by Sean Davies
“Yeah, she’s good...” Seth groaned.
“But now it’s time for the bad girl to shine,” Tanesha smirked, and upped her pace. She looked towards the door and gave Genie a quick thumbs-up.
“What are you doing?” a guard asked Genevieve, causing her to jump in fright.
“I… I forgot my bag,” Genie stammered quietly.
The guard looked inside Seth’s room and chuckled. “You perv, you do know you can get free rides downstairs?” he said in an amused tone as he closed the door. “Although, if it’s male attention you want, you’ll have to go to the effort of striking up a conversation. Most of the gang would gladly take Genevieve the slayer to bed, myself included.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Genie replied going red. “I was actually more in the mood for draining one of the bars dry,” she said dismissively.
“Suit yourself, slayer,” the guard shrugged. “Cut down on the perving, though.”
Genie gave him an unpleasant smirk before heading down the stairwell. Now that the current crisis was dealt with Genevieve didn’t know what to do with herself, and she decided to try drowning her sorrows with whatever she could get her hands on.
Chapter 9
Exit Strategy
Aweek passed by in the blink of an eye as Genevieve firmly adapted to her new life as part of the Golden Fangs. Her heart still ached, as she imagined it always would do, but she tried to keep herself busy and distracted at all times to mitigate the grief.
She had spent most of her time during the days in the training area, allowing Gaius to forge her into a deadly weapon of elegance and further hone her impressive agility. Genevieve was now proficient with a pistol and wore one holstered on the opposite thigh as her preferred throwing knives, and she was able to hold her shadow-shroud reflexively. Gaius was overjoyed with her progress and taught her some hacking tricks to go with her basic knowledge of IT and coding. Together, they had copied the building schematics for both the Ironfang Security depot and offices from a government database connected to the network, in preparation for the upcoming assault.
During most of the evenings, Genevieve hammered back drinks at the bar and smoked Dreamleaf until the early hours of the morning. Then she’d go down to the dungeon to see the girls and would wake up the next morning in one of their beds. At first, she felt rotten and rough waking up in the brothel, but after a few days it just felt part of her daily routine. The things that her trio of gorgeous prostitutes did blew Genevieve’s mind, but somehow it paled in comparison to the touch of her fallen true love. After a thorough shower and a greasy breakfast with a side of blood and booze, Genevieve would head to the training area and begin the whole cycle again.
Scythe had come back to Fort Dominia for a few nights, and during that time the Golden Fangs had chosen another Morriganigh target, a shipping yard on the outskirts of Gaelliard City. Scythe had led the attack again and Genie had volunteered to go along with her, and she’d followed the icy Mage’s every order to the letter. They were far from friends, but they had achieved an amicable working relationship. The mission had been a complete success and far less dramatic than the lumber yard. The Golden Fangs only found a handful of human Ironthorn Security guards in the vicinity and took them out with ease before trashing the building’s interior. The gang’s spotters inside the city reported a massive amount of Supernaturals coming and going from the Ironthorn Private Security offices, and only human activity at the main depot. As such, the Golden Fangs were certain they had confirmed the elusive Morriganigh’s headquarters.
Seth was still under the impression that he’d slept with Genie, and he showered her with special treatment to try and win her over for another night. Genevieve had shirked his advances, especially when Scythe was present, but promised him that she’d ‘rock his world’ if he could get the gang members to treat Chloe and the working girls better. He’d reluctantly agreed, and Genevieve had borrowed more sleeping potions from the young Book Wielder in case he followed through with the deal.
Genevieve had also gone out for some late-night shopping in Taynulia with Tanesha, Kaylie, and Varsara on their night off. Genie had brought some new clothes, both smart and casual, a few strategy and role-playing games for her PC, and a whole lot of food for her neglected apartment. They spent the rest of the night in a small pub trading stories, bantering merrily, and deflecting the sexual advances of the locals.
Genie had once again spent her day lost in her training regime. She had been planning on taking her shopping supplies back to her apartment as soon as the sun set, but she’d been putting it off for hours. Her food was stuffed in a fridge in one of the VIP bars, and the rest of her bags were stocked away in the security section with her remaining belongings. Genie felt as though she was finally coming to terms with the loss of Annabelle, or at least reaching a manageable emotional state, and feared that revisiting their home would bring the tidal wave of grief crashing down upon her again.
Chaz approached her and looked as angry as ever. He had a black cap over his white hair, and was wearing a long dark purple duster, securely fastened, and a pair of black boots.
“Grab Chloe,” he ordered. “We’re going on a supply run.”
“Got it,” Genevieve replied eagerly, glad to have a genuine reason not to return home.
“Dress for the great outdoors,” he advised with a smirk. “Meet me in the carpark.”
She went to the library to collect Chloe and found her sitting at the large cluttered table, delicately painting what looked like big red butterflies. She was wearing a black short sleeved t-shirt that showed off a freshly bandaged arm.
“Hey, Chloe,” Genie said warmly, “what happened to your arm?”
“Hey, Genie – I snagged me a Crimson Blightmoth!” the Book Wielder said excitedly. “They’re really rare and I managed to get both wings!”
Genevieve looked at the pictures of the blood red moths and then at the redhead’s arm. “One of those did that to you?!”
Chloe nodded her head rapidly, causing her red curly hair to bob around wildly. “Uh huh, but I managed to gouge the barbs out of my arm before my blood boiled, obviously.”
“Taking on blood boiling insects…” She shook her head in disbelief. “You are one tough kid, Chloe,” Genevieve chuckled.
“It’s nothing,” Chloe said modestly, “just part of the job. I’ve actually got a surprise for you…” The Book Wielder jogged into her room and returned with three small glass vials.
“More sleep potions?” Genie asked.
“Nah, way better than that!” the Book Wielder beamed proudly. “They’re Sunshield potions! I managed to make six powerful vials, three from each wing, and they should give you a good eight hours in the sun… well, maybe six hours,” she pondered as she handed Genie the precious potions.
“They’re for me?!” Genie gasped excitedly. It had felt like a lifetime since she’d enjoyed a day in the sun.
Chloe nodded. “They’re a thank you for being so cool to me. It’s nice having a friend in this place, and there’s only so much time someone my age can hang around a brothel without it getting super weird,” she chuckled. “I’ve got to give the other vials to Seth, he said if I succeeded in making them he’ll get my arm fixed up magically. Just don’t tell him I gave you those, I’m going to say I botched one wing.”
“Thank you ever so much, Chloe. I’m looking forward to seeing the sun again!” Genevieve gave the Book Wielder a quick hug and made a mental note to pay her back somehow.
“It’s cool, glad you like them! So then, what’s the plan for tonight?” the Book Wielder asked as she packed away her art supplies.
“Chaz wants us to meet him by the cars. He said to dress for the great outdoors,” Genevieve explained.
The young redhead pulled a face. “Hmm.”
“What is it?” Genie asked.
“Nah, it’s nothing.” Chloe shook her head. “I had a horrible thought for a sec… but it can’t be right.”
“I�
�ll get myself ready and meet you outside, then,” Genevieve smiled. “And thanks again for the potions.”
“No worries – maybe you could take me shopping in the sunshine,” Chloe joked before entering her room.
“That could be fun,” Genie said seriously to herself, and began planning how she could steal away the Book Wielder for a day trip without ending up in Seth’s bedroom again.
Genevieve went down to the security section, and changed out of her loose casual wear and into some of the clothes she’d bought from Taynulia. She chose a rugged pair of jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, and a dark blue jumper, and put her long white coat on over the top. Genie tied up her hair, pulled on a pair of deep brown boots, and equipped her weaponry before heading out to the courtyard to meet Chaz and Chloe.
The Book Wielder was waiting by the main entrance. Chloe was dressed in a big black puffer jacket and camouflage combat trousers, carrying her shotgun in one hand and her duffel bag in the other. She gestured over to the gates where Chaz was already waiting impatiently in his sporty black jeep.
“Want to ride in my motor?” Genie asked as she watched the angry Mage wave them over from his open window.
“Definitely…” Chloe sighed as Chaz started yelling.
They hopped into Genevieve’s blue jeep, which infuriated Chaz further, and pulled up behind him. The Mage held down his horn until the gates were opened and then put his foot down. Genie did her best to keep up with Chaz as he swerved around the precarious back lanes and other beeping vehicles. Chloe looked around at the dark surroundings and her pale skin turned a shade lighter.
“Are we heading towards Woodsholme?” she asked in a frightened voice.
“Yeah, I think so. The outskirts, at least,” Genie replied, without taking her eyes off the winding roads for a split second. “Why?”
“Oh, nothing,” Chloe replied, attempting to sound brave. “It’s probably not what I think.”
Genevieve wondered what had the Book Wielder so rattled as they diverted off-road towards a thick forest. She could see the lights of town in the distance and put their geographical location at somewhere to the northwest of Woodsholme, on the Open Vein side of town.
Chloe began to tremble. “He is… he’s going to make me fight it!”
“Fight what?” Genevieve asked worriedly.
“There was something on Partying Paul’s map,” Chloe explained shakily. “A location where he used to get Deathroot, the key ingredient in Vitality potions… I think that’s where Chaz is leading us!”
“I know I’m a noob when it comes to understanding the Gloom, but why are you afraid of a root, and why do you have to fight it?” Genie asked, completely baffled.
Chloe shook her head. “It’s the tree that the roots belong to that has me pissing myself in terror. I read about it in Paul’s journal and even that nutter didn’t attempt taking it on. He’d keep it at bay, grab the roots, and run.”
“Sounds as awful as everything else in the Gloom,” Genie grimaced. “Can’t you do the same?”
“I’m going to have to,” Chloe groaned, “but I’d rather not attempt it at all.”
“Well, if it’s too much to handle just don’t bother,” Genie advised, “no matter what Chaz says. I’ll keep him off your back.”
“Okay… thanks,” Chloe sighed nervously.
Chaz came to a stop and the girls did the same, and they exited the vehicle and headed into the woods.
The fiery Mage smirked in the darkness. “Today, Chloe, you’re going to be getting me some-”
“Deathroot,” Chloe interrupted.
“Why does she have to get it?” Genevieve said as she traipsed through the undergrowth. “Can’t you just buy your potions?”
“I don’t want to buy them,” Chaz replied in a stroppy tone like a spoilt brat. “Partying Paul used to sort me out, and now it’s Chloe’s turn.”
“But… but, I can’t,” the young Book Wielder whimpered.
“Yes… yes, you can,” Chaz replied, chuckling. “You’ve got your brand-new shotgun to keep you safe, and as I’m feeling extra generous, you can have this too.”
The Mage pulled out a red grenade from his duster and tossed it over his shoulder. Genevieve snatched it out of the air and handed it to Chloe.
“An incendiary grenade?!” Chloe gasped.
Chaz nodded as he led them further into the forest. “As long as you don’t set yourself on fire, you’ll be just fine.”
“Will it help?” Genie asked quietly.
Chloe shrugged as she pocketed the grenade. “I hope so.”
They came to a stop by a large stump with ‘P.P’ burnt into the old wood, and Chaz told Chloe to use it as a crossing platform. She loaded her shotgun, unpacked her cute cat notebook and it transformed into its real size and appearance, and then opened it down the middle and laid it on the stump.
“Don’t even think about coming back empty handed,” Chaz spat viciously.
“Remember what I said,” Genevieve said firmly as Chloe knelt on the damp ground.
The Book Wielder took a long, deep breath and placed her a hand on the pages. She vanished in an instant, leaving the faintly glowing tome resting above Partying Paul’s initials.
✽ ✽ ✽
Chloe didn’t have any time to compose herself after her surroundings stopped turning, and she almost choked on a mouthful of vomit as a giant green spider lunged at her from between the twisted Gloom trees above.
She managed to fire her shotgun just in time, blasting the big spider’s face to ruin, but the man-sized creature’s furry green corpse slammed into Chloe and threw her off her feet. As she picked herself off the moist slippery dirt, Chloe could hear the clicking and clacking of mandible jaws. The Book Wielder looked around and saw that several giant spiders were advancing through the surreal Gloom forest, and their dark clustered eyes observing her hungrily.
Chloe backed away from the rotten grey stump where her book was resting and fired left, right, and centre as the spiders advanced, pausing only to reload. The fungi-encrusted creatures popped and squelched as the hail of shots tore them apart.
Once the Book Wielder was satisfied that she was no longer under attack, she took a deep breath and began taking in her surroundings.
“And that’s why I wanted a shotgun,” Chloe joked to herself as she surveyed the dark woods.
The Gloom reflection of the big stump was surrounded by trees, just like in the real world, except in one direction they started to look more withered and dead than the others, and their claw-like branches held no leaves. Chloe knew that the Deathscythe tree would most likely be in that direction, and she hesitantly set off.
She avoided treading on the clustered mushrooms as she made her way through the twisted trees, although she risked collecting some powdery grey Ashrooms, as they were the main ingredient in both Rushdust and her sleeping potions. Chloe made sure to stay well clear of the larger Ashrooms, which grew as tall as her waist, as they could release massive clouds of toxic spores that would knock her out in seconds and leave her as spider bait.
The dark lifeless trees started to thin out, and the purple and blue undergrowth was replaced with tough blackened soil. Even the vibrant mosses and fungi became a rarity as the Book Wielder pressed on towards the edge of the forest. The Gloom never smelt pleasant, and Book Wielders quickly adapted to the dismal dimension’s array of foul odours, but Chloe had to scrunch up her nose to block the overwhelming smell of death and decay that occupied this particular area.
Chloe came to a massive clearing that was completely barren except for a single hill dominated by a solitary black tree. It had a host of long arm-like branches tipped with white scythes that looked sharper than a knife, reaching up towards the curdled purple Gloom sky. On the thick trunk, carved into the black crumbling bark, was a large face with a wide grin filled with sharpened wooden stakes for teeth. Its eyes appeared closed and a raspy snoring sound rumbled through the clearing.
The Book Wiel
der’s jaw dropped when she saw the big tree and its terrifying assemblage of bladed branches. “Fuck my life…” she muttered.
Spreading down the first quarter of the hill was the Deathscythe’s thin gnarled roots, and Chloe looked for a large nearby cluster that she could grab without disturbing the slumbering tree. She crept across the crispy black soil and skirted around the hill, considering sneaking behind the Deathscythe tree, but as she moved so did the tree’s face. To her horror, the foul bark warped so that it was always facing her.
Chloe began making her way up the hill whilst breathing slowly and quietly through her nose. All the while, her eyes never deviated from the tree’s grinning face. She stopped near a large gathering of black crumbling roots and glanced quickly down at them before returning her gaze to the demonic Deathscythe tree. The Book Wielder decided not to risk putting the roots in a proper container for the time being, and would instead stash them in her puffer jacket pockets until she was out of the clearing. Ever so slowly, Chloe lowered herself to squat on the dry rancid soil and reached out for the Deathroots. She grasped a cluster and they broke off easily. Chloe expected the tree to come to life and she was prepared to leap to safety, but it was still sound asleep, so she pocketed the first handful and confidently went back for more. It was as the Book Wielder broke away her second handful of Deathroots that she noticed the snoring had stopped. Her neck prickled as a surge of icy terror rushed down her spine, and she quickly glanced up to see two red amber eyes staring at her menacingly.
The young Book Wielder swore, and leapt backwards as the first giant scythe sliced downwards and pierced the ground where she’d been crouching only seconds beforehand. She lost her footing and slid down the hill as more bladed branches hammered down from above. Chloe dodged, ducked, rolled, and dived out of the way as soon as she regained her footing, and the tree let out a dry cackle. It raised its terrifying branches in the air and rattled them as its mocking laughter echoed through the clearing.