บท 15: XV. Russian Combat.
Idiot. Vanilla jumped to her position and pressed the diamond. Fire thundered and made the architecture of the building shake, but Vanilla was faster. The magical bubble absorbed all the charring damage the transformed harpies could have inflicted. Thousands of crystal shards dissipated in the air, and both girls and the talking puppy resulted unharmed.
"You meddling kids once again!" They screamed.
"Good grief, they are naked!" Cookie yelled from the ground. "Bumbly! Attack!"
As if ordinary bumblebees weren't loud enough, the giant, furry Hymenoptera buzzed with ear-piercing strength as it entered the basement and headed towards the naked threesome of beautiful women. Her wings distorted the air around her.
"That won't work this time this time!" The woman of red hair quickly raised her hand and launched a purple beam that extended like a fishing web. The entrance got locked by a violet, translucid barrier.
Custos Apes' head bounced on it and she fell, rolling down to the girls' feet. She got up and shook her head in confusion. Cookie crawled to help her.
"Thanks for the recipe, human!" The wine-haired woman yelled. Smoke appeared on the women's backs and they grew up another pair of grey wings. They launched fireballs at the corner of the basement. It exploded and left a small crater that looked outside to the streets.
"Goodbye!" The three harpies chuckled, ironically waved their hands, and winged away to the embrace of night.
"Come back, you cowards!" Cookie yelled, but they were already gone. She got up from the ground and shook the dirt away from her orange witch costume. "Well, we won!" She looked at Vanilla, smiling in enthusiasm.
"No. We didn't." Vanilla's face was stoic and serious. She stared at the purple barrier.
"Why?" Cookie asked. "We scared them away. They won't meddle with us once again after we showed them what's good twice!"
"Maybe. But now they can blend with ease along with the common people. It'll be easier for them to lure and take more victims."
Vanilla kept her anger against Cookie. She wanted to yell at her: blame her that it was all her fault that the harpies had just escaped, but she knew that she had already committed mistakes and Cookie was always glad to help her.
Besides it, Cookie could be annoying, but she was one of the very few people that seemed to enjoy Vanilla's company. She breathed deep. She could not yell at a... friend. If she could call her that.
The purple color of the barrier made Vanilla connect the dots in her mind. Weren't the purple amethyst and the green emerald on Avrevm Bacvlvm opposing functions? She pressed the Emerald. The green beam struck the barrier, absorbing it, and making it dissipate in light green smoke.
"Well... They are gone. And there's nothing much to see right here." Cookie said. She entered the room and sniffed the interiors of the cauldron. "Puagh!" Her face adopted a green color and she ran towards the demolished entrance the harpies opened. She puked.
Vanilla rolled her eyes and waited for her to finish. That liquid would be too much of a disgusting stench for being of any utility to them.
Cookie returned. "Are you alright?" Rowie asked. Custos Apes adhered herself to her back.
There was nothing of utility in that room of empty bottles and graffiti. There was a torn-down mattress at the bottom that brought Vanilla bad memories. A pig laid on the concrete floor next to the fire.
"What now?" Cookie asked.
"Well, now we know that those stupid harpies will likely be disguised. Let's be prepared."
"Girls," Rowie spoke. He was sniffing the pig's snout.
"Rowie, This is not the time for bacon!" Cookie said.
"He is still alive! He is wounded!" The pup said. Vanilla and Cookie looked at each other. They approached the animal.
"It's making me so hungry..." Cookie showed her tongue out.
"Cookie!" Rowie wasn't happy. Vanilla crouched and put her hand on the pig's belly. He wailed in pain. "We need to help him!" He put his front boots on his upper legs.
Rowie's concern about the well-being of others was something that Vanilla found annoying. But it grew up on her, especially when she saw his literal puppy face concerned like that.
"I'm kidding you guys. I'm sorry." Cookie said. "It's your fault Vanilla. Pig spit. Ph!"
"I'm not the one who is scared of rats! Nevermind. I'm going to try out something." Vanilla gripped Avrevm Bacvlvm. She pressed the gem of eternal youth. Cookie's eyes glowed, and she nodded in agreement.
The Aquamarine radiated a flush in cyan color and enveloped the sobbing pig. He tried to get up. Rowie wagged his tail. "That'll do piggy," Vanilla said. She released the gem.
"He says he's thankful!"
"How do you know, Rowie?" Cookie tilted her head as the pup would.
"We animals don't need words to understand each other." He responded. The pig got up. He grunted and oinked, without showing up any signs of shyness.
"I have a question..." Cookie spoke. "How did they get a pig inside here?"
No one responded, unable to think about a reasonable explanation. Those harpies were something else.
"Now Mr. Pig, stay here. We'll come for you later." Vanilla got up.
"How are you planning to get him outside, Vanilla?" Cookie asked.
"The harpies opened an entrance for him," She signaled the demolished corner. "Empress can help us take him somewhere safe."
Cookie patted the pig's head. Pigs always had a smiley face, but it was like that one was genuinely smiling.
"Well, guys, let's go. Those super-duper ugly harpies won't wait," Cookie said. "Please go ahead and support Custos Aquilae, Bumbly."
The bumblebee got off her back and flew outside through the hole the harpies made to escape. The girls used it to escape too, as that rotting rusty ladder would probably not be able to withstand another climbing. Grey shadows blended with the night outside, but the feeling of danger didn't disappear.
"Look at who we've got here, boys..." As Vanilla, Cookie, and Rowie left that stinkhole, a gang of four teenagers in denim made their way to them. They carried beers with them, and their greasy faces didn't make them look like the winners of Merry Oaths' annual hygiene contest.
"Oh. Not again..." Vanilla sighed. More time lost and now they had to deal with those vagrants. "Keep walking, Cookie." She said.
"Where are you going, babes?" One of them said. The others chuckled with malice. "Party's about to get started!"
Vanilla didn't even feel scared that time. They tried something nasty, and she'd burn them to their bones with Avrevm Bacvlvm. Just one scream and Custos Aquilae would break their skulls like eggshells for breakfast. Her concern was more about the time they'd lose and the screaming that would attract the police.
"Leave them alone, Clement. They are kids." A voice with a strong Slavic accent appeared. A young man with a shaved head crossed the desolate and cracked street towards their position.
"Oh, look. It's Sasha..." The hooligan mocked. "Did you get tired of vodka, snow, and bears? Your country is shit and you know it. Go back there."
The Slav didn't respond, and neither his facial expression changed. He headed to the main hooligan and made his raspy, stiff hand a punch. He blew it against his face, and the drunk youngster fell to the hard and cold street, knocked out and his nose spitting blood.
"Get this jackass!" A hooligan full of tattoos yelled. He rushed, but Sasha swiftly stepped away and rammed his iron first against his stomach. He spitted and hunched back, releasing a deflating whimper. The Slav then pulled his dirty brown hair and slammed his knee against his face. He fell and didn't move again.
"Motherfucker!" The two of them left spitted out their cigarettes and swiveled their hand knives. Sasha adopted a combat position, with his hands before him and his legs balancing his center of mass.
The worn-down beanie'd bandit dashed and thrust his knife, but Sasha dodged it. He locked it with his arm, straightened him, and headbutted him with his shaved head. The youngster fell to the cobblestone road and ended up on a puddle.
The hooligan left looked more infuriated than ever. "Aaaaaaagh!" He showed his teeth like a chimp and thrust his knife. But he had no opportunity. Sasha dashed to the side and kicked his rival's knee with his heavy-soled boot.
"AaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAH!" The dirty vagrant fell to his broken knee. Sasha slashed his palm against his hand, and his knife flew away.
To finish the battle, he grabbed the hooligan from the collar on his jacket and whacked his face three times in a row. He fell like a ragdoll.
Cookie, Vanilla, and Rowie didn't say anything nor move during those few seconds. They looked at each other. Cookie's face got an expression of amazement. Vanilla wondered. Those movements weren't ordinary to any of the savages that conformed to the youth in Merry Oaths. He had to have some training in hand-to-hand combat. His face remained calm unexpressive during the fight, compared to the raged expressions of the drunk youngsters.
"Amazing!..." Cookie yelled and clapped. Her eyes glowed.
"Are you good?" Sasha asked, but he didn't receive a response. He stole a pack of cigarettes from his defeated foes, lit one, and walked away as he smoked.
"Wait!" Vanilla's voice impeded his way. "Sasha?"
The young man stopped his stroll he looked back.
"Thank you!" Vanilla exclaimed. He nodded and continued walking.
"Wait!" Cookie spoke, but he didn't stop again. "Damn. He's gone. He must teach me those moves!"
"I'm sure we'll run into him later..." Vanilla said. But something didn't make sense. Why would he stop and risk his life just to save a pair of girls he didn't know? Vanilla felt awkward. No one had done that for her before.
Red and blue lights twinkled and howled as they advanced to their position. The sirens halted howling when the black patrol, decorated with stamps of jack-o-lanterns and bats, stopped next to them.
"Vanilla? What's going on here? What are you doing here?" It was officer Bruce Brown and Mark Hills.
"We don't know... We were just passing by and we found them lying here. Must have been a street fight," Cookie spoke.
"This is a disaster. We'll call an ambulance." He moved his hand. Mark spoke through his radio. "Well, girls, You'll have to fill a few reports until the ambulance comes and we can leave, alright?"
Vanilla sighed and rolled her eyes. More time wasted. None of the hooligans were conscious to talk. After the ambulance took them to the nearest hospital and the girls filled their report, Officer Bruce offered himself to take the girls somewhere safe. They accepted, but they didn't need to go anywhere safe that night...
"Merry Oaths' elementary school, right girls?" The officers were in the pilot and copilot seats. Vanilla and Cookie sat on the back seats, separated by a metallic mesh from them.
"Yeah, officer... We'll attend some... costume contest." Vanilla said.
"Aren't you girls too old for that?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, but we still look like kids," Cookie said. "No one takes us seriously." If that was true for her or just chitchat, Vanilla fell hit by her words.
"You'll grow up," Bruce said. "Lugus is tall Vanilla, I bet that in some years you'll pick up with him."
"Yeah... I guess so." Vanilla explained, but she was sure that wasn't going to happen.
"Mom and dad aren't tall. but my grandpa was. Maybe I have a chance!" Cookie said.
"Hehe. I hope so, girl." The bald officer, Mark Hills said.
"By the way, officers..." Vanilla changed the subject. "Has not, anything out of usual been happening around the town?"
The two men in navy blue uniforms traded looks. Bruce responded. "Well, yes. We've received reports of many missing children. Hour after hour more and more come. We're doing our best but we haven't found a single one yet."
Vanilla, Cookie, and Rowie looked at each other. They had already wasted time, and even if they didn't, they could not be everywhere. Those harpies maybe surpassed them 40 to 1.
"So, please return home early, girls," Bruce Brown said. "These streets are dangerous. We still haven't learned anything about the incident in that storehouse where we found your ex-classmates dead, Vanilla."
She swallowed her saliva. The four red points in her book came up to her mind. She wondered what was the state of Eric. Against what ordinary people would say, she hoped that he never recovered from the trauma. Not only he didn't deserve to, but if he said something, she'd be in trouble.
But would anyone believe the words from a highly traumatized kid about a magical gorilla and a little girl shooting electricity killing her friends, though? Yeah, nothing to worry about. She could just silence him in the minuscule case that something happened.
"Look, we're almost arriving!" Cookie spoke. "I hope it's filled with cute boys~"
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