Mob Sorcery 2 - Ch30

Chapter 30

Vince stepped out of the restaurant without being followed. The bustle of the Sommet’s lunch rush surrounded him, as suited office workers and sorcerers flitted between the elevators and the many restaurants. More than a few couples flirted in the corridor. Just as during his previous visit, his casual clothes made him stand out like a sore thumb.

The plush carpet felt strange as he walked away. Not that he could feel it through his shoes, but he swore the carpet pushed back against his feet.

He glanced back multiple times as he left for the elevator. Promise or not, spurning the Yakuza like that might prove lethal.

Which is why he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Kiyoko darting toward him while he stood outside the elevators. Her black wings wrapped themselves around her body as she walked as fast as he could run.

“Shit,” Vince swore, reaching for his cane.

Kiyoko stopped dead in front of him at the moment he grabbed it and began focusing his magic. “I do not recommend that. While you are powerful, I estimate that your barrier is incapable of withstanding more than one of my wind spells.”

No magic surrounded her, even as she hovered a little too close for comfort. He wished he could see her expression behind that mask. The closest he got to her true self were the whispers of Japanese slipping out beneath her artificial translated voice.

“If you were going to attack me, I’d rather have my barrier than not,” he said.

She tilted her head at a nearly ninety-degree angle and Vince stared. “Perhaps. But offensive actions require a salvo in response. Your posture suggested you intended as much.”

“I’m a little jumpy at the moment.”

“Understood. If you wish to avoid being surprised as such, we should exchange contact details. As assistant manager, I am responsible for relaying messages and organizing matters on behalf of the number-two boss. Ascertaining a communication method with you is ideal.” Kiyoko remained dead still.

Vince raised an eyebrow and hid his nervousness with a smile. “I’m getting the numbers of far more women than usual lately. Usually it requires a lot more effort.”

No response. She returned her head to its normal position after several seconds.

“Do you perceive a problem with sharing your contact details?” she asked.

“Uh, can I ask why? Mei made it clear that I’d contact her through Ally. And I’m not working with or for you,” he said.

Kiyoko’s feathers fluttered, as if annoyed. “The chairwoman’s matters are separate to my own. Regardless of the resolution of your affair with her, you will remain an enforcer of interest during our operations in Albion. I do not foresee a future in which we come to blows, given the common cause we share against Houou. As such, I desire your contact details to minimize friction. It will also reduce the resources we must dedicate to observing you.”

Vince forced his expression to neutrality. “Chairwoman” must be the translation for kumicho, and equate to Mei.

Observing him, huh? He wondered if those catgirls belonged to the Yakuza. How many other spies had he missed in the past week or two?

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” he asked.

“There is always a choice. You may have chosen to attack me earlier, or deeply anger the chairwoman.” Her wings flared outward, revealing her dark suit and Yakuza pin. “That would have been a terrible choice, but one you remained at liberty to make. I believe refusing my request is a foolish one, given there are no negatives to accepting it. Yet you remain entirely in power of your faculties and may do so.”

“I’m not sure I can agree that a choice between giving you my phone number and making an enemy is much of a choice.”

“Emperors and generalissimos frequently made such decisions when dealing with powers beyond their comprehension. Death and terror frequently resulted. Yet, just as you are considering, they made those decisions rather than sacrifice their pride.”

Vince wanted to make a pithy reply, but realized she’d seen through him. There truly wasn’t a good reason to refuse Kiyoko. He could just ignore her once he gave her his number, after all.

Rather, he was being pigheaded because Mei’s actions annoyed him. Especially toward the end.

He decided to redirect the conversation instead. “Generalissimo?”

A long pause. “Is that not an adequate translation for shogun?”

“Uh, I think it would be better not to translate titles and positions,” he said. “I know what a shogun is. And while I don’t recognize the ranks of the Yakuza, it’s confusing when you call them one thing while everyone uses the Japanese name.”

“I see. Thank you for this information. I am entirely reliant on a magic tool to understand English and other languages, so it is difficult to calibrate the magic without assistance from a native speaker. The changes shall be made.” Kiyoko took a step backward, then bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

Vince’s hands shot up. “Woah, woah. It’s not a big deal. You don’t need to bow.”

“Perhaps. But it was my choice.” Kiyoko straightened and he would bet his paycheck she was smiling.

Okay, maybe not his entire paycheck. He’d only met the tengu twice after all.

Her positive attitude finally got past his annoyance and he pulled out his phone. “Fine. You’ve won me over. I’ll give you my contact details, although I’ll need yours as well so I know who’s calling.”

“Understood.” Kiyoko nodded.

He’d bet that she wouldn’t think to give him her number as well, but couldn’t tell from her response.

Her phone turned out to be bright pink and lacked a case of any kind. Then again, given the raw speed and dexterity with which she tapped on her phone with those long fingernails of hers, Kiyoko had probably never dropped her phone. Cracked screens were for lesser beings.

Once they exchanged numbers, his phone buzzed. A message from Kiyoko sat there. It consisted of an anime bird waving at him with one wing.

“I shall contact you if we are undertaking operations that may overlap with yours. Please do the same. Although, again, you have the choice not to do so and to wear the ramifications.” Kiyoko’s voice remained unchanged, but Vince heard the underlying threat.

Choice and freedom appeared to be a touchy subject for the tengu.

“Got it. If it’s in my power to do so, I’ll let you know,” he said. “I imagine you’re in the same bind.”

Kiyoko drew her wings close to her body and stepped backward. “Whatever my obligations to Knightsgate and the Yakuza are, they remain secondary to my will. I possess no bindings.”

She bowed again, but not as deeply, before darting back to the restaurant.

Yeah, definitely a touchy subject.

Vince finally hit the button for the elevator. Countless people had streamed past them while he spoke with Kiyoko, but he had missed his chance to grab an elevator with one of them.

When one arrived and disgorged the people in it, he slid inside. Just as the doors were about to close, somebody caught them.

“Sorry!” one of the catgirls from earlier gasped out as she and her sister practically fell into the elevator. “Oh, you’re…” She gulped and looked away.

Neither of the catgirls said a word on the trip down to the ground floor. The moment the doors opened, they scurried away.

Damn. If he didn’t know better, he’d say they were acting exactly like young women would around somebody they’d just seen meet with a Yakuza head. Plus they had been there when he met Alessia, a mafia head. He might seem like a bigger deal than he was.

Even so, his paranoia remained. He checked his phone and saw a message from Nicki. It had arrived around ten minutes ago.

Meet you outside, she said.

Vince walked toward the exit doors, almost woodenly. Déjà vu struck him, enhancing his paranoia.

Looking around, all he saw were the many dark suited security guards of the Tri Sommet, including those preventing access to the security gates that led to the secure elevators.

He stepped outside. Plenty of people shuffled across the marble plaza. Nobody in particular stood out. The catgirls had long since vanished, leaving him gazing across a sea of unfamiliar faces and people.

And no magical blasts tried to incinerate him or the entrance to the Sommet.

“Hey,” Nicki said, interrupting his paranoid thoughts. “You got out earlier than I expected.”

Vince grunted, then rolled his shoulders. “I guess. It was a tense meeting. Good food, but the company was…”

She shot him a sympathetic look. “Yeah, I saw the Yakuza goons roll up. Caused a stir. Recognized the tengu, but they were escorting somebody important in the middle of their protective bubble.”

“Then you can guess the problem. Seems I’m a popular guy.” He looked up at the darkening sky. “Storm coming in. I’m guessing you don’t fly in them?”

“Please.” She nudged his arm. “If birds couldn’t fly in a little rain, we’d be pretty shit. Hell, Wings would be wiped out by its competitors. You know, the ones that operate when people need food but won’t go outside because it’s wet? The better fliers use spells or tools to keep operating as taxis, too.”

Vince didn’t recall that ever happening. He’d gotten a lift from an eagle during a rainstorm once and had gotten soaked to the bone.

After checking the time and deciding that nobody was trying to assassinate him, he made up his mind.

“Let’s head home. I need to cool my head for a little bit before I meet with Alessia,” he said. “Maybe talk with Nina first. Alessia will be pissed that I met with the Yakuza before she could make up her mind about them, so some advice on handling her would be nice.”

“Right, get your girlfriend to advise you on other women. Smart. I bet she’s given you plenty of advice like that.”

He glared at Nicki, and she merely grinned back.

“She has, actually,” he said.

Hell, Nina had specifically told him to stuff Nicki with eggs. Something he was less keen on doing without at least some romantic lead-in.

They moved into a clear area of the plaza and Nicki took off with him in her clutches.

Once firmly in the air, Vince pulled out his phone and messaged Alessia.

Is a 3PM meeting about the contract fine? Something else has come up as well, he said.

The reply came back almost immediately. She likely kept her phone with her even while working. Or perhaps she was enjoying lunch herself.

That’s fine. Let Fia know if you need transportation, Alessia replied.

All clear on the wolfgirl front. Vince just needed to sort out his own thoughts before talking to Alessia about his lunchtime meeting.

Assuming he hadn’t been spotted meeting them. He had no clue what comprised Alessia’s intelligence network, although he felt it possessed a fraction of the reach of major conglomerates.

He and Nicki sailed through the air over downtown. Ally’s store sat only a few blocks away now, along with his usual fast food place. Wings fliers flapped around them, and Nicki somehow wound a path through the many fluttering feathers.

He kind of wished that he’d visited Ally this morning. Now he needed to visit her and deal with the aftermath of lunch, at the same time he owed her money.

Sure, she’d been apologetic and angry on his behalf over Mei’s behavior, but she’d set up the lunch without telling him. Vince needed to ensure he didn’t treat Alessia the same way.

Annoyed at his own thoughts, he messaged Nina to let her know he needed to have a serious talk. He also checked if she really was still working from home.

She didn’t reply, even after close to a minute. Given Nina’s usual response time could be measured in seconds, she might be genuinely busy. Or had gotten annoyed with work and went to the gym. Who knew with her.

A strange sensation caused Vince to look up. As faint as it was, it felt familiar. Like a spell or magic type he’d recently encountered.

Looking around, he saw nothing. Then the sensation grew, before abruptly vanishing. At the same time, a distortion appeared in his vision, mangling his view of the intersection below.

His brain roared to life, screaming an instinctive warning like an alarm bell.

“Nicki, down!” he shouted.

He reached up and yanked on Nicki’s legs, throwing her off-kilter. She squawked and dropped a foot in the air. Her entire body tilted, but her talons maintained a tight grip on his body, even as her wings flapped violently in the air.

“Vince, what the fuck?” she screamed at him. “I can’t—”

Her voice cut off in a screech, full of pain and shock. Blood and feathers filled the sky. That same visual distortion flickered past them. Vince felt a sensation of weightlessness as Nicki began to plummet, panicked screams escaping her.

Blood streamed from where one half of her left wing had been cleanly severed. That remaining piece of wing fluttered in the air above them, falling slower due to air resistance. Nicki’s illusion shattered the moment the spell struck her, returning her to her usual appearance.

“Nicki!” he shouted. He almost asked if she was alright, but stopped himself.

But what the hell else could he say? Compounding his worry for the harpy was the rapid fall they entered. One of Nicki’s talons lost its grip, causing him to redouble his grip on her legs.

“Fuck, it hurts,” Nicki said. “Need to…”

Whatever she “needed” to do was lost to the rushing wind. They plummeted toward the intersection below, falling faster and faster. Wings fliers shouted nearby, and Vince swore he saw the crowd below reacting the same, pointing up at them.

Nicki’s wings flapped wildly, sending blood everywhere as she desperately tried to pull up from her spiraling descent.

He couldn’t do a damn thing in this situation. Flight magic was beyond him. The same went for using a barrier to protect himself. It might not work well enough.

ANd the moment he cast his barrier or Nicki activated her barrier ring, he couldn’t say for sure that she’d maintain her grip. Her ring likely didn’t let slow movement penetrate it. He’d be giving up on any chance for her to right herself.

“Activate your barrier ring,” he shouted. “We can survive the fall.”

No response.

“Nicki!”

Then, with an almighty screech and beating of her wings, Nicki stalled the fall.

For just one instant, unfortunately. Her damaged wing forced them to one side and she lost control, sending them down once again.

“Vince, I’m sorry,” Nicki ground out, voice full of pain.

The ground was nowhere near close enough. They’d slowed down thanks to her efforts, but the fall was still too far to possibly survive.

“Barrier—” he tried to say.

That same strange sensation from earlier. He recognized it as the spell that had carved apart Nicki’s wing.

“Got ya!” a new voice said.

Vince’s weightlessness vanished as an eagle birdfolk snatched him and Nicki out of the sky.

But the spell kept growing in power. Vince pushed the eagle off him, causing the birdfolk to look at him in shock.

“Get away,” Vince yelled. “Nicki, down again.”

Terror filled Nicki’s expression and she flailed her wings wildly. She pushed herself away from the eagle, causing them to begin falling again. Utterly confused, the eagle hovered in place.

“The hell are ya—” The eagle’s confused statement was torn in half when the air distorted and the spell tore into him.

His body dropped like a sack of rocks, while his severed head tried to play catch up. Nicki’s terror filled the air.

So did the panic from the crowd below and other nearby birdfolk. Vince struggled to hear anything other than screams and squeals, even as they tumbled toward the ground. He grabbed his cane and began to cast a barrier.

Only for Nicki’s eyes to glow bright white as she tried one more time to halt their fall. Her spell slammed into Vince and they slowed to a near stop thirty feet above the ground. She beat her wings furiously in an attempt to bring them down. Tears streamed down her face.

She collapsed less than a dozen feet above the ground and tumbled to the asphalt. The panicking crowd had stopped traffic and drivers got out of their cars to see what was going on.

Vince pulled himself to his feet and his solid red barrier snapped around his body. Nicki’s whimpers emanated from her bloody body as she curled up on the ground. She needed a healing infusion, fast.

Not that he had the time to help her.

A five-tailed fox with brown hair and ears strode out of the crowd while wearing casual clothes. A shimmering white glove on his left hand glowed with magic as he began to focus another spell. He gazed at Vince much like somebody would look at a particularly annoying insect.

“Guess I’ll finish this in person,” the fox said.

- - - - -

Commentary: Poor Nicki. I'm sure a few people saw something coming, given we're fairly deep into the book. The parallels with the previous book are hard to miss, so I'm trying to mix up the scenario. My original intentions had been to do something different with the big fight, but I took too much time. On the plus side, the similarities serve a plot-relevant purpose.

To talk about something other than the ambush, Kiyoko gets a little more screentime and separates herself at least a little from Mei. She's definitely a kuudere, but more in the vein of Nagato Yuki than someone that completely warms up.

Oh, and when I saw that shogun is sometimes translated as generalissimo, I had to include that.

Anyway, place your bets.