After having a cup of coffee and making sure everyone was ready, K.K drove us to the hollow where Victoria was being kept.
"So, this is where Victoria is being kept?" Asked Hella, staring at the large dome in front of us.
"That's right, Summer didn't bother having the drone enter, so we have no clue what's inside." I said, while checking that the magazines I brought with me are full.
"And that's why we're here." Eous said, "Well, Belle said, since she was now for controlling the bangboo."
"Aww, now I see why Hella said you looked adorable!" Bai Yi then hugged Eous, pushing the robot against her chest.
"I could just eat you up!" She giggled, not caring if we stared at her.
"H-hey, let me go!" Belle struggled from the hug, trying to escape Bai Yi's chest, but it was pointless.
"Bai, please stop." I said with a sigh. Bai Yi pouted at first, but she huffed and placed Eous back on the ground.
"Fine, I'll hug it later." Once done, the six of us entered the hollow, feeling the space bend and twist like always.
Though once inside, both K.K and Bai Yi were on the floor. "I… I don't like…" K.K held her mouth shut, trying not to lose her lunch.
"I'm gonna need a minute." Bai Yi groaned, but that didn't last long, as soon as I heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air.
I looked in that direction, and the tip was an inch from hitting my eye. "Geez, you'll have to pay me extra for saving your life, chief."
Bai Yi stood in front of me, holding the arrow with two fingers. "Maybe I should've stayed back, it'll just be boring." she sighed.
"H-how'd she move so fast?!" Turning to the source of the voice, we saw a group of people in front of us, two of them were holding crossbows in their hands.
"I don't know, just shoot 'em! The rest of you, knock 'em down!" Spoke the second marksman, raising his crossbow and firing.
"Hollow raiders? No, there shouldn't be this many." I said aloud while turning my body slightly to the side.
"K.K, Bai Yi, subdue them." I said, watching as both K.K and Bai Yi walked forward.
"Sure, whatever you say, chief." Bai Yi said with a yawn. "C'mon, K.K., it's pay day."
K.K only rolled her eyes but didn't retort, instead, she spun her tonfas and ran forward with her arms raised.
"Is she crazy?!" Belle shouted with worry, looking at me as if I had lost my mind. "K.K can't deal with them all!"
Seeing her concern, I only smiled and pointed. "Just watch." That was all I said and shifted my focus back onto K.K
Belle soon did the same, but she was hesitant herself. Only then did she see what was happening, she became shocked.
K.K was deflecting and dodging their strikes with ease. "It's like trying to fight a bunch of kids." K.K sighed.
One of the people tried to rush at K.K from behind, but he announced himself by screaming.
K.K then did a roundhouse, slamming the back of her boot on the man's head. "At least try to sneak, not scream like a scream victim."
[Yes, the author decided to refer to scream. Was it a good one? In their eyes, yes, in your eyes, who knows.]
"Meh, amateurs, what can you do?" Bai Yi asked, stepping away from multiple swings and tripping a few enemies.
"Still, at least they're trying." K.K replied, slamming two grunts' heads together, letting them drop like puppets with their strings snipped.
"W-what the hell is this?!" All of us then turned to the source of the voice, and we saw a man with muscles, with a sawed-off shotgun hanging by his side.
"Ah, hello there, just ignore us, we're looking for our companion that someone took." Bai Yi greeted.
"Like hell I'll leave you alone, you messed with the mountain lions, now you gotta feel the fangs!" Shouted the man, grabbing the sawed-off shotgun and aiming at them.
"Watch out!" Belle shouted, but her Waring went unheard, before the man could pull the trigger, a flash of purple was seen, and the man fell onto the floor.
"W-what just happened?" Belle was then picked up by a pair of arms belonging to Bai Yi.
"That was all me." She giggled while snuggling Belle like a newborn infant. "Who's a good little bunny? You are, yes, you are."
"H-hey, put me down!" Belle began to squirm once again, trying to free herself from Bai Yi's hug.
"Nope, I'm going to spoil you much!" Bai Yi squealed, giggling as she cuddled the bamboo.
"Bai, it's best if you let her go. Besides, we need to figure out why these people are here." Bai could only huff at my words but placed Belle back on her feet.
"Fine, but if we take too long, I'm hugging her again." Belle then ran towards me, hiding behind my leg, shivering with fear.
"Alright, let's get to work." Everyone soon began carrying one body after another, leaning them against the wall.
All the while, we tied them up with anything we could find. By the time we finished, the leader had soon woken up and tried to move.
"What… what the hell did you do to us?!" Shouted the leader while trying to pry himself free.
"Don't bother, we're the ones asking the questions here." Bai Yi replied, holding her sword against the man's throat.
Yet, the man didn't flinch at her threat, instead, he continued to struggle. "When… when Razor hears about this, he'll make you wish you're dead!
Well, we now know the leader's name. But not the woman, I then knelt in front of him and held up my phone.
And the picture of the rat thiren was on the screen. I had to thank both Wise and Belle for this.
"We're looking for this woman." I said, but the man refused to answer, instead, he spat at me.
"Go to hell!" Hella raised her pipe, threatening to smack him. But I raised my hand, then stood up and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the spit off.
"I see that you're loyal to your gang, and I can respect that." I said, but the warmth of my voice soon disappeared.
"But we can always leave you to the monsters, since you decided to be no longer useful." Hearing my threat, his skin turned pale, and his eyes widened with fear.
"Y-you can't do that, you work for PubSec, you're supposed to arrest us!" He shouted, however, I only stood up and began to walk away.
With everyone else following in tow, we ignored the man's desperate screams. "Okay, I'll talk!"
Hearing this, we returned and listened as he spilled. According to him, the woman in the photo is named Jane Doe and is advancing too quickly.
This set off a few alarms in my head that I decided to have everyone retreat. But not before leaving we knocked out the man and left a small beacon.
Sending a distress signal for PubSec to find, thanks to Summer making these. As soon as we were out of earshot, Hella was the first to break the silence.
"Chief why the hell are we leaving?! We got a name, we got an idea of where Victoria is located!" She shouted.
"The name he mentioned, Jane Doe, no one has a name like that." I replied while looking around.
"It's just a name, why the hell does it bother you so much?" Hella asked while kicking a small pebble.
"Jane Doe has a meaning, which correlates to hiding the identity of a female who works in the legal, medical, and law enforcement fields." Hecate answered.
Hearing this, Hella widened her mouth in shock. "Oh shit, did we possibly mess with a police investigation?"
"That's not good, we should probably leave before the cops catch us." Bai Yi said, all the while looking around nervously.
"Too late." A new voice was heard, and I felt two cold blades against my neck, all the while I felt something coil around one of my legs.
"My, my, taking a closer look, you're really handsome." Purred the woman behind me, while behind her Bai Yi and Hella had their weapons inches from her head.
"Now, now, I wouldn't do that if I were you, assaulting an officer would be added to your criminal case." Giggled the woman.
"Lady, assaulting an officer would be the least of your worries." Hella growled, her grip on her pipe tightened.
"Oh, then are you confessing that you've committed murder?" She asked, her grip tightened, showing she had the high ground.
"Yes, and it's my job to keep them in line." I answered and pulled out my pistol, aiming at her.
"Oh my, how scary." She teased. "Trying to force me to behave? The ladies must love you." She teased.
"Having them behave is not something they'll do, but loving me… that's a different story." I sighed.
"Why the long face, not happy that you're a Playboy?" Bai Yi laughed at Jane's question lowering her sword.
"Oh, you'd be right, almost every girl chief has 'saved' tries to get into his pants one way or another." Bai Yi then pulled out her phone, showing pictures of the number of woman that grew close to me.
"Oh my, it seems I have some competition." Surprise dawned on her face as she looked at the photos.
"What about you? You don't show any interest?" Bai Yi only shook her head.
"Nah, I see him more as a friend. He even covered for us when we did a small hot pot." Jane then pulled back and smiled.
"I see." She spun her two knives a few times before they disappeared, and her tail soon coiled around her own leg.
"Then I'll need to play catch-up, but for now." She sighed and feigned a pout on her face. "Ill lead you to your precious sinner."
I on the other hand smiled and turned to face her, though, it seemed it was a mistake. The next second, she was soon in front of me, her face close to mine.
"But, you'll owe me." She giggled and soon stepped back. "How about it? A trade for the sinner, and I can ask for one favor."
With the offer in the air, it was obvious that if I agreed, it would certainly make things easier for us.
However, there was something else, this woman was a manipulator. I would have a leash tied to my neck if I agreed.
Yet, I raised my hand and offered a handshake, with the same smile I always gave to the sinners.
"Eros, Eros Voss." I introduced myself to her properly. "I hope that we'll get along well, Jane Doe."
Seeing this, she was shocked, not expecting that I would agree to her offer. But before she could compose herself, multiple footsteps could be heard.
"Jane, we're here to help!" Shouted an unfamiliar voice, looking behind her, she saw multiple hollow raiders.
"Play along." Jane heard my voice and soon turned to see my fist near her face. At the last second, she dodged and jumped backwards.
Pulling out her two knives and stabbing them on the ground to stop herself from sliding. "And I was having such fun, too bad you'll have to play with these guys."
The second she said that, she stepped back, letting the gang members rush at us. "For the mountain lions!" They roared.
"What's the plan, chief?" Hella asked, tapping the pipe on her shoulder.
"Knock them out, our objective is done, and we don't need to have them following us." I said while walking forward and pulling my sleeves back.
"Roger that." Hella smiled and walked next to me, K.K and Bai Yi soon did the same, preparing themselves for the one-sided fight.
"Alright then, we'll leave the rat lady to you, maybe you'll have a good dance." Bai Yi said with a teasing smile.
All of them ran forward, clashing against the gang members. While Jane and I stood in front of one another.
"May I have this dance?" I asked while gesturing for her to come to me, Jane smirked and ran with her two blades behind her.
I expected her to go for a stab, but I dodged to the side, avoiding her tail, which had a hidden spear tip on the tip of her tail.
"So, you play dirty." I commented, avoiding a sudden kick, the next second, a hidden blade appeared from her shoe.
"Well, a girl can't be predictable." She replied and tried to jump onto me. I however dropped down and slid underneath her, bending backwards to fire, however, I missed on purpose.
As she landed, she ran towards me again to strike me with a kick, but when I raised my arms for a block, she spun her body and gave a reverse kick to my stomach.
'Guess I'll have to switch things up.' I thought and pulled out two daggers. 'I'll have to than Nekomata for buying these.'
"Seems you're a copycat, though, I don't mind." Jane smirked and rushed at me. "I always enjoy playing with kittens."
The two of us were then exchanging blows, kicks, stabs, and even punches. But Jane had the upper hand.
She was more flexible and had an extra limb, it was hard to predict what her next move would be, since she constantly changed her pattern.
One minute she would charge at me, force me to pull away, only for her tail to wrap my leg and pull me off balance.
The next second, she would parry my attacks and lead me on with a taunt. I had to admit, Jane was a very dangerous woman.
As we fought, a few members tried to 'help' her, but I turned my back on her and knocked down the members.
"My my, it seems I underestimated you." Jane said, going for an axe kick, but she flicked her tail at the last second, the sharp spear barely grazing my cheek.
"Well, I didn't want to be seen as a burden, and I'll admit, I went through hell and back." I grabbed her tail, causing her to stiffen, then let out a moan of pleasure.
Both of us then stood in place at the unexpected noise, staring at each other. Jane's ears wiggled for a second, only for a wide smile to form.
"Oh my, I think I might just add sexual assault to your charges." Jane teased, her tail wiggling in my hand.
I tried to release her tail, but it soon coiled around my arm, gripping it tight. "Nuh-uh, I'm not letting you get away."
Looking at Jane, her ears wiggled once again. And for some reason, her eyes held hunger, and I felt danger.
"Sorry, I didn't expect your tail to be sensitive." I apologized, but Jane's smile didn't falter.
"Oh, don't worry, you'll make it up to me at a later date." Jane then licked her lips, her gaze holding the same look.
She then pulled me up against her, our bodies flushed against one another, and her face was inches from mine.
"I can't wait." She whispered before kicking me square in the chest. I rolled against the ground a few times before stopping, but I pushed myself away to avoid being stabbed.
"I'll… try to make it worthwhile." I replied and blocked another kick. "As for our agreement, where is Victoria?"
"Don't be such a spoil sport, at least play with me a little longer." She pretended to pout, but seeing that I was insistent, she only sighed.
She then rushed at me, pretending to go for a stab, but when I blocked, she leaned in to whisper.
"Meet me outside the hollow, I'll bring the girl." Was all she said before jumping back and calling for a retreat.
Hearing this, the the mountain lions were hesitant. But seeing that most of them were unconscious, they had no choice.
Yet, they made sure to carry out the wounded, heading deeper into the hollow. All the while I had us retreat as well.
"So, how was the dance?" Bai Yi asked, with a large grin on her face. "Did you have fun?"
"Somewhat." I sighed. "Though, I don't know if I'll survive our next encounter."
"Aww, that's to bad, and I was hoping that you'll find a girlfriend." Bai Yi frowned, crossing her arms while looking disappointed.
As we walked, I noticed Belle was quiet. She hadn't said a word as we left the battle. "Belle, are you alright?"
Hearing my voice, Belle shook her head, her eyes landing on me. "Y-yeah, sorry, I was just worried when I saw you fight."
I smiled and gently lifted her in my arms, the bangboo stiffened at first, but then began to squirm.
"H-hey, put me down!" She protested, but I soon placed my hand on the head, rubbing lightly.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." I smiled, Belle stopped as she saw this, and the two ears blocked her eyes.
"How are you like this?" She whined, ignoring Bai Yi and Hella's laughter. While I was confused on why she was acting like this.
After our conversation, we soon arrived outside, waiting for Jane to keep her word. After waiting for half an hour, Jane arrived with Victoria in tow.
"Ah, chief, it's really you." Victoria said with a smile and ran at me. She soon hugged me, like a daughter hugging her father.
"It was hard to have her follow, Razor was against having her leave, since she killed a few members." Jane commented.
"I'm not surprised, sorry about that." I said, patting Victoria's head.
"Its fine, they made their choice." Jane shrugged and began to walk back into the hollow.
"Remember Eros, you owe me." She said with one last lick before walking inside. I felt goosebumps run down my arm.
[Wahhhhh, why'd you agree to her deal chief!? Why did you agree?! I don't want him tainted by some rat, she isn't even part of our world! Anyways, send them power stones to show support. BYE bye!]