Interlude I: The runaway

Rush Collins finally opened the vault using every last strength of his aching muscles, as soon as he opened he saw a small make-together room, illuminated by candles on a table, there was only one person hiding in that darkness, a woman an elegant red dress unbefitting of her mud and rusty hideout.

She was no kid she was for sure definitely a young adult woman but still young in her twenties. Still, she was facing him with perfect composure, the woman long black hair falling wildly and brown skin with clear sharp black eyes, her face quite youthful and round, but though she may look younger than she was, her expression was a strong one. She looked at the strange tall man covered with blood with no hesitation.

As she moved her red dress ruffled, it was an elegant sleeves gown in pure bright red with a black skirt and black groves a striking attire, but not the most practical for such a location, she looked extremely out of place, never in his had Rush seen someone dressed in such an elegant attire, it almost looked like something out of a fairytale to him.

"Don't you move any closer, you hear!" She raised her voice and her gloved hand, but it was the fact that a horn began to grow from her hair that stopped him, it was almost like a horn made of stone. She was definitely a demon as well.

"Hah...I can't fight anymore." He collapsed against the wall breathing heavily, the woman kept her distance looking at him with concern, it was obvious to her that all that blood on his clothes was his own.

"You killed Rigoberta? Are you here for me, if it comes to a fight I will kill you, dont underestimate me"

"No, I don't even know who you are...I was told you were kidnapped, but im having my doubts now." She lowered her hand and stared him down without saying a word.

"The old lady, she told me you needed to escape from Villa Blanca, I don't know why but I can help you...is the least I can do for her."

"You really just killed her without even knowing who I am? How can you not know who I am?"

"Sorry, I'm new to this city."

"That is impossible, everyone in this city is born here."

"Haha, thank god I wasn't. Let's go, if you really need to get out of here, I can get you somewhere safe that is all I can really do now.

"There is nowhere safe, the cartel can find me anywhere in this city, unless I go with someone that can keep them away..." She crossed her arms holding herself, Rush slowly forced himself to stand up again.

"Yeah, that is why I'm getting you out of this city." She looked at the ground for a moment leaning from side to side as she held her right arm.

"If she told you to get me out of here...Rigoberta must have seen something in you...but if that's the case why did you kill her? Was it for the bounty? Speak otherwise there is no way I can trust you." Rush gritted his teeth, his head was a mess but he could feel guilt rising up his throat, so he just gave the only real answer he could give.

"Because I'm a demon hunter now, it was my job to kill, but if you rather help, consider it my way of rebelling, helping you is my call and mine alone."

"Sound complicated, but I don't really have any other options if you can truly take me out of this city...I will bet on that miracle."

"The name is Rush Collins a nobody from outside of town."

"I am...if you really don't know my name i'll tell it to you. My name is Alba Rosario." She closed her fist and then bowed by holding the tips of her dress.

"The heir of the Villa Blanca Cartel." Finally, she smiled at him, somehow Rush could tell they had come to an agreement and it was all because the of them both believed in Rigoberta just enough.

But there was no telling what would come of such a meeting as the city always moved.

Outside of the factory, multiple cars drove into the desolate yard, they all stopped at once three small cars surrounded a long purple limousine, from the smaller vehicles armed men stepped out one after the other. The men were all wearing some rather popping purple attires far too elegant to be a small gang at all, that attire meant but one thing to the people of the city, it was the Ocassio family, but these men in purple hardly stepped away from their famous café.

One man came running towards them, he was wearing brown workers' attire, but had no trouble stepping into their lines and headed to open the door of the limousine. A woman steps out of the car, she is a black woman and fairly tall wearing an elegant dark purple dress with a long withe scarf falling down her shoulders, Her hair was impeccably arranged with a white rose, her eyes cold and green as she stared at the man with indifference, she raised her hand with her nails painted green and slowly smoke a long pipe.

"Ma'am Rigoberta is under siege, a group of bounty hunters and an unknown man began an attack." The woman tilted her pipe letting ash fall into the ground.

"I see, so as expected our movements were leaked again, what is the current situation."

"The Unknown man defeated the leader of the hunters and they ran off would we pursue them?"

"Darling, no. If they don't have the little princess they are of no interest to us."

"The unknow man cornered Rigoberta down into the basement, it was too risky to follow them."

"Well then let's give this gentleman a visit, if Rigoberta is still standing she will need some help..." The woman felt an arid wind go through her hair as she slowly took another puff of smoke as she looked to the sundown, as the last remnant of the sun went out.

"Men, step behind me we have another undesirable guest." A sand storm fell in front of the factory and the men covered their eyes from the sands, there within that tempest they heard the roar of a lion, a beastial demonic howl, but the woman in the fine attire remained calm.

"I guess you are finally done pretending to be neutral with us, you scum." The face of a lion appeared in the storm and vanished just as fast and within it a woman in a green suit stepped out, it was the security chief of the modest information company, Amara of the Louise newspaper company, she stepped out of the sandstorm with a Tommy gun at her hand and four men in green trenchcoats behind her.

"Whatever do you mean I merely came to speak business with you, honestly is quite a surprise to think that the diva of the inner city Bijoux Marcelin will be so far from the stage of the café, I figured this was the best moment to have a friendly chat." One of the men in green attire came close to Amara to whisper in her ear.

"We found the hunter and the lady."

"Good job, now make sure to help them walk out from the back, I'll get us some time." Amara stepped forward and the men in purple pulled out their guns.

"You are too heavily armed for a business talk my dear, this is your doing right? That unknown man must be one of yours."

"Sorry, you got that one wrong, we both know he is one of yours."Bijoux took a final breath of her pipe and gave it to one of the men at her side and another man stepped forward to give her a handgun.

"Now let's be reasonable here we know what you are attempting here and if you are to take hold of the runaway princess, the whole city will be turned on its head, if anything we are doing you a favor here, the princess will be spirited away and with no one to blame, the status quo will remain, that is Mr.Louise intention."

"I see, so as long as we don't get it that is enough for you lot, my how things have changed if the chief of security herself shows her face here." Amara shrugged at her cold reply.

"It is our pride to be in the know, believe me, we meant you no ill will we simply dont want a war to start on our streets, I will recommend you cut your loses and return to the café It will be terrible for our neutral stance to be broke over this."

"Darling you are asking for far too much, afraid that tonight is a night to be bold." Marcelin opened fire and Amara stood her ground as long red wings grew from her back and closed blocking the gunfire aimed at her heart.

"You know what it means to attack me here, Are you really going to end our neutral stating that easily?" The men in green ran off as a sandstorm washed over them covering them, all of the men from the Ocassio family pulled their weapons as they hid from the sand behind their cars leaving only Marcelin standing against the elements.

"Sorry dear AMara, Mr. Ocassio himself told me, even if it means starting a war to get that young lady back to our café, I'm free tonight to finally kill you off Amara, this is a reminder to Mr.Louise this is our town and he should have kept his head down." Marceline opened fire. Amara jumped back rising into the air on her wing, four wings of golden and red plumage raised her into the night sky. She opened fire with her Tommy gun easily striking down at the men and taking cover with ease from above, the sand storm covered everything as it took on the shape of a lion's head behind Amara roaring from above.

"So that is Pazuzu, there is no denying that Louise has strong demons with him, but lady you people are not fit for a real war." Amara spread her gunshot from the car and towards the woman in the black dress.

"Darling I will gladly dance with you tonight if you are oh so eager." A shadow took form in front of her, it was a massive open palm that simply blocked the barrage of bullets and closed, it was a translucid white hand floating on air almost as big as Marceline herself.

"Why look at that little bird, it makes one wish to pluck its wing and make a cute little hat." Behind Amara there was the figure of a creature resembling a woman, it was floating with a long dress that fell all the way to the ground. Its torso had no arms or a neck, and the shape of a woman ended there giving the impression of something more inhuman resembling a status, but even so at its side the white hands were floating on the air, massive hands that looked like stone and yet they were translucid as water and atop the floating torso there was a head floating as well. it was a stone head of white marfil, with no eyes only a red gaping mouth opening at its center and yet it wore a wide elegant white hat with black roses adorning it. The floating head looked above and smiled showing a massive row of teeth like those of a shark.

"So that is the DIablesa, is a strange a demon as I heard." Amara pointed her gun at the floating head. It gave her a gaping smile and flew off into the air, the bullets opening whole on her hat that remained in place as it may well be a part of the head. Its teeth quickly bit down on the tommy gun breaking it as they began to eat it as it was but a mere fruit. Amara raised her hand and the sand covered it taking the form of a lion's paw and punched the head away from her the head fell down laughing with the voice of a woman. Marceline raised her hand and made a gesture of swiping down and as she did one of the stand hands floated down from above and slapped Amara down into the ground like a fly.

"Hahahaha, oh what a beautiful night, makes one want to sing." The head of the DIablessa floated back above the torso as the devil spun, the dress danging early upon the rising moonlight, Marcelin saw the woman fall down but she still managed to flap her wings and land on her knees.

"Forget all the political drivel, in these kinds of dance one, will die, and what will live that is all there is to it darling." Amara stood up throwing her tommy gun to the sand as it was completely bent and out of any use, and she took out a pair of long daggers instead from her suit.

"If you say so, you gonna make Mr.Ocassio quite sad if you fall here, that is what he gets by sending some spoiled celebrity on a real job."

"Huh, forget talking then, you are simply too crude a woman to care for, darling be a dear and crush her bones to a pulp." The devil in the white dress floated into the air spinning as if dancing and all the parts that composed flew forward following the opening smile on its head. Amara stood back. the sand around them took on the form a lion's head, which bit down on the other devil but then broke apart as the Diables's huge white hand broke it from inside.

"Pointless, the DIables is made of the finest of stones, it is unbreakable..." A massive gust of arid sand crashed over her and Marcelin closed her mouth and eyes, but quickly raised her hand again as a knife reached for her neck, Marcelin grabbed it with her hand, having her palm cut and bleed as she gritted her teeth, as sand quickly entered her wound.

"Maybe that devil can't be broken but you sure can Marceline, I'll cut that fine neck of yours so that you two will match just fine." Using the sandstorm Amara had sneaked her way to her target and almost managed to cut her neck.

"This is your last chance to back down," Amara told her, and the other woman simply closed her hand around the knife.

"Sorry, but I will make sure to mail your body back to Louise as our declaration of war." Far away from that clash, a tired and wounded Rush Collins looked back at the factory that was now completely gone under a massive sandstorm

"Heh, I really got into a mess this time, alright let's get out of here we can't afford a moment more." He looked back at a car that was awaiting them guarded by two men in green attire, his guardsmen at his side, and one more a woman who was looking back at a storm.

"There better be a place safe enough for me out for your sake as well Sir." The young heir spoke, showing him only her back.

"I know lady, but I assure you my hometown is the safest place you ever gonna find." Rush told her as they both walked towards the small car on the curtain of the night.