Arc 2 P7

Earlier at a Club Nyan-Nyan room.

The girl who received them fed Shiska weird (but delicious) dishes like she's a toddler.

"Are you sure you just want me to feed you?" she asked. "I can do more than that, you know?"

Shiska couldn't answer. She actually wanted to take a bath in one of those hot tubs but she's hesitant The last one was so good she passed out, stressing out her companion. She assured that wasn't the case and that bathing together with someone in peace was more than enough. Hopefully, that guy's confidence didn't plummet after.

"Is doing it required here?" Shiska asked in return.

The girl, Ana, was amused at her question. "What do you mean 'required'. Of course you wanna get your money's worth. Besides, all roads lead to it anyway so… oh! There are some who spend their time literally sleeping but that's on the upper ranks."

"Were you not one yourself?"

"You flatter me. I'm not that good though."

Shiska didn't buy it. "Surely there's still a couple of high-ranking regulars on the roster."

Ana smiled awkwardly. "Not one for subtlety, aren't we? You shouldn't force yourself on a girl without making sure she's prepared."

"Uh…"

"I'm saying I may answer your questions if you play your cards right."

"O-Oh, I wasn't…"

She giggled. "It's really cute to see men and women from all walks of life be defenseless in here. Makes us way better than the confession booth on the nearby church."

"The church still there?"

Ana was too occupied on reminiscing to hear Shiska. "It's really tiring sometimes, you know? Especially when they're so full of vigor they turn me into jelly…" She also melted a little as she recalled those intense moments.

"I was asking about the… nevermind."

She giggled. "See? That's what I'm talking about. Loosen up a little! You're a guest of the mistress!"

Shiska shook her head. "Actually, I kind of prefer not to do that"

"Don't want to play anymore?"

"Kinda. These few days have been so hectic most of us returned to camp to rest up. If not for Leroy's search, I would've also slept the rest of the day off."

Ana wrapped her arms around Shiska. "Was it really that bad out there?"

"At first."

She remembered the sleepless nights on her first six months in the outerfields. It was quite a memory. Nobody to protect her, no one to talk to, it's the first time the weight of solitude came down her shoulders. It crushed her, suffocated her, and it kept her awake for a while.

Leroy wasn't much of a help either. Sure, they got together in a partnership due to a chain of events but that's about it. He never talked much, only going anywhere as long as Wahr was within reach.

"It got better as time went on though. Surprisingly, survive a couple of missions with someone and you'd be comrades before you know it."

"A comrade, huh. Sounds nice."

Shiska sensed the envy in Ana. "Are you guys not tight here? That's how it is usually… or not," She immediately shifted her narrative once Ana made a sad laugh. From her reaction, they're not a tightly-knit shop.

A series of knocks to the door broke the somber atmosphere. Ana opened it and another girl, running naked, buried her face in Ana's chest.

"Ana!" the girl cried. Her back had a long wound, still fresh and bleeding.

Ana looked at Shiska and they both knew what to do.

Club Nyan-Nyan was a mere three-storey brothel with a tiny floor area. Since Shiska and Ana were already at the third floor, all they needed to do was go to the one with

"Shouldn't we go to your friend first?"

"You don't want your rep to go down, right? Then let's get this over with quick."

To be honest, the reason why Shiska wouldn't bother was because Wahr wasn't with them. It's one of the rules.

Had this happened before, I'd be the alone in this. Not this time though. I have his teachings. Let's see how well I fare.

Soundproof. Like every other room, the thick metal door was airtight.

"Here," Ana handed her a dagger. "I don't know about you, but punching a tainted isn't the best way to fight it."

"Thanks," She positioned herself, ready to open the sliding door.

Ana keyed in a string of numbers at the holographic touchpad. It's common to have fingerprint sensing built in that's why she couldn't simply give the code

Ana looked at Shiska, "Ready?"

"When you are."

Once the final key was entered and the lock disengaged, Shiska pulled. A gust of wind from the air pressure imbalance slapped them in the face. Ana landed on her butt while Shiska charged forward.

As soon as she did, a sharp blade met her. Using the dagger, she deflected it.

"Ah, still a tainted—I mean, corrupted. Gee, thanks for the new difference, mister governor. Now we're not lumped together with these mindless things."

With a shriek, the corrupted wildly flailed its arms, his fingers now as sharp blades.

Shiska spun to dodge. Using the momentum, she then delivered a roundhouse kick. Crack! Her hit connected.

She gritted her teeth. The corrupted's neck was hard. Too hard to cause any damage except to her.

Remember your training Shiska. It's goddamned Leroy who trained you! Don't embarrass him.

***

"Say, Leroy. Seriously, how the hell do you make fighting a horde of tainted look so easy?"

Shiska asked that question during the first week of her training. Back then, she's only learning the basics so as not to hold him back.

Leroy looked at the relic in his hand. "Well, Wahr does most of the heavy-lifting. However, in your case, the answer should be about awareness. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. It'd seem impossible now, but you'd slowly develop it as you survive more battles."

***

Awareness. Look around.

Not completely letting the corrupted out of her sight, Shiska looked around.

The night light was good. What else? The bed, right. There's a whip, a chain, some and shackles… ah. Wow. There's blood—oh.

"Ana!" Shiska shouted. "Are the toys real?"

"Huh? Y-Yes! Only authentic stuff!"

"Good to hear."

Shiska bolted to the bed. On the other hand, the corrupted seemed to contemplating if it'd attack or not. Shiska smirked. Yup. Just like a tainted.

Not minding the stickiness of the chains, Shiska grabbed one end and dashed around the corrupted. It's having some sort of mental breakdown due to the lack of threat. These were the usual behavior of the target during the extermination missions. Mindless and prone to herd mentality, the corrupted were quite easy to handle one-on-one.

After doing a couple of laps around the tainted, Shiska finally stopped. With a simple tug, the chains responded and closed in on the corrupted's ankles like a lasso.

It made a shrill cry once it fell to the floor.

Subduing it was merely the first step. Attaching the dagger at the end of the whip, Shiska took a couple of steps back and focused. It's her first time using a whip, especially one with a blade at the end, but she thought it'd give her the best chance at doing some damage.

She threw her arm in an arc. Keeping a close eye on the whip's dangerous end, Shiska timed the flick of her wrist so that the 'whip crack' would happen when it's near the corrupted's neck.

"—!!"

"SHISKA!"

She was about to execute her plan when Ana's voice destroyed her focus.

She turned to the direction of the girl, about to say her protest, when she saw a man behind her.

Ana's ragged breathing told it all.

"Don't kill that thing! Please!" The man holding Ana hostage pleaded.

Seeing him hold a syringe so close to Ana's neck, Shiska had no choice but to surrender.