Ashen falls, one of the three key cities in the survival zone. It was a sprawling trade hub where smugglers, scavengers and black market dealers thrive, a chaotic city, with makeshift markets and nanotech-enhanced gangs ruling its streets...but to Vanya, it was home.
The neon lights of 'The Hollow' buzzed faintly, casting jagged shadows over the grimy streets. Nestled in the heart of Ashen falls, it was known to some as the slums of Ashen fall, but for others, it was a black market haven.
A labyrinth of illicit activity. Drug dens, gambling dens, brothels and pleasure dens, cyber-enhancement caves, shadowed alcoves where all kinds of unspeakable transactions occurred, various such establishments lined the cramped, smoky space.
The air reeked of various unmentionable smells and the low hum of distorted music, and tinkering metal unsettled the eerie silence. Vanya led her crew to their usual stop, the largest gambling den in the hollow.
Their movements were fluid but cautious as they stepped into the building, weapons hidden beneath layers of clothes. When one lived amongst outlaws, one learnt to be cautious at every moment.
The den was alive and bustling, Grayskins cluttered around tables, chugging down cheap alcohol, or bartering for stolen tech or vials of cheap enhancers with their meagre possessions clutched tightly.
The air of desperation was alive and suffocating, more so than the stench of ozone and unwashed bodies. Overhead, holograms flickered in and out of focus, advertising UHF-sanctioned products, nanotech luxuries from the fortified zones that no one in this space could afford, a cruel reminder of a life they could never touch.
A ruckus at one end of the room soon progressed into a fight, two men brawling over a malfunctioning piece of equipment. No one intervened, not even the droid enforcers loitering near the entrance, the metal malfunctions were a laughable attempt of the UHF to offer protection to survival zones where they could not bother dispatching human enforcers.
Their dull armor bore the faded UHF insignia. Once, in the early days of the rift invasion, the symbol stood for order, but now, beyond the glorified walls of the fortified zones, it embodied neglect and corruption.
"Typical." Ren growled, he hefted his warhammer, as though he was considering stepping in.
"Don't even think about it." Vanya warned sharply. "We get what we came for and leave without stirring any trouble. This is not our fight."
"Let's move. Maestro Black is expecting us." Kael added.
They continued on their way, pushing through the throng, they were careful not to draw too much attention, especially from the local gangs who operated the alcoves of the hollow.
Soon, they arrived at the stairwell leading up to an enclosed first floor. A rough looking Grayskin stood at the top of the stairwell, one of Maestro Black's guards. He eyed the group suspiciously but his expression eased as Vanya slightly pulled back her hood.
"He's waiting at the end of the hall." The guard said gruffly. "You know the rules, leave your weapons... and the big one." He added, referring to Ren.
"I'm not the one you need to be wary of." Ren muttered with a scoff. "I don't leave Vanya's side, Maestro Black knows this." He stated firmly.
"The weapons then." The Grayskin demanded, his gaze shifting from one to the other. Vanya responded first, handing the Grayskin her plasma blades and the rest of the group complied begrudgingly.
"Lose them, and you'll lose an arm." Lynne clarified as she turned in her sheath of daggers.
Vanya led the way through the first floor. The smell of sex and body fluids was potent in the air as they walked down the dim hallway. The sheer curtains served as the only covering to the rooms on either side of the hallway from where the sounds of sex and pleasure echoed from one room to the next.
One of the rooms had the curtains parted and the group got an eyeful of a Grayskin vigorously thrusting into a skinny redhead dressed in an enforcer's uniform. It could have been a weird kink or a low ranked enforcer's side job, it was impossible to tell and Vanya did not even want to know.
"Everything's for sale, huh?" Kael muttered under his breath. "Even dignity."
Vanya ignored him, her gaze fixed ahead, while Lynne grunted in disdain, but did not comment. Ren did not care altogether and only kept close to Vanya's side.
They soon arrived at the door at the end of the hall, it was a familiar destination since Maestro Black was one of the less dishonest brokers in Ashen Falls. Vanya knocked once and then pushed open the door, not at all surprised to find Maestro Black completely nude, and limbs intertwined with a petite Grayskin, with dirty blonde hair spread out on his couch.
His grunts of exertion and pleasure were grating to Vanya's ears and Vanya exhaled an annoyed breath, her hand darted out to grab Lynne's wrist and restrain the woman whom she knew would lunge for Maestro Black's throat at any moment.
"Don't..." Vanya whispered, "Not today."
"Black... your professionalism is touching." Vanya commented, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Maestro Black passed a look over his shoulder, grinning at Vanya, diamond grills on display. "Stunning, lethal, Vanny..." He grunted out, his eyes gleaming with delight and barely concealed desire. "There's room for one more."
It would not be the first time Maestro Black made passes at Vanya, but as with all the other times, Ren stepped forward, eyes glowering with rage.
"Hoarding her all to yourself again, Ren?" Maestro Black asked, his tongue darted out to wet his lips. "You should consider sharing. You can't keep her satisfied all by yourself...I know quite a number who would kill to get between those thighs, me included... even if it might be the last thing we do." Maestro Black's voice trailed off into a shuddering groan as he climaxed, the blonde underneath him mewling in pleasure.
"Ren satisfies me just fine. Do you want the goods? Or should I leave you to your... activities?" Vanya demanded coldly. "You're just one on a long list of brokers, Black."
"Your goods are of the finest quality and I know every broker wants a piece of your business...there's no need to be hurtful." Maestro Black grunted faintly, rising to his feet without a care for his nudity. Ren moved to block Vanya's line of sight, which was very effective with his large frame. But Vanya placed a hand on Ren's arm. "It's fine. I'm used to this much."
Maestro Black cackled in amusement as Ren reluctantly stepped back and Vanya glanced over his form, her expression unchanged.
"Well?" Vanya asked unimpressed. Maestro Black grinned at that, fetching a bath robe, he threw it over his form and gestured absentmindedly for his lover from a moment ago to take her leave.
The young woman complied, strutting out of the room like she owned the place.
"Well Vanny," Maestro Black got down to business as the door went shut. "I heard you came by something special this time."
"Depends on your definition of special." Vanya pulled out a wrapped bundle from her satchel and placed it on the table, she unwrapped it slowly, revealing a jagged crystal that pulsed faintly with void energy.
Maestro Black leaned forward, his eyes wide and excited. "Beautiful... dangerous... just how I like it." He says, passing a cryptic glance to Vanya.