasn’t a problem, Yunyun much preferred the dark to the light most of the time, as it tended to give her an advantage.

“That’s strange,” she murmured, stopping and picking up a small bag. It was worn, but in good condition, just laying on the floor a half a meter from the wall. She emptied it, and found a few toiletries, some underwear, the sort of thing someone might grab if they were going to spend the night somewhere else.

“Anything good?” Komekko asked eagerly, poking her nose in the meager contents. “Oh. Just make up and stinky undies.”

Once, this little pile would have been a treasure trove for the two girls, but they had plenty of high quality supplies in the packs on their backs, so this was little better than garbage to them. Still, Yunyun shook her head. “This is valuable. Someone should have taken it. And look: there’s a pair of shoes over there by that bench, and a pile of stuff over on that desk. Cover me.”

Komekko kept watch as Yunyun poked through the items, but once more, there was nothing interesting or of real value. They’d just been left there.

“How come people left this stuff?” Komekko asked, frowning as she inspected the pair of shoes. They were clearly for a child, though the fine combat boots Komekko wore were better than the cheap plastic, it was hard to leave them behind. “It’s gotta be worth something, right?”

“It’s like everyone left in a big hurry. But why…” Yunyun shook her head. “Come on. Let’s check the apartments.”

The first apartment they checked was locked, but that was no barrier to a Crimson Demon. The cheap electronic lock was something Yunyun could have picked half awake and with her bare hands, but now she had a fine slicer tool that got it open in three seconds flat, barely longer than it took to navigate the menus.

Inside they found what you would expect: cheap and dirty furniture, an empty fridge, and a closet with a few clothes, though less than Yunyun would have expected. The real puzzle was the decent enough TV: it was about 60cm wide, and while it was far from new, it looked like it worked.

“Why leave this? It’s d-definitely valuable,” Yunyun said in puzzlement. “A-and that lock was way too simple to secure it.”

“Maybe it’s broken and they were too dumb to fix it?” Komekko suggested, peering under the couch. “Hey! Some NyteTech credits!” She held up a five credit chit, which was about enough for a ration bar normally.

“Worthless now, b-but it’s a good find,” Yunyun said with a shrug.

Komekko sighed and dropped the credits. “Who just leaves money?”

“Someone leaving in a hurry…” Yunyun muttered, and shook her head. “Come on.”

The next apartment wasn’t even locked, but it had clearly been looted, or at least tossed, with clothes strewn on the floor, and the drawers all opened. Even the refrigerator door was standing open, but empty. There was a small pool of condensation though, and Yunyun bent to feel at it. “Power hasn’t b-been off long…”

“Weird,” Komekko said with a shrug. “Oh well.”

They were just about to enter the third apartment when Yunyun sensed movement, and spun about, pistol in hand as she peered down the dingy hall. A shadow was moving, and Komekko had clearly seen it too, her own gun out.

“What is it?” Komekko whispered, squinting into the blackness. “It’s not very big…”

“No, it’s not,” Yunyun agreed, frowning slightly. “R-rat?”

“Mmm, dinner!” Komekko said eagerly. “Can we catch it?”

“It’s t-the first living thing we’ve seen… so, yes? Cover me again,” Yunyun ordered.

Komekko sighed, but did as she was asked, her gun steady in her hands. Yunyun holstered her pistol and took out a knife, stalking forward on silent feet. She hadn’t gone far when the shadow stopped, a tail waving behind it.

“Nyaaa~?”

Blinking, Yunyun paused, head cocked to one side. That wasn’t a rat…

Whatever it was, it had two bright yellow eyes, and was about the size of a large rat. The body shape was all wrong, though the fur was pitch black. The only discernible marking was a strange red marking in the shape of a red cross on the creature’s forehead. Slowly, Yunyun knelt, and extended a hand. “Um, h-hello. It’s OK, we won’t hurt you…”

“Just eat you!” Komekko said eerily.

“Nyaa?” the little creature stepped forward, then nuzzled Yunyun’s gloved hand. She gasped, then rubbed it back. It was soft, and warm, with a cold little black nose. The creature began to emit an odd thrumming noise, like a small engine. On hearing that, Yunyun realized what it was.

“A cat? Here?” gently, she picked the little creature up, and it happily nestled in her arms, still purring.

“A cat?! What’s it taste like!?” Komekko hurried forward, but Yunyun held the cat up and away.

“W-we’re not eating it! I’ve never seen a c-cat before. They’re supposed to be n-nearly extinct; only the rich people have them…isn’t it cute?”

“I guess,” Komekko admitted. She held out her hand. “Can I pet her too?”

“How d-do you know it’s a girl?”  Yunyun asked, but held the cat out to Komekko.

“I got a skill that lets me identify animals! You know, so I can summon and tame them and stuff. Haven’t been able to use it so far. But it says this is a girl. Doesn’t say the species though, but I guess it’s a cat? They got wings, right?”

There were two batlike wings on the creature’s back, covered in soft downy fur like a bat’s. “I suppose it’s carved. Someone must have ordered it special from ChimeraTech.”

“Can we keep her?” Komekko asked eagerly. “She could be your familiar, like Hoost is mine!”

“I…I guess so,” Yunyun said slowly. A pet would be something else to feed, but… they had lots of food now. What did cats eat, anyway? She’d have to find a book that explained that.

“Whatcha gonna name her? She’s black so… Ink?” Komekko suggested.

“No,” Yunyun said with a shake of her head. She thought back to the various books on her people she’d read. “S-she needs a proper Crimson Demon name. What about… Chomusuke?”

The little cat purred, but Komekko made a face. “That’s a weird name for a little cat.”

“M-maybe,” Yunyun said. She looked about, cradling the contented cat in her arms. Shrugging, she unzipped the top of her jacket, then stuck the cat inside.

A moment later, Chomusuke poked her head out of the top and looked around. She let out a soft “Nyaa~.” Then she curled up on Yunyun’s breast, and seemed to go to sleep.

“W-well…at least something’s alive here,” Yunyun said with a giggle. She turned to the empty hallway, frowning. Should they keep searching?

Just then, the radio crackled. “Hey, it’s Kazuma. We found someone alive. Several someone’s. Come to our location. I think we should have a chat with them.”

The line went dead, with Komekko and Yunyun waiting for a long moment.

“He’s really bad at radio protocol,” Komekko said once it was clear that Kazuma was done speaking. “And he didn’t even use a code name. Or tell us where he is.”

“Well, at l-least it’s a lead. Come on,” Yunyun said, and together, they slunk back through the hallway outside.