Adrian leaned back in his chair and reviewed the information Vance had collected so far. Despite the man's brutish appearance, he had a real knack for intelligence gathering that would have made him a major asset to some government agencies. Instead he'd topped out as a mid-level gang boss with little going for him besides his imposing physique.
[It's funny how these things work out, but I suppose I can't say anything since I'm taking advantage of it.]
The dossier began by suggesting that the person who was interfering in business on the west side was actually a small group. He'd uncovered some evidence that pointed to a team of 4-5 individuals. This, combined with the fact that they were willing to piss off the most powerful gang in the city, told him that they probably had some serious backing. Possibly even an external group looking to break into the market here.
However, he went on a caveat to explain that this didn't really line up with the other aspects of the case. So far, everything he'd seen had suggested that they were amateurs at best. Their methods were crude and by all rights, they should have been identified a long time ago. It pained him to admit it, but he suspected that someone in the Ortega's administration was keeping the issues under wraps. For what reason, he didn't know.
[Looks like she's gotten to more of my people than I thought. I suppose it's my fault for not replacing them after taking over. I guess I can make use of this opportunity to clean house.] Adrian thought before resuming his reading.
The current profile of the offenders included four known participants, two male and two female. Every time they appeared wearing dark grey hoodies and ski masks, but assumptions could be made based on body type and hair length. One of the witnesses to the most recent incident mentioned that the perpetrators had a familiarity to them that suggested intimacy at some level.
For that reason and others, Vance suggests that the individuals they are looking for are young, perhaps even high school or college students.
[That seems like a bit of a stretch, but I can see it being possible if they were getting assistance from an outside source. If she really has gotten involved, then this should be well within her abilities. Still, it's a bit out of character to be so roundabout. Could she be trying to test me?]
Adrian was still musing when his phone rang with Miranda's number popping up on the caller ID.
"What is it?" He answered absently, still lost in thought.
"WE'RE-" Miranda started before something that sounded like an explosion interrupted her. After a few seconds of grunting, she continued in a slightly more subdued voice. "We're under attack!"
Adrian sighed. "I'll need more than that. Who's attacking you? How many of them are there? How is Akula handling it? Are you trying to request assistance?"
He could hear the woman take several deep breaths, evidently trying to get herself under control before answering. Finally she spoke again. "We are currently being attacked by a single enemy. Female, slender, black haired and pale skinned. Approximately 150 cm tall. Pointed ears and unusual facial features suggest supernatural origins. Akula is currently engaging, and appears to be holding her own…"
She trailed off and Adrian could hear the sounds of distant laughter followed by a thunderous boom. After a few more seconds, Miranda continued. "Correction, Akula appears to be winning."
"I see. Do you have any clues to the identity of the attacker or what her purpose is?"
"Before the fight started, Akula mentioned that the enemy smelled like a Myrkalfar, but I don't know what that means."
Adrian consulted the borrowed memories he'd gotten from the Hall, and surprisingly came up with an answer.
"They are a type of being from another realm of existence, and can be loosely categorized as a type of Fae. They are related to the Dokkalfar and Ljosalfar, which were the inspiration for the concept of dark and light elves respectively in Norse mythology, however, they remain distinct. Historically, the Myrkalfar have been a neutral faction content to remain in their home realm of Nidavellir, but they have a tendency to occasionally raid other realms for unknown purposes. I assume your attacker is here for a similar reason."
He was about to begin explaining the race's unusual characteristics when there was another loud crash on the other end of the phone. Miranda managed a strangled cry of surprise or fear before the line went dead.
Glancing at his phone, he saw that the call had dropped. He tried calling her back a few times, but it went straight to voicemail.
[Well, she should be alright.] He thought, trying to dismiss the problem from his mind. There were other, more important things he needed to concentrate on.
After a few seconds, he sighed. "Pavuk."
His shadow darkened momentarily and a voice issued from it. "Yes, my lord?"
"Find Miranda and ensure her safety."
"Of course, my lord." The creature replied before vanishing in his unique manner, leaving Adrian's shadow a bit lighter than it was before.
Feeling annoyed at himself, he stood and opened the Door to the Hall, stepping through into the comforting silence of the throne room. The realm seemed to vibrate once as his foot landed on the marble floor. A part of him wondered if that might not be the Hall's way of welcoming him, but he decided that it was most likely a tremble of anticipation for what his presence might mean.
He smirked in amusement at the thought of the ancient and powerful entity acting like an excited puppy, but quickly dismissed the image before opening the Door once more, this time choosing to exit in an alley in the western part of the city.
Moving forward, he had to skirt around a homeless man who was curled up into a ball in a pile of his belongings, snoring peacefully in the late afternoon sun. He took a moment to get his bearings, finding himself between a rundown strip mall that was dominated by a laundromat, a nail salon, and a liquor store, and a plain grey apartment building.
After briefly glancing around to see if anyone was watching, he walked over to the wall of the strip mall and jumped.
A few seconds later, he landed on the roof unsteadily. He'd overestimated the difficulty of the action and had nearly overshot his target by several meters. Luckily, he was able to use a tendril of darkness to adjust his positioning.
[Note to self, I will need to set aside some time to determine the full extent of my abilities, especially since it seems my strength has increased since the convention center.]
He walked across the flimsy rooftop and sat down in a shaded area over the nail salon. The shop below him was one of the many fronts used by the Ortegas for their drug operations, with the entire back room serving as a major distribution center for this part of the city.
Based on the evidence Vance had gathered, Adrian had come to the conclusion that this particular site would be the next target of the band of thieves. In order to learn more about the nature of his opponents, a little stakeout would be necessary.
He settled in to wait for night.
-------------------------------------
Miranda coughed twice and tried to get up, a process that was made more difficult by the mannequin that had fallen on top of her. She stared up at its blank face for a few seconds before shoving it off angrily.
Glancing around, she took note of the distant sounds of combat taking place on another floor of the department store. Based on the cratered opening leading to the home goods section above her, Miranda figured that the two inhuman beings were still in the middle of their fight.
She spotted her phone a few meters away and scrambled to get it. Unfortunately, it had been smashed in the fall and refused to power on.
"That's just great…" She muttered to herself, feeling a momentary sense of helplessness before she could pull herself back together.
[Alright, let's take stock of the situation.]
The demon woman she was in charge of was currently engaging in a heated fight with some kind of elf thing, as far as she could gather from Adrian's weirdly specific explanation. Meanwhile, this section of the department store had been closed off to the public, but that didn't mean that the entire building was. It would be reasonable to assume that the police would respond in the near future. It was also apparent that Adrian wasn't going to provide any real assistance.
[So, I need to get those two out of the building before they end up destroying it, or worse, show up on an internet video shot by some idiot bystander.]
She started looking around for the escalators that led up to the next floor, but quickly found the effort pointless as the ceiling nearby shattered and a limp humanoid form crashed through a handbag display case, rolled across the aisle and slammed into a rack scattering high heeled shoes in a cloud.
Akula dropped through the hole she'd evidently created, landing lightly. Her face was twisted in a crazed grin and the pupils of her eyes had widened until there was only a faint hint of color along the very edges of her eyelids. She swaggered towards her struggling opponent, clearly brimming with confidence.
"Had enough yet? Or do I need to bite that pretty little head of yours off?" She growled while stalking ever closer.
The Myrkalfir finally staggered back onto her feat, revealing just how bad her condition was. She was covered in bruises and scrapes, and had to be bleeding from at least a dozen different places. Her worst injury, however, was clearly her left arm which hung limply by her side, waving in an unnatural manner as she moved. Gasping for breath, she looked back up at Akula through her bedraggled hair and grinned as well. "Ha...ha...you are a lot...haa...stronger than you look."
"Of course. You have the honor of being beaten by the strongest Guardian of the Hall of Shadows. Be grateful."
The elf woman looked stunned. "So it really did exist...this changes things."
With an almost impossibly quick motion of her one good arm, she drew a vial from a pocket of her jacket and quickly downed in. Within seconds, her injuries began to heal and vanish. Even her broken arm returned to its normal state with a sickening crack.
"You…" Akula growled, no longer looking pleased with herself. "Tears of Lifthrasir, is it? You pointy eared pansies always were quick to use that stuff."
"Something like that. Real Tears haven't been available for a few hundred years. Luckily, we've found a decent substitute." The attacker replied with a confident grin. "Anyway, I believe we should call an end to our fight. While I enjoyed the spar, I came here for another purpose. "
"Bullshit! I'm not done, yet. I won't let you get away with looking down on me." The demon woman shot back, seemingly growing in size as she did. An unseen pressure filled the air, causing even the Myrkalfar woman to cringe.
Figuring that this would likely be her best opportunity, Miranda forced herself to step forward and shout. "That's enough. Akula, stand down!"
The pressure evaporated suddenly, leaving her staggering slightly under the sudden change in weight. She glanced over at the Guardian, who was glaring at her in return, and then took a deep calming breath.
Facing the Myrkalfar, she drew herself up and announced. "I am Miranda, a representative of the Ruler of the Hall of Shadows, and as such I will be willing to discuss the details of whatever business you have with my superior. However, this is neither the time nor the place to do so. I suggest that we take this conversation somewhere more private."
For a moment the elf stared at her suspiciously, but eventually shrugged. "Fair enough. Lead the way."