Interlude - Francisca Ojou the Nightshade Part One

  Francisca had to rely on years of social training in order not to make it clear how incredibly uncomfortable she was. It was also, plainly, thrilling.

  They were heavily outnumbered and very much outgunned. This wasn't just any corporation they were standing up to. This was Seraph. They were one of the top three strongest teams in the city, and probably in the top ten for the east coast. Her own family had hired them several times, and they had a respectable reputation for excellence.

  "We're heading out," Deadline said casually. Fran knew that she could see the armed people around them. Deadline was nothing if not observant in her experience.

  "Who are you?" the man on the ground asked. He was struggling to stand up. She wasn't an expert, but she knew the signs to recognize someone that had just been forcefully ejected from a portal. His magical core would be severely unbalanced, to the point where it was possible that he wouldn't be able to cast pre-carved spells. Worse, there was a very real physical impact.

  Any ranker had magic in their blood and bones. The higher the rank, the more magical they were, which interestingly made the snap-out of a portal less harmful to lower ranking people. Though the team laying on the ground, half of them fainted, looked like D-rankers.

  "You don't need to concern yourself with that," Deadline replied. "Come on... Buzzkill and Nightshade, we need to go. There's more work to be done."

  "Buzzkill?" Becky muttered almost too low to be heard.

  Fran was mulling over her own name, but she gracefully followed as Deadline walked ahead, hands loose at her sides and seemingly uncaring about the Seraph staff that stood in her way. She only slowed down a little to eye someone who didn't move fast enough. Then they were through and walking outside.

  The crew outside of the building had clearly not been informed about what had happened within, so other than a few strange looks, they went uncontested as they slipped around the old building and headed down an alley. It wasn't long that they were moving away. Deadline broke into a jog, then slipped into an alley.

  "Well, that was a little closer than I'd like," she said as she pulled her goggles off and tossed them aside. "But still, not bad."

  "Buzzkill, huh?" Becky asked. Fran couldn't see had face, but she knew that the woman was grinning just from the tone of her voice. "That's a pretty badass name."

  "You picked it," Deadline said.

  "I did?" Becky asked. "Heh, it does sound like something I'd pick! What about Nightshade, huh?"

  "I must admit to some amount of curiosity as well," Fran said. They settled from a jog to a slow, almost leisurely walk. It was still early morning, though she had the sense that the area had been evacuated. Probably for good reason.

  She closed her eyes for just a moment and luxuriated in the pleasurable feeling of magical energy coursing through her. So close to the start of her career as a D-ranker, this much fresh energy was a lot.

  Deadline shrugged a shoulder. "It's what came to mind. Did you really want the whole train of logic? You can always change it."

  "I wouldn't mind hearing your logic," Fran insisted.

  Deadline sighed. "It's... a little embarrassing?"

  "Now I wanna hear it too!" Becky chirped.

  "Fine. Nightshades are purple and yellow. You have yellow hair, and purple is the colour of nobility. Plus they're a pretty flower, but they're... poisonous. They're dangerous, even if they're gorgeous."

  Becky whistled. "Damn, Deadline, you're poetic and shit."

  "Thank you, your praise means much to me," Deadline replied flatly.

  Fran considered it, and Deadline, for a moment. She was tempted to read into the name, and maybe she did a little, her cheeks certainly felt a little warmer. "I... like it. It's an acceptable name. Perhaps I'll ask Jane for some purple trim to my costume?"

  "That's an idea," Deadline said. She cleared her throat. "Okay... second portal. This one is filled with ice elementals."

  Fran stood a little taller at that. "Ice elementals? Elementals in general at not something to trifle with."

  "Yeah. These are... not particularly strong, but they're cold," Deadline said.

  "I wouldn't have guess," Becky said.

  Deadline shook her head, then moved over across an empty street. They found themselves where she'd tossed a bag early. Deadline crouched down, then started to remove things. She handed Becky an axe, then one to Fran.

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  She took it, weighting the weapon in both hands. It was heavier than most swords she'd ever handled, and the mass was all on one end, making it feel awkward. "These are for the elementals?" she surmised.

  "They're rather hard, but brittle. Like ice, obviously," Deadline confirmed. "The axes should be decent against them. Ice elementals can spit out a sort of breath attack. It's a thick plume of icy air. It will freeze you. Which is why I brought these."

  Deadline emptied out a few more things from her hardware store bag. Gloves, the thick, double-padded sort worn by workers, as well as thin raincoats in a flat black and scarves.

  "Not bad," Becky said.

  "We're going to want to move fast anyway," Deadline said. "We... might look good, but this--" She reached to her front and tugged on the material of her leotard. Fran found her eyes immediately and reflexively darting to the shadowy outline of Deadline's stomach where she pulled the front. "--is leaving way too much skin exposed. We're going to freeze if we don't hurry through."

  Fran swallowed and tried to banish any thoughts she might be having.

  "I could think of a thing or two to warm you up," Becky said suggestively, which really didn't help.

  "Maybe after," Deadline shot right back. "We'll see how quickly you handle the portal first, hm?"

  Becky looked away, but not so fast that Fran didn't catch the embarrassed flush that crawled over her features. It made the mouse-eared girl look very cute. Fran couldn't help but wonder what that was about, however. There was clearly a story there.

  One for later. They had work ahead of them. "Question!" Becky asked.

  "Yes?" Deadline replied.

  "Are we gonna finish in time for lunch or...?"

  Deadline blinked, then shrugged. "I guess? We should be done before that, yeah. I have to drive the van back to the rental place I stole it from, but after that I'm free for lunch, if you want."

  "Sure!" Becky said.

  Fran nodded as well. She wouldn't mind that. She might have to block out the next day as well from anything except office work. Absorbing magic from two portals was a lot. In fact, it was pushing towards the upper limit of what most professionals would suggest that someone take all at once.

  A D-ranker could, ostensibly, fight through a B-ranked portal, but that would often leave them strained and rather ill afterwards

  "Where is this portal?" she asked.

  "Not far from here. We need to go up and cross along the rooftops," Deadline said. "Are any of you scared of heights?"

  They weren't, which proved to be good as they soon found themselves running across tin roofs and crossing along a bridge over one road. It wasn't too long before Deadline had them jumping down onto a fire-escape. She kicked out an unfolding ladder, then slid down to the ground. Fran and Becky followed.

  Soon, they were introduced to their first ice elemental, and it was pretty much what Fran had expected, though dirtier.

  The monster stumbled their way, and Deadline gestured to Becky. "Let's see if your magic works on it?"

  "You bet!" Becky said. She concentrated, then moved a hand forward. Bolts of lightning shot out of her open palm and connected instantly with the element's middle. The monster lit up from within, but when Becky stopped, it still stood. "Huh," Becky said.

  "You burned some holes into it," Deadline said. Then she spinted ahead, catching the ice elemental's attention. She shifted to the side, and the monster followed. Fran wondered what that was about, then the ice elemental hissed out a breach of freezing air that splashed against some nearby containers and covered them in rime.

  That had been aiming their way, and neither she nor Becky had been paying all that much attention.

  Deadline swung, and her axe chopped into the elemental, close to where Becky had it. It sheered off a chunk of ice, then she went at it like an angry lumberjack and the monster went down.

  "Okay," Deadline said. She was breathing a little hard. "Fran--uh, I mean Nightshade. Want to try that light attack of yours?"

  "Certainly," Fran replied.

  She'd tested it, of course. Cutting through ice wouldn't be hard.

  When she ambushed a second ice elemental, she found that she had underestimated her own attack. Her blade cut into the monster, barely meeting any resistance before it sliced clean through the monster's middle.

  "Damn," Deadline said. "Impressive."

  "Why, thank you," Fran replied. "So... shall we dive into that portal and see what's in there for us?"

  ***