"So, I know ya didn't come here to party with me, didn't ya lad?"
Kalby asked as the party died down hours later. His wife was already asleep in the tent, with them being the only ones left standing out by a dying fire. The Deathly Immortal looked up to the Giant and nodded.
"Another girl, this one is in danger."
The Gaelic Gladiator just chuckled and shook his head, draining out the last bit of the watery swill from his bottle.
"Ya know, if yer trying to build a Harem...."
"It is nothing like that, let's just say this one is more a clue than it is a search. A final request to make sure she survives."
Christian quickly interrupted, his heart palpitating slightly. Curse these mortal emotions. Kalby however just kept a smirk on his face.
"So ya got a name? Or maybe a defining feature?"
Christian closed his eyes, trying to call back onto the memories that merged upon his own. She seemed so plain, except for..
"She seems infatuated with foxes… however last that I was told… a Mafia got her."
Kalby was silent as he looked into the embers. His giddy composure was now gone. His knuckles turned white, shattering the glass below. He tossed what was left nearby.
"The only Mafia that does that is Zeppllii… Are you sure that is what they saw?"
His voice seemed to be all too strained, it seems that he wished that it was some sort of sick joke. However, all that the immortal being could do was nod.
All that could be heard was the crackling of fire. Eons of blissfully strained silence.
"Ya have worked a miracle on me… but do ya think ya have enough to go against an entire family?"
His solemn tone wavered as he looked back over to Christian. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed. If he remembered right, the Zeppllii were the ones with the most influence. Ones that used the fear of Death and things far worse to swing their weight.
Yet a smile slowly crept up, murderous as the unnatural white enamel held the glint of the dying lights. Then the aura of gold shined in the alleyway, his eyes at the epicenter.
"Maybe not just with me, but with the help of a certain few…"
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The morning light crested the Limestone Manor known as the Phoenix Compound. The saplings of once thought extinct trees grew in organized rows past the gate. Birds were chirping, the skies were blue, even some of the grunts' mugs seem to have a slight smile.
Yet inside the housing of the Compound, on the top floor with the largest window, the Namesake of the Mafioso was anything but joyful.
Centuries… She had centuries of happiness and joy after she destroyed her clan. The sheer thought of the beings who chased her… cut down with her heirloom axe. It sent shivers of bliss down her slender spine. Now, the person who gave her the second chance was here, and now she couldn't even sleep for fear of that being taken away.
She walked away from the window and sauntered over to her mahogany desk. Her amber eyes noticed the decanter of Whiskey, but bit the urge to drain it dry. Even though she was immortal, her inhibitions always got the best of her.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
Her silken tones echoed in the room as she sat down in the leather chair. The door opened up, the Being of the Damned smiling as he came in.
"Ah, you looked like Death warmed over."
Her gazed sharpened at his words, the room heating up a couple degrees. Christian sighed and leaned against the door once he closed it. It took a couple seconds for the room to cool down once more.
"Next time, I will take that as an actual insult."
"Easy easy, I was just trying to lighten your mood. It must be a bit odd for me to be around, but now… I need your help."
Her eyebrow raised a bit when the lazing being said that, a more devilish smile seemed to appear.
"Oh? Well why didn't you just say so?"
She began, leaning back a bit. Her assets became more pronounced when she did this. Christian scoffed at this being. Sure he may be caught off guard at times, but once he wised up to such moves; he was impenetrable.
"Well, have you ever wanted to expand your reach in this city?"
He asked, causing her to sit upright. His statement caused her to be both excited, yet feel a sense of dread.
"Explain."
"All these Mafia's have one thing in common. Something that they would never expect to come their way. Beings who can not die."
He began as he went to walk over slowly. The cork of his shoes seemed to cause an echo, punctuating every heartbeat that she probably had.
"Imagine it: The entire city of New York under your thumb. You make the rules, you can guide these beings and let them grow under your influence. I walked the streets and all I saw was filth, people dying that could be saved, children in crutches and food that caused their parents to die."
He paused, placing his hands on the desk and smiled a bit. The galaxies began to glow, spinning slowly at first as he leaned in.
"I know that you still hold vengeance in your blood, I can still see it even after centuries of you living. However, you didn't have to have those trees planted. The ones you lined out there, from the ages long past. You didn't have to take in these people, some of them with families that roam this complex even at this very second. You didn't even have to cross the ocean, just to protect mortals and their way of living when they preyed on the weak. It wasn't just vengeance in your soul... it was a wish to be able to save the odd people out, to save the ones who were just like you.."
She looked up to him, her heart in a frenzy before him. No one was able to figure that out about her. No one was able to feel the pain that she did.. The sheer ostracization from her closest people… Yet he put it into words, ones that manage to finally sway her mind.
"I am not here to take away your soul.." He continued." I am here to help you take the potential you have of a second chance, and push it to the truest form."
"In reality, the other Three are scared of you. I can easily see it. So they are all hunting you right now. Yet here I am, standing in front of you, willing to help you if you help me. I want to take down the Zeppllii and save all those mortals who are the odd ones out. The ones being tortured and held against their will, the ones who we can't save if we are just still sitting about."
Christian waited for her response. Never has he been this passionate about something. Even when he helped guide the beings to advancements of civilization. Maybe the soul that merged with him finally helped him.
Looking deep into the eyes of the reborn immortal, her words slowly came out.
"What do we need to do first?"