44. Vesper #4
Locke comes stumbling behind the queen as she hacks, his eyes going from the glitter cloud to the chain still hooked from his waist to hers.
Then his eyes lock onto mine and hold. The haunted-ness is gone.
The fire is back. His hands wrap around the chain attached to his waist and he grips it tightly between his fist. Around us, other rats swarm into the throne room, only held back by Havoc and Svetlana.
The poodle is still barking, the sound piercing my brain and making it hard to focus.
Stevie cheers me on from the sidelines, clearly enjoying himself.
“You go, Girl! Get that rat queen! You can totally do it!”
I shake my head in disbelief even as I watch Locke wrap the chain around both of his fists before leaping onto the rat queen’s back.
My eyes widen as he wraps his legs around her waist and he loops the chain around the queen’s neck.
His muscles strain, bulging intensely, but the queen still seems to be stronger than him.
She whirls and fights against him, but he tightens the chain and starts to shout.
The rats come pouring around me, reacting to their queen’s cries of panic, but a golden rope of energy wraps around them and drags them back.
I just get a glimpse of Havoc pulling at the rope before I’m rushing the queen with my Fang from behind.
I jam it into the queen’s gut, screaming as I do so, desperate to stop her.
The poodle attacks with me, biting at her ankle in a useless move that does nothing but trip up the Queen and we all start to fall.
Her warm blood spurts around my hand and she screams in fury as I dig it in deeper.
The sound is strangled with Locke’s chain around her neck.
I pull the blade out and stab her again, repeating the action, screaming with the effort of it.
One of her claws swipes at my arm, cutting me, but I don’t stop.
I just keep going until she finally collapses, her eyes open wide in horror as Locke’s chain and my blade finally do the trick.
The rest of the rats immediately stop fighting, pausing where they are, frozen. I whirl, my blade held up, surprised at the sudden lack of movement.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
You killed the rat queen and rescued the damsel. What a good girl you are.
REWARD: you get your damsel back and 50xp.
“Kill the queen, start the reset,” Havoc pants as he strolls from the mass of dead bodies, cutting through my interface notification. “We have about three minutes before she respawns. I suggest you get that collar off him and we get the fuck out of here.”
I look Locke up and down as I tuck away my weapon and Hyena mask. He scowls at my perusal.
“Don’t say it,” he growls.
I don’t, but Svetlana follows no rules. She comes fluttering up, covered in blood, to land on my shoulder. She looks horrifying like this, her large eyes particularly brutal with the backdrop of carnage.
“What?” she laughs as I look at her.
“How many of the rats did you kill?” I ask.
“Who’s counting?” she shrugs. “I am. I chopped off fifteen heads.” Locke gaps at her. She giggles. “Girls will be girls, no?” She eyes him up and down, taking in his state of undress. “I think this is an improvement,” she declares, gesturing toward the metal covering. “Very good.”
It takes everything inside me not to laugh, and when I fail, I try my best to hold it in with my hand against my mouth.
“You should definitely keep the outfit for later,” I tease as I reach for the collar around his neck. It unbuckles easily and I get a flash of a notification I dismiss before tucking it into my inventory.
“Haha,” he grunts as he pulls clothing angrily from his inventory. “Very funny.”
“Hey,” I tease. “A little appreciation would be nice.”
I’m only teasing. I don’t expect some great show of appreciation, but he’s already flushing red with embarrassment as he pulls on trousers over the little metal outfit and it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.
He pauses what he’s doing and steps up to me, chest to chest, his trousers still unbuttoned. When he looks down at me, the anger softens in his eyes. He reaches up and touches my cheek. “Thank you for finding me,” he whispers.
“Did she—” My words cut off. I don’t want to ask, don’t want to put that spotlight on him.
His eyes crash with mine. “Let’s just get out of this place,” he says, as if he knew what I was asking. He doesn’t answer, doesn’t reveal anything, and I know we were likely too late. Still, he presses his hand against my cheek, his expression grateful, reverent even.
Havoc clears his throat. “I’d prefer not to repeat this fight all over again. Pick up the white fuzzy monstrosity and let’s get out of here.”
Sighing, I tuck the collar into my inventory, swipe up the yappy poodle, and reach for Locke’s hand. Before I can take it, I rethink the action after what he’s been through and drop it back to my side. “Let’s go,” I say.
He notices the movement, and after a few seconds, his fingers thread with mine by his own choice. Something inside of me breaks. After everything, he welcomes my touch.
We begin the long trek back through the sewers and return to the city of New Babel.