Leaving the unnervingly long dungeon, Cairo stepped out into the plaza, immediately swarmed by a mob of moving people. They would bump into him, but Cairo stood firm, taller than most of the crowd.
He could hear the murmuring of the crowd move like a wave, growing loud and quiet in a cascading rhythm as they passed him. Conversations about the devils. About Nico. And about a certain red scarf.
"Who was wearing that dirty red scarf?"
"I'm not sure, are you even sure someone was wearing it?"
"Maybe it was just sitting on the floor."
A child bumped into Cairo as he spoke, ricocheting off him like a brick wall, landing with a thump. Locking eyes with the one-eyed man in front of him, his gaze wavered.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I D-Did—"
Before he could finish, Cairo picked up the kid, tilting his head as he stared daggers into him. The other children looking in terror, as the crowd passed, passing it off as just another troublemaker getting scolded.
The kid looked like he was going to burst out crying any second, trying his best to stop from trembling. His breathing erratic.
"Hey, where's that scarf you talkin about?"
"W-what?"
"Red scarf."
The kid pointed off towards a distant statue, peaking out from beyond the crowd.
"T-the statue."
Cairo gently let the kid down, patting his shoulders. His footsteps steamed as he walked away, visible imprints on the the stone making a clear path. The children looked in awe as he walked away, their fear washed away and replaced with an ill-seated admiration.
————————
Cairo was getting impatient and unnerved. Sure Naren locking up in the cage pissed him off. But the blade that drew near his throat was the loss of his weapon. The weapon that he had to keep safe no matter what.
He had enough, he was walking around for who knows how long only to have no clue where either the piss-eyed bastard or the weed-head were. His cold grey eyes darted around the alleyway he was in — a barrel of lamp oil stored for refilling lanterns.
Slowly, his body temperature grew, his hands glowing an amber hue.
If he couldn't find them. If they wouldn't come out. He'd just burn this entire fucking city down and drag them out.
The air around him shimmered. Growing dry and brittle as it wisped in protest. With a click embers formed, dancing around his arm, embracing it. He took a step towards the barrel, the flames growing stronger and more erratic.
"Get out here, princess."
A blinding white flash.
A deep bone rattling and guttural BOOM.
The buildings immediately burst open into a violent storm of debris shooting in every which direction. An insatiable amount of splinters arousing the air like rain. A shockwave shot through the alleyway like a herd of mad bulls spiraling out.
Fire erupted into a cinder-felt fury. A maelstrom of amber wisps dancing in a violet shuffle. Burning oil spraying out, igniting everything it touched like a curse.
Three stories of terraces, rooms, livelihoods, all crumbling down into a a mountain of unrecognizable jargon.
Cairo's steps burned into the debris as he climbed up. Forming little divots in the stone pieces. His white hair wisped into a flickering embers, flowing with the wind. A myriad of flames encasing his entire view.
"YOU PISS-EYED FUCK AND WEED-HEADED BITCH! COME OUT HERE!"
Suddenly, with a hiss a small serpentine creature warped around him. Looking down, Cairo could now see that it was several of them. A congregation of eels, constricting his arms and legs like a boa in heat.
Slowly steam began rolling off his body, the creatures peeling off in a frenzy of blackened flesh.
"That's not a nice welcome is it."
Cairo flicked his head towards the voice behind him, at the foot of the mountain of rubble. A short man with brown skin sitting on a floating platform of eels. His white robe had a sliver of flame on it, quickly extinguished by an eel smothering it with its mouth.
"How do you do...Stain of Musashi?"
Cairo tore an eel of his leg, letting in squirm into a charred mess in his hands.
"The fuck're you?"
———————
The noise finally settled letting Naren open his eyes. Only to be met with a cannon of a straight digging right into his nose.
Rolling back, Naren caught himself on his heels, holding onto his nose. A warm slick liquid filling his hands.
Without rest, another barreling hook shot at him, this time Naren rolling forward, right through the ghostly figure. At least he should've gone through, but the man learned. Rematerializing and catching him right in his grasp.
Naren just barely jumped out before getting drawn into a life threatening bear hug. Now standing at the very edge of the terrace. In front of him, the hulking tyrant continued to size him up with a deadpan expression. Behind him a three story drop.
"What'd you think of calling it a tie big guy?"
Naren edged back, his heels kicking down loose rubble into the ground below him. He could definitely survive the fall, no question about it. But with how exhausted he was, it was basically a death wish if the gorilla hear decided to jump on him.
Theron stared at him, no real thoughts behind his eyes. At least none that Naren could pin point. Even further behind him, The hooded woman was leaning on one hand, enjoying a glass of juice. The straw disappearing into her hood like everything else.
Vera beside her was panicking in her seat, a glass of water in front of her. Every time she tried getting him, the hooded woman would just pull her back in.
Naren licked his lips, cutting a yawn short. He tilted his head staring at the man before him. He'd really do anything to kill Naren. Running around and flailing at him like some absent minded machine.
'That could work.'
Naren assumed a boxers position. Except, he let his hands down, shaking them limp like dead weight.
"C'mere gorilla. I don't even need to punch you."
Theron charge at Naren, one hand extended back as his hip twisted, ready to spring into a devasting punch.
Fwoosh
The punch drove straight for Naren's face, only for Naren to disappear from view.
The curly headed boy ducked straight down, driving straight at Theron's abdomen, as if he were trying to exploit the man's fable once more. Except, this time, just like before, Theron rematerialized.
He dove right into Theron, getting dragged into a crushed squeeze. Naren gripped his feet on the stone floor under him, his muscles twitching. He squeezed and pushed, locking Theron into his grasp. Theron squeezing deeper and harder in the process, his expression shifting slightly as he noticed his body lifting off the ground.
Pushing off the ground, Naren leapt back. Holding Theron in his grasp, they both flipped over the building, right above the open alley below.
Naren twisted his head back, his gaze falling on the glass of juice. Vera close behind it, her arms raised in enthusiasm with a grin on her face.
In the next second, a pair of bare feet stood on the table right in front of the hooded woman. The boy grabbed the juiced, chugging half of it down in a one gulp. He wiped his mouth, a tired look in his half closed eyes contradicting his erratic breathing.
"That's a job well done..."
Naren poured the remaining juice right atop the hooded woman as Vera's smile faded off her face.
"...Isn't that right princess."
Naren immediately began coughing, his throat ragged and coarse as an overwhelming level of spice over took him. He fell off the table, dropping the glass on into several small splinters.
"COUGH...What's in..COUGH...this."
Vera rushed to Naren offering him her water.
"Are you okay!"
The hooded woman held in a muffled giggle. Her laughter almost escaping and bursting out. Only audible to Naren's ears.
"You're right my soldier."
The hood looked up, facing eye to shadow. An oversized white coat sleeve peered out of the cloak, patting Naren on the head.
"Good boy."
Naren continued coughing, trying to fan his mouth. But that didn't stop him from making a disgusted face and pulling away from her.
"Such a great soldier, that I already have your second job."
Just then, a second massive explosion sounded. Naren immediately grabbing onto his ears to try to mediate the pain even a little.
A body crashed into the ground right atop Naren, flinging him back. Vera barely getting pulled way in time.
As the dust settled, a man stood up from Atop Naren. A tall bleeding, one-eyed man, staring sharpy at the hooded woman with a fervor of malice in his grey eyes. He pulled off an eel biting into him, letting his hands melt it's stomach until only bones remained.
"There ya are. Weed-head."
The woman stood up stretching.
"Here's your second job. Protect me."
Cairo took a step forward, but a foot wrapped around his legs from behind. He glanced back to see a familiar red-headed boy sitting on the ground behind him.
"Yo. How bout we both beat her ass."