Jahi PoV
The march down the street in our cloaks and armor didn’t feel like the most discreet thing to do in this city, let alone one that was predominantly Caninekin and had a very clear collective of trained citizens.
I stood out exactly like a sore thumb with my blue skin, and even if I had been in the mood to go through with skin tone paints and other types of disguising tools there was very little I could do to conceal my horns, so I just hadn’t even made the attempt to disguise myself.
The cloak was the only thing that I acquiesced to, but it was more so to hide my armor and the shield than it was to conceal my presence; I had cloth wrapped around everything to make the fascination at such high quality gear less abundant, which would most certainly bring unwanted attention towards us.
Meanwhile Anput and our two tag alongs were far more inconspicuous than I was, but none of us cared as we made our way to the destination, timing everything as best we could with what was meant to happen to the rest of the city.
The plan was to hit everywhere in staggered increments but still roughly within the same timeframe to prevent any and all opportunities for the Fingers to flee, and that meant that Kat had gone ahead first while Leone was still waiting for her call to action, leaving Anput and I in this sweet spot where we needed to work fast while also having some leeway in the time we had.
Which was why I wasn’t in a rush as I just took in the city and enjoyed the calm while I could, though that nagging feeling from being separated from my former maid and eventual wife constantly worked away at my mind, especially in these last few minutes.
"Something happen to Kat? You’ve gone quiet for too damn long now, Jahi..."
Anput glanced back at me as she searched for an answer, and I nodded instantly even as I remained quiet for a few moments, investigating the feeling and wondering just how much of it was actually from her and how much of it was just my paranoia amplifying every little thing that I could sense from her.
She was irritated, angry, curious, apologetic and so much more, with even a hint of guilt tinging everything in a way that made it difficult for me to not go find her and see what was happening, but at the end of it all... she was constantly sending a signal to me to let me know she was fine, so I tried to rein in my paranoia and possessiveness as best I could.Still, I couldn’t help but sigh as I said "Nothing’s happened to her per se, but I definitely think I will make something happen to her later... I don’t like the cocktail of emotions she constantly seeping herself in, especially not with the task she has at hand. I would even go as far as to say she’ll be a tad ’drunk’ when she returns to us..."
That made the Jackalkin chuckle wryly as she clasped her hands behind her head, enjoying this stroll through the city without any reservations at all as she turned and replied "Well, that just means that when everything is said and done today, the sex tonight will be absolutely- splendid~!"
That carefree smirk that was ever present on her face remained even as she bumped into a burly mercenary, and as the man turned to shout something at her he just found himself face to face with me and one of the Death Jackals who was just as physically gifted, though not to the same degree.
Seeing the man choking on his words that hadn’t even been spoken yet, much less comprehended in his own mind was rather amusing, though the swiftness with which he turned and walked the other way was dull, so I just increased my pace to reach our objective.
Anput mirrored me without hesitation, though she maintained her carefree attitude as well as she asked "What exactly seems to be the issue with Kat then? Just her feeling guilty about what she has to do, angry at what is happening..? What’s going on?"
"That’s about it, really. If I had to guess, she’s being hit on by someone sleazy, deciding that it’s too much effort to just drag them someplace quiet to kill them and reluctantly going along with it for now. If she’s found her target I am very annoyed at the idea of her seducing them, but by the Gods do we know she’s good at it..."
My incredible and irritating lover smirked at that, nodding her head and spinning back around as she added "That she definitely is~! I don’t know though, Jahi... Separating work and private life is pretty important, no? Kat’s pretty good at keeping things separate when needed, and while I don’t doubt she’s treading a very fine line... well... trust is important too, and I trust her."
"Uh huh..."
I just studied Anput before rolling my eyes as I caught the very obvious cracking of her neck, the Jackalkin both getting ready for the fight and seeking a source of distraction as she moved on instantly from her own words, which I knew damn well she didn’t entirely believe in herself.
Did we trust Kat?
Yes, we did, and I knew damn well she wasn’t going to do something stupid like actually provide a sexual service for this, but just because I trust her doesn’t mean I have to like what she’s currently doing, and tonight was going to be perfect for me to vent that out.
The rest of the walk to the hideout was quiet, with our two Death Jackal chaperones remaining silent the entire time as they flanked us the whole way there, keeping us safe and on track as we walked through the city on the predetermined route.
Our destination was a rather ingenious little spot that I still don’t entirely know how it was discovered by the Death Jackals; a transitionary section of the city - going from lower to middle class was home to a myriad of diverse storefronts and businesses, and the most populated were by far the food spots.
A decently sized grilling kitchen was home to our Fingers, who were apparently operating out of the back of the restaurant and providing manual labor to the owners, who were none the wiser to whom they were paying.
Clean and simple, the storefront wasn’t anything special while the opened windows allowed the cooking to do all the advertisement, and it was just at the end of a long strip of buildings, tucked away from most people who would just happen to meander on by, meaning the foot traffic wasn’t the greatest.
Pairing off with a Death Jackal each, Anput and I split off from one another and made our way towards a different entrance point each; Anput and her partner scaled the building and infiltrated from the top, combing through the upper floors and allowing them to catch them off guard, while my burly companion and I just walked through the front door.
It was as clean as the storefront was, with a few men and women sitting around various metal tabletops that were heated by contained flames, allowing them to grill their own cuts of meat if they so wanted or keep their food warm the entire time they drank.
Almost a dozen people were inside including the two waitresses who darted around to serve their patrons, and as soon as we entered everyone turned to look at us; the moment I pushed my hood back and openly revealed my Demonic visage, I began to study everyone inside as I searched for our marks.
If they were in the back or not was something I wasn’t able to guarantee, so I looked over the people in front of me and began to walk over to the one who had gotten up and was approaching the back of the restaurant with a neutral expression.
Hearing my footsteps getting even closer, the muscular woman turned around and raised a brow at me before stepping back just enough to leave too much space between us for me to cover unarmed, her eyes flicking down to my waist before returning to my face as she asked "Can I help you?"
I simply stared at her for a moment and appreciated how she was able to maintain a mask the entire time, only for it to begin to crack as I asked "You wouldn’t happen to know why a Caliph would point me in this direction, would you?"
The flash of recognition and hesitation that lingered in her eyes was enough for me to cross the gap between us, grab her by the throat and carry her towards the back door before she could even begin react, my decisiveness and speed surprising her enough that I was able to act as freely as this.
As soon as she recovered though she reached for her waist and unsheathed a hidden dagger, trying to use it to cut at my arm to force me to release her only to widen her eyes as the blade shattered against both my armor and the Light Mana encasing my body.
Before she could try something else, I cracked my skull against hers and knocked her out cold just in time for me to heft my shield and block a gigantic flaming hammer from smashing
Against my ribcage.
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