Chương 32: "Don't You Know It's Rude to Leave a Lady Waiting?”

Ch 32 "Don't You Know It's Rude to Leave a Lady Waiting?"

"FREEZE!" A commanding voice thundered across the street. The mist began to swirl in the direction of the voice, as if heeding authority. Everyone froze. Through the parted haze strode a woman in pristine robes and armor, flanked by a dozen elite city guards. Her black hair was tied up and falling out of the back of her gleaming facial armor. Her presence radiated such powerful Qi that even Mr. Tusk's fighters involuntarily took a step back.

"Captain Joy!" One of the first guards to show up shouted with relief. The three captive guards scrambled away from Tusk's fighters and over to Captain Joy's side.

"Tusk!" The City Guard Captain's cold eyes swept across the carnage before settling on the fat man.

"Care to explain what the hell happened here, and why your men are trying to kill a little girl?"

"There's fuckin' gore everywhere!" One of her guards shouted, as they all made disgusted faces. One couldn't hold his stomach down and unloaded it onto the side of the street. The Gold Dragon Mr. Tusk strode forward as he took a long puff of his cigar and exhaled upwards.

"I'm just doing what's right. That little demon stole from me, and massacred my boys. A thief and a murderer! I'm just upholding justice. Basically, I'm doing your job for you. A little gratitude would be nice." He smiled.

"That's not true, I-!" Amber protested.

"Shut it." Captain Joy spoke normally, but in a tone that commanded respect. She didn't take her eyes off of Tusk.

"This girl did this all by herself, I see. So, what did she take from you, and is it here now?"

"I was in the middle of the interrogation when you happened to come by."

"Why did we get a report from a couple of kids that demons had arrived in this location?"

"Kids will be kids, who knows?" Tusk shrugged as he tapped some ash off of his cigar with one hand.

"So, all in all, you've blamed a small girl for massacring all these men, though she doesn't have any type of weapon that matches this carnage. You've claimed that she has stolen from you, though there is no proof or item here with her. And you're also claiming the reports we've received are fabricated?"

"I assure you, I will let you know the honest truth after I get a full confession out of her." Tusk blew some smoke in the Captain's direction with eyes that exuded coldness.

"Interesting, Interesting. The last time you told my guards that, the witnesses ended up dead. So, on what grounds did you detain my men?" Captain Joy crossed her arms as her aura became more imposing.

"They were… obstructing my investigation." Tusk gave a small smile, though the look in his eyes did not change.

"Furthermore, they stepped aside willfully. They know who really owns this town. The fuckin' Gold Dragon!"

"I didn't know owning all of Blue Cloud City meant owning a few whorehouses and part of a bar." Joy fired a cold look back at him.

"What does a woman know about business?" Tusk spat. Amber flinched and felt a pulse of anger at the bubbling memories that came up.

"Unless you have some evidence, I'll be taking my leave. With the girl."

"The evidence for investigation is lying all over the street."

"Those are my men, I'm the victim here! I must pay half the god damn taxes in this city. There's no one who'll take the side of some guard bitch over the fuckin' Gold Dragon. Now, don't follow me unless you're interested in warming my bed." Tusk chuckled menacingly.

"I know where to find the evidence!" Amber called out. Her heart pounded as she interrupted the standoff, but she just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Shut it kid!" Tusk's mask of coldness slipped as he shouted at the girl.

"Speak." Captain Joy said.

"He was trying to control me with some fucked up spell! They said it was blood magic! He used it on another fighter, Bone Eater! He's at the Sword and Wine Bar right now!" Amber shoved her words together before anyone could cut her off." Blood magic?" Captain Joy's eyes narrowed dangerously as murmurs rippled through her guards. She raised her hand sharply and her voice cut through the mist like a blade.

"Guards! Form up and surround Tusk's group, now! You're all under arrest pending investigation into the use of demonic arts. Nobody moves until we locate this 'Bone Eater' and get some answers!"

"You won't talk to anyone!" Tusk shouted.

"Men! Stand your ground! Do NOT let them pass! Don't forget, we own this city!"

"It's funny how fast you went from 'I' to ' we' when you're in trouble*,"* Amber shot out.

"Shut it you brat!" the Gold Dragon yelled, his face beginning to flush.

"Don't think you can get away with it every time, Tusk!" Captain Joy drew a long gleaming saber from her side and raised it into the air as her men moved to surround Tusk's group. The street exploded into chaos as a battlefield erupted around Amber in an instant. Bodies collided, weapons flashed through the mist, and the desperate shouts of warriors echoed off the surrounding buildings as blood splattered across the already blood soaked cobblestones.

"Whoa!" Amber shouted as she ducked a flying knife and rolled forward. She was trying to get her bearings in the chaos while powerful warriors all around her traded vicious attacks and warred throughout the misty street. Everyone here seemed to be at least Flowing Qi Stage! While the guards may not have been as strong as Tusk's fighters, their shields weaponry and armor proved formidable, and their teamwork was polished and practiced. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road.

If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Between the bodies of two bloodied men trying to stab each other again, Amber spotted Tusk backing away from the melee, his cold eyes scanning for an escape route. He slipped between his own fighters as they clashed with the city guard. That greedy fuck thought he could get away!

Amber's blood boiled at the thought of the unsightly bastard trying to enslave her with some fucking mask, jump her with a whole team of warriors, then scurrying away like a rat when things didn't go his way! Bone Eater, or whatever his name really was, had fallen into this bastard's clutches. That could have been her tonight.

"Tuuuuusk!" She darted forward, weaving through the misty combat scene with Predator at a deadly tempo. She danced amongst the shuffle of boots on blood soaked cobblestones, between fists and knives, matching the rhythm of the violence surrounding her. One of Tusk's fighters lunged at her, but she rolled under his strike and kept moving without breaking her momentum. Her eyes never left Tusk's retreating form, tracking him with the focus of a tiger on the hunt.

He got around a building due to his head start, but Amber rapidly started to gain ground as she left the main body of the fight. Her speed picked up as she rounded the corner. The distance between them closed rapidly. Ten paces. Five. Three.

"Tusk! You're gonna have to run faster than that!" Amber yelled out. The fat man who had smoked and eaten his way through his fortune stood no chance at getting away from the fearsome young warrior girl. Turning the hunt on him raised an indescribable feeling within her as the life and death adrenaline still coursed through her veins. Why am I…. excited….? She wondered in between heartbeats. She had thought she was just angry, but there was something else there. Tusk looked back in a panic.

His gasps and heaves were loud and desperate. He fumbled and fell down flat on his face, flinging sweat everywhere.

"Is this all a dragon is?" she called out from just steps behind him, the tone of her voice giving him chills down his spine as he felt cold golden eyes looking at him like prey. Rather than get up, he fumbled with something, his jerky movements betraying his panic. Tusk flipped over on the ground, his mask of urbane composure shattering completely. His face contorted with rage, veins bulged from his temples, and his jowls quivered with hatred.

"You little bitch!" he snarled, the words dripping with venom.

"You think you can take me down? Me? I'm fucking Mr. Tusk! The fuckin Gold Dragon! Cabbages should just stay in the dirt, where they were born!" He threw an empty glass bottle at the girl who swiftly kicked it away, where it broke across the alley. The man turned and hopped to his feet in one swift motion. Tusk bolted away at a speed he never could have shown just moments ago! He left a trail of chilling dark energy where he sped away. That son of a….! So that bottle he threw must have been a black elixir!

"Run! Run as fast as you can!" Amber shouted, summoning the small flame of Saint Tiger Qi within her. Her pupils slit and the lines around her eyes became a heavy black. She exploded forward with speed, hot on his trail. The rage inside her only burned more as the orange Qi heated her body up. The fleeing man took several twists and turns through alleyways and streets trying to shake the persistent girl off, leaving streaks of black energy.

"Why did it have to happen to me!" His face twisted in anger as he ran.

"What did I do to have such a prickly cabbage bitch thrust into my lap?" Amber skidded to a stop after turning a corner. He was out of sight, but she knew there was no way he was fast enough to have outrun her already, demonic juice or not! He must be hiding nearby.

"Tiger! Can you hear me? Little one! Hello!" She stomped on her shadow, but the girl got no reply. The little cub was fast asleep after its chicken dinner, and she hadn't felt their link active since it dozed off. The girl supposed the small amount of Saint Tiger Qi she had wasn't enticing enough to wake it either. Wait. Amber realized she had another way to track him! She held her palm out and tried to stir her Abyssal Seal. No reaction.

She tried to focus on sensing demonic Qi, though she didn't know exactly what she was doing. She walked forward a bit, trying to point her palm in different directions.

"Haha!" She smiled as she finally got a signal. The black inky pattern rose to the top of her palm skin as she felt it warm up. He was definitely this way! This bastard wasn't getting away. Amber searched the street before finally coming to a warehouse. Her palm began to burn hot. Got him! Amber was trembling all over her body*. * Anger. Anticipation. Something else was in the mix…. Was it just the cocktail of adrenaline, hunting her hunter, and the fury brought about by the Saint Tiger Qi?

She did not give it a second thought as she gave a mighty spinning kick and blew the factory doors inward off of their hinges with a powerful kick. Raging Tiger! The doors landed with a loud crash as Amber called out, "You said you wanted me to leave with you tonight! Don't you know it's rude to leave a lady waiting?"

"Where is that damn key!" **The Gold Dragon fervently searched through his desk drawers as he heard the loud crash outside of his upstairs office." Foundddd youuuuu." A cold shiver ran up Tusk's spine as he heard the vicious voice somewhere in the warehouse behind him. He dared not look as his shaking hands found the key and rushed over to a large storage locker. His hands shook and his face was drenched with cold sweat. Finally, he got it open! It was full of black vials.

"So that's your plan?" Amber asked as the startled man jumped. He realized she was already in the room, right behind him! There was no time to even open a vial, let alone drink, before this freak cabbage bitch would kill him.

"What are you waiting for? Go ahead, drink!" The voice behind him gave him chills. He couldn't even get his thoughts straight.

"What if I— What if I gave you —" The Gold Dragon stuttered, his illusion of strength shattered. Amber grabbed him hard by the shoulder and spun him around, slamming him against the open locker. He let out a scared cry as the girl reached past his trembling face. The girl with slit pupils grabbed a black vial from the shelf.

"Hey, now!" Amber slapped him on lightly on both cheeks, but for the man it felt so hard he thought his neck might break.

"You got to get it together and drink, or you're seriously gonna die!" She lightly tossed the vial up in the air as the man gasped and fumbled it. He fell to his knees trying to catch it before his shaking hands finally grasped it.

"Please—""You love sitting high in your judge's chair, looking down while everybody else suffers, right?" Amber cut him off him, looming over the man as if she was several times her height.

"Don't you ever wonder what it's like on the other side?" He looked up to see terrifying golden eyes with slits for pupils burning through the darkness, barely lighting up a smile.

"What a disappointment. You always talked so damn tough. This can't be the real Mr. Tusk. Is it because you're used to servant girls doing everything for you? Let me help you then, Mr. Golden Dragon!" Amber grabbed another bottle from the shelf and uncorked it with her teeth. She spat it out onto his face, making the man flinch as the cork bounced off his nose. She reached down and grabbed the man's cheeks so hard that he thought his jaw might dislocate.

"Drink up!" The man made pained gurgling noises as she overturned the bottle, force feeding him the demonic Elixir! He struggled against the tiny cabbage demon's terrible iron grip to no avail. Foul black liquid poured into his throat despite his choking, while some of it merely poured down his round chin. I had it all. I'm a fuckin' boss. A fuckin' GOLD DRAGON! I OWN people! How did my life come to this? To die by some demonic cabbage bitch?

Panic ran through the pandemonium of his mind as the terrifying girl continued to force black liquid down his gullet. In the Gold Dragon's eyes, he had never seen a more terrifying smile looking down on him.