Zephyr leapt from the rooftop, his hands spread out, heart thumping loudly, breath catching as he watched smoke bellow from Hawk's rifle. He flinched as his shoulder knocked back in impact, the sudden searing pain pulsating through his side along with a slight ringing sound.
The Slinktail landed with a loud thud on the rooftop below the bell tower, stumbling to the side and pushing off the brickwork before rounding the tower and running along the unsteady rooftop tiles, out of sight and away from the gunshots. Every time he moved his right shoulder, flickers of pain erupted along his scales, seeping a little just beneath the surface.
Which was impossible not to do when he was running for his damned life!
So, the Slinktail ignored it and looked at his escape routes. He continued running across the rooftops until he saw an opening and hopped down into an alleyway, sliding down a ladder and tucking his tail in his pants again. Fig was taking a similar route, vanishing down another alley.
The sounds of gunfire stopped, but Zephyr wouldn't slow down until he was 100% sure he wasn't being chased. After diving down different alleyways, he fell in line with other civilians on a busy street, calming his breathing and movements. He wandered aimlessly for a bit and kept an eye out for the enforcers and Fig.
When it appeared safe, he stopped near one of the taverns he frequented and leaned against the back wall away from the crowds to inspect his shoulder.
His clothing was a bloody mess, but after prodding the area and noticing how thick his scales were, Zephyr realised it was a surface wound; the bullet only grazed his shoulder. It still hurt like a-
"You're such a baby." Fig waltzed around the corner, turquoise hair flipping to the side, revealing her wound on the side of her neck. She had a bandage tightly in place, blood already seeping through.
"Oh goodie, you're still alive," Zephyr snarked back while pressing his hand to his shoulder. "You seen them since the bell tower?"
Fig leaned against the opposite wall, crossing her arms and started to shake her head, then flinched at the pain. "No. Lost them. Told you Hawk was good."
"Not good enough to get a headshot on either of us," Zephyr smirked, then peered at Fig's neck more. "That's not fatal, right?"
Fig smirked this time. "Why? Are you concerned?"
Zephyr looked at her indifferently, his tone flat as he said, "I need to know if you're worth wasting my time helping or if you're gonna bleed out on me anyway."
It might sound harsh, but when was life ever kind to either of them?
He didn't really know Fig, and she'd made it obvious that this world was the same as his first—survival of the fittest and smartest and all that malarky… He wasn't going to get himself caught or killed on behalf of another Slinktail who could take care of herself.
Fig scoffed. "Since when did I need a babysitter? You insult me." She turned around, raising her hood over her features. It was slightly bloody, but so were his clothes.
"Fair enough," Zephyr fell in line with Fig. The pair roamed through the crowds, and civilians were already whispering about the enforcers.
"They're nuts!"
"I heard that hitman was already waving his gun around."
"I heard he already caught two demons!" Another gushed. "They must be hiding in plain sight!"
Zephyr instinctively tugged at the side of his hood, conscious others might see his features.
"At least with them here crime rate will go down and we'll be rid of any demons hiding. They're the best of the best after all."
Fig and Zephyr continued out of the Western gate, tensing when a guard began approaching them. "Stop!" But the man brushed past the Slinktails, oblivious to the demons as he began searching the cart behind them.
"Check everything." Another guard called from in front of the gate, waving a small scroll. "Orders from above. We need to be stricter."
These guards had yet to receive intel about two potential demons running around in broad daylight, which their precious enforcer had shot at. If they were better at their jobs, they'd scrutinise the fuck out of them, especially with the dried blood on their cloaks. But the demons hid it well, and both sighed in relief as they exited the other side of the gate.
Obviously, if it came down to it, they'd kill the guards. Zephyr's moral compass had already been starting to spin with his last kills, but he'd been resolute in those decisions, ridding the world of such vile humans. These guards were regular everyday civilians; the whispers in his mind didn't so much as stir—he would kill if he had to, though.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case here, and it was better to leave unnoticed without causing chaos. Zephyr's moral compass could be inspected another day, a more convenient time, in the far future when he might have the courage to face what was lurking underneath his skin.
"Are they really a big deal?" Zephyr still whispered even though they were at a decent distance from the gate now.
Fig clicked her tongue. "Oh, I'm sorry the guy that almost blew our brains out wasn't badass enough for you?!" She answered sarcastically, shaking her head, winced, and stopped the action.
"He shot a gun… So what?" Sure, it was impressive, but that didn't warrant all those people acting like fan girls to their favourite idols or something.
Fig sighed. "I swear you're either really simple or have been living under a rock sometimes… The enforcers are different to hunters. It's like they have their own powers."
"But they're human?" Zephyr looked behind him at the large, gated wall growing smaller in the distance.
It looked like they were in the clear but he remained sceptical until at least an hour of their return journey had passed.
"Yes, but maybe a little… superhuman. I wouldn't go up against one if I were you. Hawk just proved that, and he wasn't anywhere near us-"
"He's a long-range shooter, so that doesn't prove anything."
Fig shrugged. "Where there's smoke, there's fire. Their reputations wouldn't magically appear, you know…" She stopped in front of Zephyr, her eyes unwavering as she looked at him sternly to get the point across. "Those hunters and enforcers are from the Valorian Empire. They are highly skilled and well-equipped to deal with the rumours circulating about the possibility of a demonic uprising. They'll be more challenging to take out."
"Not impossible, though." Zephyr's golden eyes twinkled.
Fig smirked in response. "No, not impossible." She turned back and continued walking, Zephyr trailing behind her as his mind flicked back to the trio of enforcers.
"So Garzon and the others won't have any problem killing the enforcers?" Zephyr questioned, then stilled at the feeling of the earth rumbling beneath his feet.
"You're not gonna find out. You're laying low from now on. Tell me what the fuck happened to you two." Maz's overly large hands clamped down on Zephyr's shoulder, eliciting a loud groan from him as a searing sensation ripped through his shoulder and throbbed down his arm.
Neither Fig nor Maz paid attention to Zephyr. "Us? What happened to you?!"
Zephyr shoved the giant off him, wiping away the oozing blood from his shoulder only to stop. This wasn't his blood. His chin gradually tilted up to the large Draegorth. The minotaur had wounds all over his chest and a deep wound in his neck as though a sword had sliced into it.
"Ace Chance," Maz grumbled. "I knocked the fucker out before he could do any real damage."
Zephyr frowned. "Why didn't you kill him?"
Maz conked him on the head, his usual response when Zephyr's questions irritated him. "Too many hunters, enforcers, snipers specifically… no time," He responded simply.
They were a bigger deal, after all. Zephyr eyed the Draegorth's wounds. Slashes from a sword and what looked like an attempt at beheading the minotaur demon. Ace Chance wasn't merely a strategist in fancy clothing, and those swords weren't for show.