Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Safe Zone

The reddish purple light of Reveller’s Row beckoned to Valen and Keiko from the other side of a dark alleyway.

Heeding its call, they walked down the cold dark alleyway until they emerged from the shadows on the other side. The warmth of the buzzing neon lights advertising seedy bars and trendy nightclubs around them alleviated the dark dome’s stagnant chill, if only by a little.

Valen let out a sigh of relief. Keiko did the same and the fox ears on her head flattened back against her scalp, disappearing under her black hair.

The Primordial Church wouldn't risk starting a public fight in the middle of Reveller’s Row. Doing so would not only get the attention of the normally apathetic police, but also the organised crime gangs that made a living off the tourism there.

“Right.” Valen double checked the texts on his phone. “My mates should be around here somewhere.”

He’d texted the short version of what happened to Enid and Louise in a new group chat. Now they should be parked waiting for them near a little drive-through restaurant in Reveller’s Row. They were lucky Enid got peckish on the way back and decided to stop there for a snack before leaving.

“Good,” said Keiko. “Not going to lie, I’m feeling kind of naked without my phone.”

“It’s for the best that you ditched it,” said Valen. “One of the cultists could’ve gone through Cyril’s phone and tracked you with it.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “Well, at least I took the sim card out first. It was probably about time I upgraded anyway.”

With just a little help from his phone’s GPS, Valen led Keiko to a little drive-through restaurant shaped like a giant cardboard box. A large electric sign spelled “The Cheese Shack” in bright yellow letters made to look like carved blocks of cartoon cheese. Beside the drive-through window was a screen displaying the available menu items, all of which contained copious amounts of cheese.

A row of cars were parked in a meagre strip of allotted space near the restaurant. Most of them had their windows slightly ajar with wisps of smoke that reeked of cannabis seeping from them. It wouldn’t surprise Valen if a significant portion of the Cheese Shack’s customers were most likely potheads and drunks looking to satisfy their munchies. 

The only car with fully closed windows was a familiar blue sedan that used to look a lot fancier. Squinting at it, Valen could see Louise in the driver’s seat scrolling through her phone and Enid in the back seat dismantling a giant cheese and chicken sandwich with her mouth.

Valen walked up to the car and tapped at the front seat window with the back of his hand. Louise shuddered in surprise. Enid stopped chewing, her mouth stuffed with so much cheese and chicken that she looked like a chipmunk. Both women looked at him. He waved and Keiko did the same behind him.

Louise unlocked the car door and Valen pulled it open.

“Get in,” said Louise. “Both of you.”

Valen did as she said and sat in the shotgun seat. Keiko opened the back seat and brushed away the food wrappers Enid had left on the cushions before sitting down next to her.

“So,” said Enid through a mouth full of food that she quickly gulped down. “How’d your date go?”

“Surprisingly not the worst I’ve had.” Keiko shut the car door and sucked in a deep breath. She rested her bushy fox tail over her lap, stroking down its bristling orange fur with her slender fingers. “Well, I’m convinced you guys aren’t crazy now.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” joked Louise. “We’re trying to fight a god. Can’t do that if you’re not batshit insane. No offence, Valen.”

“None taken,” said Valen before turning to Keiko. “Did you have to register your home address when you joined the police?”

“Yeah, it’s standard procedure,” said Keiko. “I’m assuming I should probably stay somewhere else for the time being.”

“Yeah, the Primordial Church’s good at finding people they want dead,” said Louise. “We’ve already been through a mansion and a penthouse.”

“I have some money saved up. I can find a hotel somewhere to stay while we get things sorted out.”

“That’s going to take a while,” said Valen. “We’ve only found out about the Primordial Church not so long ago ourselves. Honestly we’re still trying to figure things out.”

“Yeah,” Louise agreed. “I don’t know how much cops get paid but I’m pretty sure you’ll run out of money long before that happens.”

“It’s better than getting smothered in my sleep,” said Keiko. “I could try crashing with some friends if needed, though I’d rather not get them involved in this too.”

Enid picked up a soda cup from her cup holder and took a large gulp before letting out a loud burp.

“Why don’t you come stay with us then?” she asked. “Our current manor has like six bedrooms. You can have one if you want.”

Keiko raised an eyebrow.

“Would you really be okay with that?” asked Keiko. “I mean, we don’t really know each other.”

“You stood up for Valen when you thought Cyril was being unfair to him,” said Enid. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Ah…I see.” Keiko smiled. “I’m grateful for your trust in me, Miss Flamel. I promise I won’t break it.”

“Also I could just electrocute your arse with a lightning spell if you ever try to hurt us,” she added plainly. “So don’t do that, yeah?”

Keiko let out a nervous laugh and scooted just a little bit away from Enid, her eyes briefly darting to the back of Valen’s seat for reassurance.

“Yes, mam. Duly noted.”

“So!” Louise put her foot on the breaks and her hand on the gear. “Back to the manor now? Fluffbutt here’s got a lot of catching up to do so we can talk on the way there.”

“Fluffbutt?” Keiko sounded more confused than offended. “It’s pretty rich for you to call me that, don’t you think?”

“Well I don’t have a literal tail sticking out of my bum,” said Louise. “Also your arse looks nicer.”

Keiko chuckled.

“Thanks.” Her bushy orange fox gave a little wag as it laid on her plump thighs. “Louise, was it? Your arse is pretty nice too.”

“Nowhere near as nice as Valen’s though!” she said, though Valen couldn’t quite tell if she was joking or not.

Enid loudly cleared her throat and brushed some breadcrumbs off of her enormous chest. “We should probably get out of here now.”

“Actually, if it’s not too much trouble,” said Keiko. “Can you stop by my flat so I can get some of my stuff?”

“As long as you don’t expect me to carry anything.” Enid held up the mound of meat, cheese, and bread masquerading as food in her hands. “I’ll be busy battling this chicken sandwich for a while.”

“I’ll help you carry your stuff,” said Valen. “Is your flat far from here?” 

“It’s actually right here in Reveller’s Row,” said Keiko. “Just a little ways down the road.”

“As long as it’s here then it shouldn’t be too much trouble,” said Lousie. “No one in the Nocturnal District would be dumb enough to start shit here. Not without getting a hit on them by at least five different gangs.”

“Yeah.” Keiko seemed embarrassed. She scratched at her fox tail while looking at her feet. “It’s an open secret among the police too. The organised crime profiting off Reveller’s Row keeps it much safer than the rest of the Nocturnal District. And since the business is technically legal we can’t really do much about it.”

“The Primordial Church doesn’t seem to care though,” said Enid. “They sent an assassin to kill Clarence here not too long ago.”

“And not without consequences,” said Keiko. “Last I heard back at the police station, local gangs have already put a hit out on the assassin that tried to kill Clarence.”

Valen thought back to Kumo, who was probably in a Silver Star Society safehouse somewhere getting his lung repaired with an old sewing kit and a bottle of vodka.

“Do they know who the assassin is?”

“No actual names but they have an idea,” said Keiko. “This assassin had a trademark using poisoned arrows and the like. Apparently they’re not from Dragon’s Rest and didn’t get the memo about Reveller’s Row being off limits.”

That explains it. Valen had wondered briefly why the Primordial Church would hire an assassin to kill Clarence when they had plenty of cultists who’d be willing to do it for free. Now he understood why.

Kumo had been disposable from the start. A freelancer who could do the Primordial Church’s dirty work without incriminating it. If one of the gangs profiting from Reveller’s Row took him out after his job was done then it was just one loose end conveniently tying itself up all nice and neat for them.

Whether or not Kumo refused to take the hit on Valen, it was only a matter of time before the Primordial Church murdered him to keep him quiet.

“We’re going to talk about that assassin later,” said Valen. “A lot’s happened since I got released. But before that, let’s go get your stuff.”

“Right.” Louise shifted the car gear to reverse and slowly backed out of the narrow parking space. “Just lemme know where to go, alright Fluffbutt?”

“Just head straight,” said Keiko. “I’ll tell you when to stop.” 

They kept driving down the road until they reached a small block of flats nestled right next to a bright pink brothel advertising girls in fetishised outfits and uniforms tailored for every possible kink a paying degenerate could have.

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Louise raised an eyebrow and looked at Keiko through the rearview mirror.

“You moonlight as a dominatrix?” she asked. “Because I could totally see that now.”

“Haha, very funny,” said Keiko without a hint of a smile. “But no, I live in the flat next door. The noise is terrible but at least the rent’s cheap.”

“I can imagine,” muttered Enid under her breath.

Louise parked the car next to the sidewalk.

Valen unbuckled his seatbelt, turning around to face Keiko. “Which floor do you live on?”

“It’s on the second floor.” Keiko unbuckled her own seatbelt and pushed open the car door. “It’ll take no time at all. I don’t have that much stuff anyways.”

The colourful nightlife lights disappeared behind the moment they stepped inside the building, replaced by the plain white fluorescent lights that illuminated a simple but cosy lobby. Warm orange sofa seats were neatly arranged around little white coffee tables on the polished wooden floor. Spring green house plants strategically placed around corners and pillars helped pull the room together, even if they were obviously fake upon closer inspection. Actual plants were pretty hard to grow in an area without sunlight.

A large wooden receptionist desk sat left of the entrance. The young drow woman who sat behind it looked up from her Night Fang comic book the moment she heard the door open. Her pale blue eyes laid on Keiko before quickly drifting to Valen, who politely raised a hand in greeting.

The receptionist’s grey lips curled into a grin but said nothing before going back to reading her comic book.

Keiko walked briskly past her, and Valen followed her up the well-worn stairs to the second floor. They walked down a narrow wooden hallway before stopping at Room 202, which Keiko opened with a key that had a beckoning cat keychain.

A decently sized studio flat greeted them on the other side. There was a washroom to their right and a kitchen to their left while the remaining space was used for a living room with just one tiny corner allotted for an office desk with a laptop on it. No bed to speak of, but Valen could see a rolled up futon tucked in the bottom rung of a shelf. 

The flat wasn’t particularly big, but the tasteful furniture was arranged with care to make it feel much larger than it really was.

“This is a really nice place,” said Valen.

“Thanks!” Keiko immediately got to work packing her clothes from a cabinet into a travelling bag. “I’m sure it’s not half as nice as Miss Flamel’s place.”

“You’d be surprised,” said Valen. “Honestly, I love Enid but she has got to be the single messiest person I’ve ever met. I have to do all the cleaning around the house.”

“Well then maybe I can help you out from now on,” said Keiko with a grin. “It should help us get to know each other better.”

“I’d be grateful for the help.” Valen returned her smile, though he still took care to not show his teeth. “Speaking of which, do you need me to help pack anything else?”

“Yeah, can you pack my laptop and charger for me?” she asked. “The case is in the right desk drawer. Also I should probably bring my toothbrush with me.”

“Got it.”

Valen helped her pack up laptop and handed her her toothbrush from the bathroom to put in her travel bag. The last thing Keiko packed was a grey floppy-eared rabbit plush which she stuffed into the same place as her underwear before zipping up the travel bag.

“Do you want me to carry that for you?” Valen asked. “The laptop case isn’t that heavy so I can carry both.”

“Well aren’t you a proper gentleman,” Keiko teased before handing him her fully packed travelling bag. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcomed,” said Valen, taking the travelling bag off her hands. “Being a gentleman has nothing to do with it though. I’m just being decent and looking out for a friend.”

“Spoken like a true gentleman.” Keiko’s tail let out a single wag that made Valen nearly aww out loud at the cuteness. “Well, this should be all the important stuff. Let’s head back to the car.”

Valen carried the heavy travelling bag and laptop with him as they walked down the stairs and straight past the receptionist who now completely ignored them in favour of her comic book.

On the way back to the car, they bumped into a young blonde man with a phone on a selfie stick. He’d been too busy looking up at his phone and talking to it to notice Valen until he crashed into his shoulder.

“Sorry, sir,” said Valen with a polite nod before slipping past him.

“Yo, wait a minute!” The man placed a hand on Valen’s shoulder to stop him and walked around him to see his face. “Yoooo! Holy shit, are you who I think you are?!”

Valen would’ve brushed his hand away, but both his hands were occupied holding Keiko’s luggage.

“I’m not entirely sure who you think I am, sir,” said Valen, hiding his annoyance behind a veneer of docile politeness. “Now if you’ll excuse me-”

“You’re Valen Vasilis!” The man shouted without any consideration that they were in public. He spun his selfie stick phone around so that the screen faced both of them, revealing that it was livestreaming to an audience of a few hundred. “Hey guys check it out! I got Clara’s boyfriend here with me!”

“Sir, I’m not-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” The man reangled his phone again to also show Keiko, who was cringing hard beside Valen. “Who the hell is this?!”

Keiko grunted in annoyance, bearing her clenched teeth. “Can you get that damn thing out of our faces?”

The man let out a loud, intentionally over dramatic gasp.

“Oh shiiiit!” He gripped Valen by the shoulder and shook him, causing him to wobble on foot as he held onto Keiko’s luggage while resisting the urge to sock the obnoxious little knob in his stupid smiling face. “Are you cheating on Damsel Dark? Dude, how the hell are you scoring so many bitches?!”

“Well for one, you don’t call them bitches,” said Valen, unable to hide his annoyance any longer. “And for the last time, Clara isn’t-”

“Yo Andrew Crew!” the man who was apparently named Andrew shouted to the audience on his phone, completely ignoring Valen while still showing him on the livestream. “Get this shit on trending! #ClaraGetsCucked, #ValenXVixen, #Exposed, not fucking clickbait, we gotten boys!”

The man continued to shake Valen side to side like a child rocking a boat while spewing inane nonsense to his phone.

Valen wanted nothing more than to punch the guy in the face but his hands were literally full and he wasn’t going to do the vampire race any favours by punching a guy live on the internet, no matter how bloody obnoxious he was. He and his people had a bad enough reputation as it is.

Still, he was really tempted to knock a few teeth out.

But just as Valen felt his patience coming to an end, the man’s rambling came to an abrupt stop with a high-pitched squeak.

The man crumpled to his feet. His selfie stick dropped to the ground and he cradled his crotch with both hands, tears leaking from his eyes.

Valen turned around to see Louise and Enid behind him.

“You know, of all the people I’ve kicked in the dick,” said Louise, “This one somehow feels like the most…satisfying.”

“Hmph.” Enid shot a quick bolt of lightning that overloaded the man’s phone until it exploded on the sidewalk. “You okay, Valen?”

“I am, thanks to you two,” said Valen. “My heroes.”

“Heh heh.” Louise grinned, showing off her perfect smile with teeth as white as her fur. “Anytime.”

The corner of Enid’s lips twitched slightly as if attempting to smile against her wishes. “You’re welcomed.”

“Hopefully the livestream didn’t see your faces,” said Keiko, sighing deeply as she scratched her head. “I can already see all the angry comments online. Let’s get out of here before someone else recognises Valen.”

“Agreed,” said Valen. “We should-”

A chill erupted at the back of Valen’s skull. Killing intent. Someone nearby wanted to hurt him. Danger was approaching fast though he didn’t know which direction it’d come from.

In a split second, he willed his hypersensitive hearing into existence. It was a little difficult to discern anything from the background noise of bassy music and sensual moaning from the nearby brothel, but he managed to pinpoint a pair of rapid footsteps headed straight towards him.

Valen spun around in its direction, fist already reeled back for a venting punch.

His entire body froze when he saw his would-be attacker.

It was a girl. Not a woman-just a girl. No older than thirteen, maybe younger. Her baby blue eyes stared wide-eyed at him, clearly terrified yet clutching her little pocket knife with both hands.

The little girl, another victim of the Unborn God and its church, charged at him with the blade of her pocket knife pointed straight towards his heart

Valen couldn’t bring himself to hit her.

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