Valeo stared at Cho cho, her strong bravado quickly crumbling as her eyes became vacant.
"What do you 'ean he's gone?"
Cho cho got up with misty eyes and sorrowful look on her expression.
"N-no Kim can't be-"
Anastasia's voice broke, Cho cho shook her head in the negative.
"He's not dead, he was kidnapped by.....the Tribe."
Anastasia let out a sigh in relief, but the relief quickly died down when she finally registered what the older woman said.
"The tribe? What in chime's grace do they want with Kim?"
Cho cho looked away from the duo.
"I, I can't tell you, I'm sorry Ana. Kim is the only one who get that off."
Anastasia gritted her teeth.
"Do you know where they're at?"
Cho cho turned to Valeo who had a neutral expression.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter, they outnumber us, not even my guns will do anything since they use essence."
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Volts thundered down Anastasia's form.
"SHIT!"
Cho cho grabbed the convulsing body of the grey skin woman.
"Fuck fuck fuck FUCK, it's getting worse with each shock."
Cho cho shoved Valeo to the side with her shoulder and placed Anastasia on the bed.
"I'm not a tech wiz like my son but, I estaminet she has two days or less before her body gives out."
Cho cho said before rushing out the room, Valeo lingered watching the twitching form of Anastasia, his eyes creasing in worry.
Exiting the room Valeo Entered a cozy living space, pictures of Cho cho and tan skin man with black hair. Some of the pictures had Cho cho and a young boy that looked identical to the man, the child had a diagonal scar in the middle of his lips.
"That's my little gear head."
Valeo turned his left to see Cho cho staring at the photo he subconsciously got close to.
"Gear head?"
Valeo asked looking back at the photo.
"Kim, just like his father, was fascinated with technology. It's in's and outs, what made it work, all that hullabaloo."
Cho cho chuckled at the end.
"You're not one?"
Valeo followed Cho cho to a table while ducking under hanging decorations and support beams.
"Gear head? No, thats my little nickname I gave to my boys, both Tod and Kim."
"Tod?"
Cho cho gained a sad smile.
"My late husband."
Valeo looked at the door.
"He's late?"
Cho cho sat down, the smile still there.
"He died....in a bandit raid."
"oh, he's dead."
Valeo scratched the side of his temple, glad he didn't say what he thought out loud. Cho cho let out sigh before her shoulders started to bounce, tiny sobs escaping her.
"I, I don't want to lose him and ana too."
The sobs became louder at the of the sentence, Valeo's heart started to break, sure, she held him at gun point but she had a good reason too with his reputation that he starting to realize he had.
"Tyrant."
Cho cho looked up, her eyes red and puffy.
"Please, please save my babies."
Valeo eyes widen, he didn't expect to be asked for help a second time, slowly his expression morphed into a serious expression.
"Where?"
Cho cho pointed to her right.
"There's a cave were their residing in, please ty-"
"Valeo."
Cho cho looked puzzled.
"What?"
Walking to a door Valeo looked over his shoulder, his eyes shining with determination.
"We are Valeo."
Opening the door Valeo ran face first into a shelf, the door led into a closet.
"PFFFFT HAHAHAHA!"
Cho cho fell from her stool while holding her stomach.
"HAHAHAHaha, the door is right there."
Cho cho pointed to a door behind Valeo who was rubbing his red forehead.
Once Valeo left Cho cho got up and walked to the room Anastasia was resting in. Leaning on the door frame, a random popped in Cho cho's mind.
"We?"
* * *
Valeo rubbing the spot where the shelf him made the raven hair see the wrist marks.
"Oh shit, we forgot that."
Extending his left arm out Valeo pulled in the feeling in the mark, after a couple of long seconds crashing could be heard until his gunbai was rightfully in his hands.
"That'll never get old."
Valeo chuckled a little before running off in the direction Cho cho told him.
* * *
It too him awhile to find the cave since the moss and trees covered it well, the only way he noticed it was the cave was the symbol on the side of one tree.
A closed fist.
"Why did they take him here? It's close to his house.... maybe convince?"
Valeo walked to the vines covered the entrance but before he could move them someone beat him to it.
"Hahaha yeah tell hi-."
The drink the goat man held dropped to the floor along with his jaw.
"YO DON'T WASTE THE BOO-"
A ghoul ran to his friend pushing his shoulder slightly, upon not getting a reaction from his friend he looked up and dawned the same expression as the goat beside him.
"T-t-t-tyrant."
They said in unison.
"Is everyone gonna call us that?"
Valeo's eyebrow twitched.
"Uh-um what do you n-need?"
The goat finally stammered out, his friend shaking with him.
"Huh, we could use this..."
"Leader."
Valeo deepened his voice for a intimidating effect and it seemed to work as duo nodded their vigorously and lead Valeo further into the cave.
The trio walked down a dimily lit hallway, the torches nearly burning his cloak.
"We hate being this tall."
Valeo had to slouch just to move, this had effect of scaring the duo since he slightly loomed over their heads, Valeo heard them whisper something.
"Dude why in chime's grace does the Tyrant want the boss for?"
"I don't fucking know, just be glad he ain't here for us."
"Is what the channels say true though?"
"That he almost destroyed Bale lake in its entirety? probably, just look at him."
They both snuck a glace at Valeo only to look away quickly, they saw death in Valeo's eyes.
"WE'RE GETTING BLAME FOR THAT, WE TRIED TO HELP!"
Valeo's teeth clenched, grinding against each other.
"Dude...do you think he heard us?"
The goat didn't respond, just kept walking, his friend joining him.
After a couple seconds of silence the trio entered a large circular carven, empty cages lining the walls, Valeo guessed it was for animals
"B-boss, someone wants to s-see you."
The goat said before he and the ghoul ran back the way they came.
"WHO?"
a couple of seconds passed.
"BY THE CHIME HUTU ANSWER M-"
A large zombie walked out briskly until he saw Valeo, his annoyed attitude quickly washing away replaced with shock and-
Awe?
"Does my eye deceive me? The Tyrant in the flesh HA HA!"
This made Valeo raise an eyebrow, this reaction from someone was...not what he expected.
"What do I owe the pleasure?"
The zombie rubbed his rotten hands in a manner of a salesman.
"You have what we want."
Valeo said, gripping his gunbai tighter.
"What would that b-"
A loud explosion came from the tunnel to the left of Valeo, a plume of smoke rushing into the two occupants.
"SHIT, HE GOT OUT AGAIN!"
The zombie ran towards the tunnel disappearing into the smoke, Valeo followed him.
* * *
At first Valeo thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but the more he walk down the soot covered tunnel the more it got louder.
It was people.
In pain.
Valeo nearly dropped his gunbai, a large room full caged people ranging from Ani-folk to humans and undead, they looked malnourished, he felt a tug at his leg.
It was tiny skeleton the size of a child, it's tiny arm barley hanged on to his pant leg.
"H-h-hungry."
Larger skeleton scooped up the little one and quickly ran to the other of the cage, fear evident in their white for eyes.
Valeo quickly turned his head to sound of a thud against bars, a malnourished black hair young man with stub for a right arm glared at the goons of the zombie and the zombie himself.
"Dear chime this is the 15th time this week, if you were so bloody important to the queen you wou-huh?"
A tiny cub of a lion grabbed the pant leg of the zombie, mimic the little skeleton from earlier.
"M-mister I'm hungry."
The zombie looked disgusting and quickly swiped the paw of the cub of him.
"Don't you DARE touch me you uni filth." The zombie kicked the cub sending sprawling to the floor, the wind knocked out of them.
The mother of the cub screamed and quickly picked her child up to cradle it.
"HEY STOP THAT!"
The black hair man got and punched one the guards but couldn't make it further due to his malnourished body, this resulted in him getting gut punched.
The goons laughed at the man who was dry heaving.
Then they felt a harsh wave of wind.
"WHAT THE?"
At the other end of the room was Valeo, glaring pure hatred at the men, his essence ravaged.
"Found you."