Scootle scuttle, don’t step in that puddle~.

Looking at me, then at the puddle with her signature vacancy, she extends her short legs, taking a big step over it. Successfully not stepping in the puddle.

Good job!

I pat her head.

“What are you doing?”

I shrug him off, “I’m taking care of children, now go away,”

“C’mon man, are you really that afraid of those bloody bitches?” Laffer gives me a look, “We’re already at their doorstep so you're not going back now,”

Knocking on the warehouse door, I involuntarily clinch myself at the echo of the empty night.

Hey hey! “Don’t do that,” You’ll attract them.

Eyebrows raised, he glances back at me, “You can’t be serious. Are you actually scared?”

I don’t answer, wholly content to bask in the silent night.

“Tsk, fine,”

The rusted iron hinges groan as the doors are pushed open. Damn, I feel really held up.

It kept creaking, slowly releasing the darkness that lay inside, only to stop halfway. Was there something inside? Did someone hold the press back?

“Shite,” Laffer curses, not helping my anxiety. He has the signature look of someone who can’t comprehend a certain situation. Like being stuck on a geometrics problem with little time on the clock. Is the door rigged to blow or something? Are we gonna die?

“The door’s stuck,”

Wait, are you kidding me? You're failing to open a godsdamned door?! I thought you were Steel ranked!

“I’m tellin’ ya’, this door’s somethin’ else,”

Ramming his side against the door, the metallic screeching of its hinges a testament to its refusal to give way. Seemingly having enough of it, Laffer starts to circulate his essence as he slams a heavy push kick against the door.

*Bang!*

The hinges snap as the door flings inside the building. Causing no small amount of noise. I wouldn't be surprised if we got jumped as soon as we set foot inside.

This dumbass…

“You idiot,”

This time it isn’t me who voices the displeasures. Lily beat me to the catch. Peeking into the darkness, I make out what seems to be a bare foyer with a couple doors, presumably leading to different areas of the warehouse. The floor, too looks simple enough, plastered concrete sprinkled with wooden dreck.

Nothing out of the ordinary so far… At least to the untrained eye. I could see the room for what it truly was. Holding out a hand, I stop the man about to haphazardly walk in.

“The floor isn’t floor,” I whisper.

Though, my warning is left on deaf ears as he still steps forward. Of course, the dumb bastard reaps what he sows Stepping on the plastered floor, jagged, beastial teeth clamp down on him, in contrivance with a bear trap.

“Ah shite,” Those are the only words he manages before the bloody thing starts to flail and death rolls with Laffer’s leg clamped in its maw like a steel vice.

Sigh, this guy can’t even do something so simple. I guess that’s why he brought me…

Pulling up the preloaded rifle, I point the muzzle straight at the minor monstrosity. The thing is basically all maw, with little body, an artificial ambush hunter. It salivates a blackish ooze, very telling of its origins.

I’m unfamiliar with the use of rifles, but its mechanism is similar to a crossbow construct, so I should manage. Lining up it’s iron sights, I squeeze the trigger, loosing a thunderous roar that deafens me for a moment. I’ve fired rifles before, but I’ve never been this dazed by one. I felt like I lost consciousness for a second there, and in fact, I believe I did.

My viewpoint is different as I’m… on the ground? What?

“Okay?” Lazari presents an outstretched hand to me, I grab it whilst rubbing my face, which aches for some odd reason. Strange.

The hand has an iron grip which greatly surprises me, considering it was actually Lazari who offered. I’m moved, touched even. I don’t even remember the last time someone has ever asked about my wellbeing.

“Very okay,” I reply.

She hoists me up with a demonic like strength, orienting myself. No wait, she is a demon! So it is demonic strength. I forget sometimes.

Hmm, it looks like despite the small issue, my mark hit true and the minor monstrosity is more than dealt with. Its innards ooze out in that sickly black stuff as it writhes in silence. The pungent smell cringes my face.

I tap Lazari's silky pate whilst gazing unto my unholy handiwork. Does this thing have thorns? Scary.

“Jeff, you sped,” Lily looks at me with a straight face, but she simply pauses. Not elaborating any further.

“What?”

“Did you not see what happened?”

“If I saw, I wouldn't be asking now would I?”

From his seated position, Laffer cuts in this time, “Do you know something called recoil? Or kickback?”

“Recoil, yes,” Kickback, also yes.

“If you know, then why-,” He seemed visibly baffled, but I’m sure he was just musing dramatically simply for the sake of it, “You know what? Forget what I said,” He waves a hand.

“Instead, help me out here. Pass me a bandage or somethin’,” He gestures toward his mauled leg.

Bandage? “You want a handy dandy bandy?”

“What? You know what, who cares?” He grits his teeth as starts wiping his wound, “Gimme the handy dandy bandy,” Each word is grinded out with a deep resignation.

A smile slowly plastered itself on me.

Handy dandy bandy? “What are you? A child? Speak some proper engrish,”

Hehe, I laugh at your misfortune.

“Hey hey! Stop with the giggling and just gimme the stuff! We’re still in the spooky scary blood cult den aren’t we?!”

Arg! My weakness, logical appeal!

Sigh, fine fine. On account that we’re still here, “I’ll give you a bandage,”

Tossing him a pure white roll buckled to my waist, I keep an eye out on the two visible accesses. Fortunately, in the time it takes Laffer to bandage his leg, no lackeys come to check out the huge ruckus we caused.

Huh? It’s quite surprising really, to think that the blood cult is even more incompetent than us. I mean, the discharge of the firearm was rather, extremely loud, not to mention that we were currently situated in the foyer of this building, meaning it would be very easy to access. So why didn’t anybody come? Did they actually not regard these sounds at all? It wasn’t just me who held this notion. Lily seemed visibly let down at the dead silence we stood in.

Not to mention that flawed being that stood watch here. Yes, it was nothing short of amazing that it managed to harm a Steel ranked individual to such a degree, it was a creature fully specced into attack and nothing else. It’s previous camouflage was not of it’s own pedigree but through the effect of someone else. It t’was awfully defective.

After seeing that previous aberration in the skin of little girl’s I couldn’t help but be afraid of what they might have in stock only to be let up by some floor knockoff.

“Alright,” Dressing his wound, he stood up, “Let’s continue,”

Let’s not.

“Come now, Jeffrey. We’ve come so far, how could we just go back now?”

So far? “You got your ass beat as soon as we crossed the threshold,” I bite at him, “If anything, now would be the prime time to head back,”

“I’m afraid even if we wanted to it’d be too late for that,”

“Why so?”

He doesn’t answer me, instead gazing over my shoulder. Following his vector, I can see why it’s too late.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly perform an essential action.