Chapter 76 - And We Woulda Gotten Away With It Too... (2/2)
And by that he meant that girls can only get him with a surprise kiss once, and never again! He'd always be ready the second time. And far less trusting.
You'd think he'd always be ready and wary, but Damien wasn't like that. He can't just lose faith in all of them just cuz a few hit him with that surprise face-suck.
The mad loli scientist trio heard his words and misunderstood, however. The now-awake Janette along with her two friends quietly formed a circle.
”Rock….paper...scissors!”
Two disappointed m.o.a.ns burst forth.
Tammy grinned wildly and held up a peace sign. ”Hehe...sorry, but it looks like I'm going to be climbing the stairs of a.d.u.l.thood before you!”
”Gingerbitch.” Serina cursed in a very unladylike manner.
”Ah?” Tammy got all up in her friend and started making sounds like some loli gangster. ”You wanna repeat that, mate?”
”I stutter or what?”
”Ah can make ye.” Tammy slipped into some weird dialect they'd never heard her speak before.
”F.u.c.k.i.n.g fight me.” They locked foreheads.
”Catch me outside, how 'bout that?”
”Bring it, ginger whore.”
”Feckin' scabby scrote face, best shut yer geggie now if yae know what's good for yae.” At that moment even Serina didn't quite understand what was being said, but she knew it was something dreadfully insulting.
A fire built in her chest and a series of words sprouted from the depths of her soul. ”Oi, lookie there, this doaty ginger prick got a face like a skelped arse.”
The words made the taller girl simply livid. It was then that Tammy's silent rage caught hold of a new target. Dolly, who was watching both girls with a face that said she wanted some popcorn to go with the show.
”What ya starin' at ya wee posh cunt?” Tammy sneered.
Dolly simply continued to watch her. The look in her eyes made all three girls uncomfortable. Finally, when they thought she wouldn't speak, she opened her mouth.
”Dinnae fookin' talk tae me ya cheeky bawface tart.” She drawled. ”Your Maw's git balls 'n yer Da loves it. Saw 'em both las' noight porkin' a Froakie, or was 'at ye?”
Damien's ears felt like they were being r.a.p.ed. F.u.c.k.i.n.g Scottish lolies. What's next? He ignored them all and kept his attention on the kid in front of him.
”More.” The girl looked up at him through glossy eyes. ”More.”
”F.u.c.k off.” Damien flicked her head. The color was slowly returning to her cheeks. ”Come on, let's get you to an infirmary.”
”No. More.” She demanded. Her tiny fists gripped his shirt while she buried her face in his neck. He was starting to get pretty testy by that point.
”Listen here, little girl.” He smelled a faint hint of….smoke?
”Cory?” Dolly saw her friend's hair start to writhe with orange flames. She noticed her eyes starting to become the same, like two orbs of fire.
Damien noticed this too and suddenly remembered who this girl reminded him of: Helena, the Phoenix clan's High Priestess.
Except this girl, though younger, was even more exquisite in appearance and aura. She had a much more domineering and majestic feel to her now that she was awake.
Those eyes of her's burned with an even brighter flame than Helena's, too, amazingly enough.
”Papa, get back!” Milly warned a moment too late.
Corianna exploded. Scorching fires licked her skin and rushed outward. They moved in on Damien with fervor in an attempt to devour him. He could feel the insane heat burn his clothes to ash right off his body.
He heard screaming. Dolly and her friends, likely backing away in fright. Milly summoned a shield of light to protect them but had no way of helping her Papa who was caught point-blank.
She was helpless. Could only watch as those fires touched every inch of bare flesh they could find.
”This is fine.” He said while the world was burning down around him.
Damien? For him the pain was quite annoying. He felt like thousands of fire ants were just biting and tearing into his skin. This much agony was rare for him these days and he was sure he should probably be going out of his mind from it.
But while it was rare, it wasn't unknown. He'd experience pain on even greater levels before. This was far from enough to break him. And his body seemed to handle it pretty well? It was hardly burning. It made him red but couldn't even singe his hair.
Damien pointed a finger at the kid and doused her with water. ”A spicy chicken wants to burn this Water God?”
He sprayed her again. The once-great flames had now become mere embers. ”Papa...your hands…”
Damien had been holding the girl's shoulders and found the skin on his palms melt a bit. ”Nothing that can't be fixed.” He spat on his hands and rubbed them together. Let's be real here. The pain, the sound, the smell...everything was horrible. Just looking at himself rubbing his melted palms together would, had he been sane, driven him just a little mad.
That ship had sailed, though, and so he was fine. It's just not something he wanted to repeat. He's certain there was a name for this particular phobia.
Anyway. Sure enough, his spit did the trick.
”Good as new.”
But the sword didn't pay him any mind. ”You hurt Papa!” Just like that, the chaos continued. ”Divine punishment!”
It suddenly smelled like ozone.
***
Damien looked on at the destruction with an empty gaze. The entire building had caught fire. Had cracked, collapsed, and been thoroughly reduced to mere wood and stone.
In his hands he carried the unconscious--again--Corianna. Next to him was the tank containing Lily and further away was Serina, Janette and Tammy giving an account of what they'd done to a group of astonished, queasy-looking guards and teachers.
”We wanted to be noticed,” Serina muttered. ” Is that so much to ask?”
”It's not fair for them to have such an advantage!” Janette kicked the ground in frustration.
”What gods? What morals? Such concepts only exist as convenient lies. Illusions to hold us back.” Tammy didn't bother showing false regret.
”We'd f.u.c.kin' do it again!” They cussed.
Dolly shook her head at them. ”Such a waste of talent. Don't they understand that their actions have consequences?” She sighed heavily. As if she were a world-wearing detective fed up with everyone's bullshit.
She was hit by three pairs of daggers but paid it no mind. Dolly just took a rolled wafer treat from her pocket, pretended to light it on fire, and sucked the creamy chocolate within. ”Get these pieces of trash outta here.”
”People never want to talk about the things that have to be done in order to advance humanity.” Her friends spoke in complete unison. ”But someday you'll thank us!” They shouted as they were led away in chains. ”You'll all thank us! At least the women! Yeah. ”
Damien wanted to hit them all on the head but had more important things to address.
” This….was not my fault.” Mostly.
Gladstone, who'd arrived not five minutes ago, cried. He was a jaded man who had known only hardship and turmoil for most of his life. He'd sent men to their deaths and had been sent to death himself. Struggle after struggle, he never gave up.
After all he'd seen in life you could say there were few things that could truly cause a ripple in his frame of mind.
And yet right now, he wept. He wasn't even sure if this was the first time since he'd come here either.
Ever since meeting this goddamn cursed brat every day felt like hell. He was losing sleep, hair, his health. Now his dignity in front of his colleagues.
”The paperwork….” He sobbed.
He could already see the fat stacks of white now. Could feel the soreness in his hand. That familiar ache, like an old injury acting up in the cold dead of night.
How did this even happen, he thought miser. The whole building was protected by the highest level defensive spells and wards. A fallen star could crash into it and barely make a dent.
The inside, indeed every single book, was fire resistant to incredible degrees. The stone walls were reinforced so solidly only an earthquake capable of splitting the earth could possibly cause them to break.
So how?!
What gods-forsaken method did this little terror use to break one of the most well-protected buildings in the world?!
Damien cleared his throat. ”....Send the bill to my father.”
Gladstone nearly fainted from anger when he heard that casual tone.
”GET OUT! GET THE F.U.C.K OUT OF HERE RIGHT THIS SECOND!” He roared. His heart sped up and threatened to give out. He fell to his knees in pain as he gasped for breath. The world blurred and palpitated alongside his weakening pulse.
”Nurse Milly.”
”...Yes, Papa?” Came the small, guilt-ridden voice.
”Prep the patient.
***
Two days later a knock came from the door. Because Mary had been going out more often lately Elias was the one who answered.
”Yes?” He opened the door to find three black-clad men.
They said nothing, simply handing him a piece of paper. Elias read for a moment and his hair nearly turned white with horror.
Five minutes later he found his wife sitting leisurely in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine in her hand. ”Whats the matter, Dear?”
Elias threw the paper into the fire and looked his wife dead in the eye. ”Round up the gang. We're doing one final score.”