FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Noxumbra Files

Case 5: Ancient Stalker

Part 4

By XP Author

The door unlocked with a satisfying click. Tag smiled as he stashed the little lockpick kit back into the pocket of his trechcoat. "See? I can pick a lock pretty quick."

Ginny shook her head. "Still slower than just kicking it off its hinges."

"But far less noisy." He opened the door slowly. "And you can leave without anyone knowing you were here." He stepped back, nodding to the rat. "After you." She quirked an eyebrow. "What? I'm not walking into the house of a potential vampire first."

"Fair enough." She walked in and sniffed. "This is the right place. It reeks of vampire. But I don't think he's here now. Hasn't been for a while."

It was Rachel's turn to ask. "What makes you say that?" The rat simply reached over and flicked on the light switch. The place was completely empty. No shelves, no furniture, no appliances, nothing. "Oh. Yeah, that's a pretty good reason."

Tag stepped in, looking around. "Might still be something that could give us a clue to where he is. Have a look around. Maybe there's some fur or a bloodstain or something I can get a reading on."

Ginny nodded. "That one's easy." She pointed to a spot on the living room carpet. It looked like pretty much everywhere else to him. "Check there."

"...Why?"

She shrugged. "It's a cum stain." Rachel let out a disgusted grunt.

Tag just sighed. "Of course it is." He crouched down and reached out, suppressing a shudder as he touched the spot. Sure enough, the moment he touched the carpet, his mind was bombarded with visions, coming too fast to process most of them. The tiger was young, nine, his mother was an alcoholic. He never knew his father. Twelve, setting off firecrackers in empty lot. Accidentally started a fire when it hit the open dumpster. Fourteen, the first fight, beat a kid for being a nerd, though really he just hated that the kid was smarter than him. Another fight, this time mugging someone. His mother beat him when he was brought home this time.

Time moved forward. Prison. He spent a lot of time in prison, but they were always short stays. He had no home anymore. Tried to join one of the crime families. They shot him. Left him for dead in the alley. Tag latched on to this moment, willing it to play out normally. The wolf was there. Inam. Said he could save the man, but he would have to serve him for all time, but that it came with... perks. Justin was bleeding too badly. He was going to die. He accepted. The ritual was brief, but painful. He was nearly drained, then drank of the wolf's blood. His soul was torn in half, bound, stitched together again. There were no words to describe the agony... or the euphoria.

His first hunt as a vampire. He was so fast. So strong. So thirsty. The man's heartbeat was so loud, Justin was nearly deafened. One of the mobsters that had shot him was in his clutches. He was drained. The blood. The BLOOD! It was superb! Nothing ever felt so thrilling. So empowering. He could do anything! Kill anyone! But he couldn't. Inam needed him. Him and his other vampire younglings. They were going to start a new nest, here in the city. Justin knew the city well, he was raised here. He knew where the best hunting grounds would be.

Time passed again. The nest was small, but growing. They had to be cautious. Cameras were everywhere. Unfortunately, unlike the old legends, vampires had reflections like anyone else. Though rumors were that elders could turn themselves near invisible. Probably how that myth started. Inam laughed when he asked about it. The nest was getting too big to hide. They needed a cover. One of the others came up with the solution. A nightclub. It was perfect.

The club was built. Tenevita. Uptown, upscale, lots of young things would come in. Many of them too young to drink, but not too young to become a drink. The hunt was rarely in the club. Always elsewhere, to not draw attention to their new home. It was good. The vision continued forward. He fucked the landlord on his couch, not for the first time. But definitely the last time, not just because he was leaving. She grew cold in his arms as his seed filled her womb one last time. A shame, the cougar was smoking hot. The hunt in the alley, the girl's mind easy to control, even if the power was new to him. She was very sexy, very tight to fuck, very dead in his hands. Into the dumpster she went. He even took the coffee she ordered.

The club. The club was active tonight. Inam was happy, though he was calling himself Mikail Andreti now. The hunt would begin soon. Tonight was a good night. A night to party. In hours, only hours, they would go out. Not just to hunt, but to expand in numbers. They were to find new potentials to turn to younglings. Many of the thralls already were candidates. More would come soon. It would be a good night.

* * *

Tag groaned as his consciousness slammed back into his skull, and felt like it tried to exit through the back. He shook off the feeling of icy cold that had gripped him. If felt like he had been standing in a freezer for the last three days. "Ohhh... fuck, I really hate reading vampires!" He shivered again, rubbing his hands. "Well, at least we know I can read undead. So you're still a mystery."

Ginny frowned, her tone flat and sardonic. "Bully for me."

Rachel reached out, only to think better of touching the man as he shivered and rose. "Uh... did you at least see anything useful?"

He nodded, shaking off the last of the vision from himself. "Yeah. First, the landlady's dead." He nodded to the stain. "Died when that happened. Saw the alley. Left the rabbit's body in the dumpster. So she's probably been through the incinerator already."

Ginny grunted. "Municipal Waste Disposal at its finest. Doesn't even notice a corpse."

He grunted. "Happens way too often in this city. Anyway, I saw Inam. He's calling himself Mikail Andreti. Which is bad."

Rachel's turn to ask again. "Why is that bad?"

"Because that's the name of a mob boss."

She sighed. "Oh good! Not just a nest of vampires, but it's the Vampire Mafia!"

"It gets worse. I found out where their nest is. They're main location is a nightclub in uptown. Somewhere called Tenevita." He held up a hand before either could ask. "The bad part is that tonight... they're all going out into the city to look for new people to turn into younglings."

Ginny sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead. "Why does everything we do end with us having to charge into a dire situation?"

He gave her a wry grin. "Perk of the job?"

The rat sighed, then nodded as she conceded the point. "Yeah, that's fair. It is usually when the fun starts."

Rachel looked at the two. "So. What's our plan? Do we go in, guns blazing and hope we kill them before they kill us?"

Ginny slapped the woman on the back, very nearly knocking her over. "Now you're talking my language!"

Tag nodded. "We'll call it in, let them know the situation, and request backup. But I don't think we can just sit and wait for another team to show up. They're going to be leaving very soon. Some of them are probably already out on the prowl. If we can lock them down in the nightclub, then we can keep them focused on us and not the hunt. At least long enough for backup to arrive." He smiled. "It'll be a good excuse to test my new toy, too."

Ginny grunted. "Speaking of toys." She reached into her pocket and pulled out two small boxes about the size of a cellphone case. "Here."

Rachel looked at the box. It was solid black, with a hinge to open. "This a jewelry box?" She flipped open the lid. "Uh... what are these?" She had a sneaking suspicion she knew.

Tag opened his and just blinked. Inside were a dozen or more tiny glass objects. They looked a little like beads, but they each had some kind of little cap on them. Whatever was inside was such a dark red it looked almost black. Ginny smiled. "It's my blood."

He flinched. "You're... WHAT!? Why do you have tiny ampules of your blood? And why are you giving them to us?"

The rat just grinned even wider. "Keep them handy. If you see a vamp about to bite you, chuck one of these into its mouth." She let out a malicious giggle. "Trust me. It'll be hilarious."

"Oh... kay." He just poured them into one of his pockets.

Rachel did the same. "Vampires and zombie blood don't mix." She held up her hand as she got a growl from Ginny. "I know! You're not a zombie! It's just the easier term here."

The rat just grunted, but did calm down again. "Alright, tall boy and magic girl! Let's go clubbing!"

* * *

The nightclub was... not as big as he thought it would be. It wasn't tiny, but he had expected big building with flashing signs and a line to the door. Instead, it was more like a converted warehouse. The outside was a very simple gradient, from deep purple at the base and shifting to a lighter blue at the top. The name Tenevita was splashed above the main door in a neon pink with a yellow drop shadow design. Getting in was also not a problem. Tag just played it off like he was some wannabe upper scale douche going through an early midlife crisis and taking two pretty girls out for a fun night. Both girls played along with it quite well.

Once inside, it was a little more what he expected. After a short entryway, the main room was dominated by a dance floor, with booths and tables lining the area around the floor. A bar sat at one side, a set of stairs leading up to a second floor balcony that looked down upon the dance floor from above. Bright, multicolored lights strobed and pulsed with the thumping synthpop music piped in from the DJ booth on the opposite side of the room from the bar. The dance floor itself was home to a mass of bodies, moving and writhing to the beat of the music. More occupied the booths and seats, both on the first and second floors.

Tag nudged Ginny, then motioned up to the second floor. "Office is probably up there. My money says that our white wolf is in it." The rat nodded, but seemed distracted by something as she looked around, sniffing the air. "Something up?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. We're in trouble." He looked back out to see if he could spot it.

Rachel tugged his coat. "She's not wrong. This place reeks of dark magic."

He nodded. "Yeah. I think more than the music is making my head hurt." He found being around a lot of ambient magic made his head start to hurt. It messed with his psychic abilities in strange ways.

Ginny started to slowly move away from him, looking ready for a fight. "They're all vampires!" The two others looked at her, more because of HOW she said it. It was the first time he had heard her sound almost... intimidated. "We're completely surrounded in here."

"And you walked right into the middle of it." Tag winced as he heard the voice behind them. He turned to see the bouncer from the front, a tall, muscular cougar with a black t-shirt and a shit-eating grin. "You think we didn't know you're Nox the moment you walked up?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I thought that was too easy." He held out a hand to stop Ginny from lunging at him... yet. He became aware the crowd that had been dancing now all stopped and were looking at them. "So. What's the plan? Kill us and call it an early night?" He felt Rachel tap his arm before stepping slightly away from him, also ready.

The cougar chuckled. "Yeah. Though I think maybe those pretty ladies might get passed around to the boys first. Or maybe after. Most of 'em ain't picky." He looked Tag up and down. "Me, though... I think I'll be breaking you personally. You looks like a real pretty sort."

Tag sighed. "Right. Well, I guess that settles that. Rachel, why don't you show the man what that comment wins him."

The mouse smiled. "Gladly." She suddenly raised her hands up, flinging two blasts of flame directly at the man. Before he realized what was happening, the cougar was suddenly engulfed by the flames, which turned green as they burned his fur and flesh. The heat was intense, but brief as the fire burnt itself out almost as quickly as it started, leaving a charred husk where once had stood a man. Even Rachel was surprised. "Right. Vampires and fire don't mix."

Ginny growled low. "Tag..."

"Do it!" That's when the shit really hit the fan. Ginny was off like a shot, rocketing herself directly into the crowd, all teeth and claws. Her claws ripped through bodies like they weren't there, tearing pieces away, ripping limbs and smacking others with them, and moving on to slash and rip at another. Not worried about the rat, he looked instead to the mouse. She only nodded to him and turned away, launching another volley of fire spells at a second group that started to come.

Tag reached into his coat and pulled out his new pistol. With the two more capable women dealing with the crowd, he started to run around them. He ducked under a swing at him, the body belonging to the arm suddenly burning a moment later as Rachel covered him. He made his way toward the stairs to the second floor. Though he only got halfway around the dance floor before he was knocked back by someone landing directly in front of him, having leaped from the second floor balcony. "Where you think you're going, stringbean?"

He knew that voice. He had been him only an hour ago. Looking up, he saw the tiger grinning down at him. "Ah. Hi, Justin."

Justin smirked. "You think knowing my name means anything?"

Tag raised his pistol to aim at the man. "No. But you should still move out of my way."

This only got a laugh in response. "You must be fuck'n dim. You walk into a nest of vampires knowin' full well what we are, and you think threatening me with that little peashooter will do anything?"

He shrugged. "Was worth a shot." He fired several times. Instead of making a loud bang, it only made a kind of clack as the unique projectiles were launched.

The tiger didn't even react. He looked down to see four tiny bits of metal stuck out of his chest. He plucked on one out and held it up. "You have gun that shoots toothpicks?" He sniffed. "This silver? You really are a fuck'n idiot. Silver's for werewolves!" He tossed the thing away. "I'm going to rip your fucking head off now. Doin' you a favor. Fucking idiot, thinking silver toothpicks would hurt me."

Tag shrugged. "No. But this might." While one hand still aimed the gun, he held out the other, and snapped his fingers. Electricity sparked in the air, arching around both hands, then down the gun in his hands, almost as if wrapping around it. He pulled the trigger again, and another silver bolt launched, taking the magic with it, curling around the silver. As soon as it struck the tiger, it sparked outward, arcing around to the other bits in him, amplifying itself in a feedback loop. All of this happened within the blink of an eye. To anyone watching, Tag shot a bolt of lightning, the tiger suddenly screaming as it wrapped around him, burning him from the inside in a second.

By the time Tag was getting himself back up to his feet, the tiger's body had fallen to the ground, laying there smoking. He brushed himself a little. "Fun fact. Silver is one of the most conductive common metals. Who's the dumbass again?" He heard the scream behind him as someone was ripped open by Ginny while others were being burned by Rachel. "Right. Don't gloat for one." He berated himself. Stepping over Justin, he made his way up the stairs to start searching for their actual target.

Rachel smiled as she saw the jerboa shock several more vampires on his way. She was proud of him, and once more impressed that he found a way to utilize his still fledgling abilities. She turned her attention back to the crowd in front of her. A gout of flame caught another, but she had to start moving. A ferret lunged at her, and she brought her arms up defensively. The woman bounced off of the air as Rachel put a shield of hard light around her. As soon as the lunge was blocked, she threw her arms out, launching the shield forward. The vampire fell in two halves as the light cut through her middle.

She was starting to feel the taxing on her mana reserves as she had to keep launching spell after spell. She switched away from fire, which was not her specialty, and focused more on using light to launch small blast brief bursts of what were effectively laser blasts, and air spells that could push many that got too close away. She could also launch a wave of air like the light, acting as a kind of cutting weapon, though it was not accurate in any way, and significantly slower than the speed of light.

She cried out as a claw ripped at her back, sending her crashing to the floor. A tall, stocky fox stood over her, grinning wide, her blood on his claws. "Don't you look just tasty?"

On the dance floor, Ginny was in her element. Her claws ripped through flesh, her teeth tearing away throats, her kicks knocking heads from shoulders. Her fur and clothing were coated in blood, most of it not her own. A few had gotten a good hit in on her, but she fought undaunted. She flinched as she felt a set of teeth suddenly sink into her neck... then she laughed. "Oh, you're going to regret that one." The dog that bit her suddenly flinched away, screaming in agony. He tried to spit the undead blood out of his mouth, but it was far too late. He had drank of her, and his body was violently rejecting it. He let out a blood curdling scream as he suddenly started to disintegrate into ash, his clothing falling to the floor as he vanished into a pile of dust.

The crowd around her suddenly flinched back at the display. Ginny's already manic grin spread even wider to dominate her face. "Yeah. I'm undead, too, bitches." She let out a feral scream as she launched herself at the crowd once more.

The display had been enough to distract the fox looming over Rachel. "What the fu-UGH" He flinched as something was suddenly in his mouth. Something glass. He spat out the shards. "You throwing bottle's now, b-" His words were cut of as he let out a screech of pain. Rachel grinned, thankful she hit the mark when she threw the little ampule of Ginny's blood. She didn't bother to watch the fox finish disintegrating. She winced and forced herself back up to her feet. The slash across her back ached something fierce, and she felt her fur wet with her blood. But the fact she could feel was a good thing. She put up a shield to block another attack, turning to look at her attacker, and counter.

On the upper floor, Tag had to deal with far less of the vampires. Ginny and Rachel's flashy style seemed to get the attention of almost everyone in the club. He still had to take down a handful of them, but he was grateful for his partners being so capable. Though even having only cast spells a few times, he was already panting heavily. Rachel had told him about this, that casting repeatedly would drain him of mana. Being so new at it, he would drain far faster. Like any muscle, the more he practiced, the longer and stronger he could go with it.

He made his way across the area, heading to a rather obvious door, leading to a room that could look out on the club by one massive window. He figured that had to be the main office. If Inam was going to be anywhere, it was there. Once he was there, he took several deep breaths, though they did nothing to slow his heart pounding in his chest. Not only was he feeling drained, but the man on the other side of that door was dangerous. Very dangerous. And Tag was the least capable fighter of the group. Steeling himself, he reached out to grab the handle.

Tag was aware of splinters of wood. A lot of them. There was also a hand, covered in white fur. At least he was pretty sure it was a hand. It move so fast that he could barely register it when it burst through the door to grab him by the neck. His face was then introduced to the door, only to be dragged through it, making even more splinters. "You've got balls, rodent. I'll give you that." Tag grunted, though his head was a bit too foggy from his introduction to the door to make any kind of clever quip. "So. Noxumbra found me. Guess it was only a matter of time."

Inam held Tag by the throat, effortlessly keeping the man off of his feet with just the one hand. Even more impressive as he was not as tall as Tag. The wolf turned his attention out to the dance floor. "Those girls are pretty skilled, too. Though I think the mouse is starting to wear out." Tag grunted, trying to raise a hand. The window rattled as the wolf slammed him against it, the back of his head bouncing off of the solid surface. "That rat, though. Thought it was a demon until that one bit it." He laughed darkly. "Behold the hypocrisy of the high and mighty Noxumbra. Calls vampires monsters, but is fine using a zombie as one of their soldiers."

Tag coughed, struggling to speak. "She's... n-not... not a... z-zomb...ie!"

The wolf shrugged. "Call it whatever you want, it's still a monster." He lowered Tag a little, but didn't loosen his grip. "Take some advice from me, kid. That... _creature_down there? It is not your ally. You should put it down. Us children of the night? We just want to survive. We feed because we must. This club? It serves as a home, and a menu. Sweet things come by, we find the ones that won't amount to much. College kids more interested in partying than their grades. Middle aged bankers cheating on their wives while sucking more people dry than we could ever hope to. Gang bangers flashing their cash and looking for some pussy. We're doing this city a service putting them down. Your group should be working with us, not trying to exterminate us."

Tag grunted, suddenly realizing the weight in his hand. By some miracle, he had not dropped his gun. "Th-anks... but n-no... thanks!" He raised the pistol up as best he could and fired several rounds, the last sparked with electricity. Thanks to the hand still on his throat, he felt it course over his own body as well. Hurt like hell, but he knew it wouldn't kill him... probably. Another thing Rachel had taught him. Your own spells could definitely hurt, but if you hit yourself with your own spell, the effectiveness was significantly reduced. She had talked about a bunch of theories as to why, something about a survival instinct. It was above his head, and really not important right now.

Especially as Inam's hand gripped tighter. The wolf looked at him, eyes red with rage, fangs bared at him. "Well. You can't say I didn't give you a chance." The next thing Tag was aware of was glass. Lots of tiny bits of broken glass. He was surrounded by it, though even more was currently shredding his back as he was thrown through the window. At least the grip on his throat was gone... though being in a free fall was just as bad. His body twisted as he fell, almost in slow motion. He could stand for it to be a lot slower, though.

Rachel panted heavily. She turned as she saw the glass shatter, her eyes going wide as his body was thrown through it. "TAG!" She moved to run, but winced. Her back ached horribly, as did her legs. She had been caught by a few slashes along her calves. Not enough to knock her down, but she was too slow. There was no way she could reach him in time. Tag's body hit the ground hard, bouncing off of it as broken glass rained down around him. She rushed over, falling to her knees as she got to his side. He was covered in blood, but still breathing. They were short, wheezing, gasping breaths, but breaths. "Thank the gods."

The ground shook as something landed hard. "The only god in this building is me, little girl." She looked up as she saw the white wolf standing over her. The man was a hulk of a beast over her, fur standing on all ends, muscles almost bursting out of his business shirt. "I gave him a chance. He turned it down. I won't bother doing the same for you, Noxumbra bi-" He grunted as a fist suddenly connected with his face. A black fist, hitting hard enough to make him stagger a step. He lifted his head, turning to look at Ginny. "You first then, abomination."

Rachel flinched as she looked at Ginny. If looks could kill, the one the rat was giving the wolf would be able to wipe out an army. It was the visage of pure rage and hatred. "You. Hurt. Him." Each word was said with a calm fury that made her blood run cold.

Inam grunted. "He made his choice." With no warning, the wolf slashed out at Ginny. His claws swiped right across her face, slashing deep groves through her, tearing flesh down to bone.

She didn't even flinch from it, only taking a step forward. "You. HURT! HIM!" Even the vampire had to flinch away this time. Then he growled at her, baring his fangs and claws. He swiped again, this time with both hands. They went sailing away as she slashed her own claws so fast that her hands were a blur of black fur and blood, cutting clean through him. He recoiled, screaming as blood drained from the stumps of his wrists. " YOU HURT HIM!"

What happened next would give Rachel nightmares for a long time. For several minutes, the rat didn't so much fight the vampire as systematically disassemble him piece by blood spraying piece. His limbs were shredded, those that remained attached. His chest was torn open, several ribs having been ripped free and jammed back into him in various places. His legs were broken in so many places that she was pretty sure the bones were nothing more than a fine powder. His eyes were gouged out, one of his ribs still sticking out of the right socket. His fangs were shattered, his jaw not fairing much better. The worst part of it all was that the man was still alive. Or whatever counted for alive for a vampire.

Or that was the case, until Ginny reached into his open chest cavity and sank her claws into his heart. With a hard yank, she tore the thing out of him, drooling black blood. She brought it to her mouth and bit a massive chunk out of it before chucking the thing to the side. Rachel was going to say something, but she saw the look in Ginny's eyes. The fury was still burning in her, a rage like none she had ever seen, even in herself after her sister's murder.

Then the look was turned to her. "G-Ginny?" The rat turned fully to her. "G-Ginny... please calm down..." Summoning every once of magic she had left, she brought up a shield. And just in time as the revenant slammed her hands against it. "GINNY!" She winced as the shield was struck again. She tried to push back as the revenant started to slam against the near-invisible barrier. The sound the woman made was... not something a living soul should hear. It was like hell itself screamed at her, angry at her specifically. "GINNY! PLEASE!"

Rachel felt a hand on her leg. She risked a look to see Tag slowly pushing himself up. He coughed heavily, turning to look up at his partner. "Ginny..." The rat did not stop, still pounding on the shield. "Ginny... stop!" His voice was weak and raspy. It did not seem to reach her, either.

"Tag... if you can move... get away from here!" Rachel blinked as the man instead moved in front of her. "What are you doing!? This thing isn't going to hold much longer! She's in a bloodlust fury!"

He ignored her... for now. He moved to kneel right at the edge of the shield, looking through it right at the rat. "Genevieve." Ginny flinched. "Genevieve... it's over." Awareness filled her gaze, and she stumbled back a step.

She looked around, confusion on her face. "It's... over?"

Tag nodded, then started to cough, enough to make him double over. Rachel caught him, though she flinched when Ginny knelt down beside him as well. He finally got the coughing under control. He looked up at Ginny. "You... you good now?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah. Sorry." She looked at Rachel, then away. "Sorry if I... sorry."

The mouse just nodded slowly, deciding NOT to question the psycho undead rat that just eviscerated an elder vampire in front of her. "Y-yeah..." She cleared her throat. "Um... upside. You're... uh... display of force... seemed to have convinced the few surviving vampires to GTFO."

Ginny nodded slowly. "Well. Shame, I could have used them for some... anger management." The two looked down as Tag managed a weak chuckle, though it set him into another coughing fit. When it was done, he just laid his head down and let out a raspy breath. Ginny's eyes went wide. "T-Tag!"

"He's okay. Well... he's alive." She was holding his arm by the wrist, feeling his heart still beating. "Listen. You'll hear his heart." The rat nodded slowly, only to flinch when Rachel suddenly slumped. She caught the mouse, surprising both herself and Rachel. "Uh... thanks..." She groaned as she let herself be laid down, closing her eyes. "Wake me... when ev...ac... gets here..."

Ginny just knelt there as the woman also passed out. She sighed heavily, still hearing both of their hearts beating... almost in sync with each other. She moved to sit nearby, her back pressed against the remains of an upturned table. "Well. ...Fuck."

* * *

He didn't even need to open his eyes to know where he was. Tag had woken up in the infirmary enough times by now that just the sound and smell was enough to tell him. Though the numbness through his body was also a pretty good indicator. He still groaned and forced his eyes to open, regretting it the moment the lights above touched his retinas. "Welcome back." He turned, blinking with blurry eyes to the owner of the melodic voice. Dr. Sarah leaned a little closer, the doe giving him a sweet smile. He saw she had her angel wings out.

He groaned and tried to sit up, only wince. "Ah... ow..."

She put a hand on his chest, which was currently wrapped in some pretty thick bandages. "Easy there. You were pretty badly hurt when the team brought all of you in. You're lucky you're still alive."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah... picked a fight with a second story window and lost."

She giggled softly. "Well, that wasn't very smart. Joking is good, though." She started to examine him, flashing a light in his eyes that made him flinch, making him wiggle his toes and fingers. "Well. You're response is a little slow from the concussion, but nothing seems to be permanently damaged." She poked his foot. "Can you feel that?"

He nodded. "Yeah... kinda. Feels... fuzzy?"

"That's normal. You've been on some pretty powerful painkillers while you were out." She motioned to an IV bag hooked up to him. "Noxumbra special. Like morphine, but on a whole new level, and without most of the nasty side effects. And no, you can't take any with you once you leave."

He chuckled, then regretted it instantly as his chest ached. "Ah... yeah. Painkillers aren't my vice anyway." A thought struck him. "W-where's...?"

"Rachel?" Dr. Sarah motioned to a bed nearby. The mouse was also wrapped in bandages, an IV and a blood bag hooked up to her.

Tag gasped, trying to sit up... and failing. "I-Is she okay?"

The angel put a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. "She's fine. She had some very serious lacerations on her back, but no damage to her spine. She lost a lot of blood, too, but she's not in any danger anymore. Right now, she's sleeping off a critical mana depletion."

He blinked. "A... what?"

"Critical mana depletion. Basically, she used magic more than her body can typically handle. It's like overworking your muscles when your adrenaline spikes. A good few days of rest will help that." She frowned a little. "You were close to that, too. Must have been one hell of a fight. I didn't even know you could use magic."

He nodded, though the fatigue was starting to creep into him again. "Yeah... it's a new... development." He closed his eyes, only to open them again. "Is Ginny...?"

"Genevieve is alright. Due to her... nature... she is unlikely to ever be one of my patients." She glanced away. "Though I did recommend she see another kind of doctor. She seemed... shaken. I've never seen her like that." He nodded. The angel smiled at him again. "She was also very worried about you. Was at your side for almost a full day before I had to shoo her away."

"A... day? How long...?"

"Four days." She touched his shoulder again. "Relax. Get some rest. Right now, that's what you need the most. You should be out of here in a few days." He nodded slowly, resting his head back again. Before he was even done contemplating sleep, he had drifted off.

* * *

"So, how many do you think got away?" Beatrice looked at him with her usual stern expression.

"Not sure. A dozen or so, maybe more." Tag shrugged. "I was a bit too concerned with the shards of glass in my back at the time to take an accurate headcount." He looked over at Rachel. "Did you see?" The two were still in the infirmary, though now at least able to sit up without everything aching. Rachel had been discharged the previous day, and he had only just been given a clean bill of health a half our earlier. Now that the two of them were conscious and able to think clearly, his mother had come to get their take on what happened. Though the backup teams that had arrived got a pretty good idea once they saw the carnage.

Rachel shook her head. "I... don't know. I was kind of too focused on..."

"Ginny. Yes." Beatrice nodded slowly. "And she says she was in a fog until after the fight with Inam was over, so she is not quite sure, either."

Tag looked at Rachel, then back at his mother. He licked his lips, then asked, "How is she?"

The director took a deep breath. "Cold as ever. Though I think she was pretty shaken by that blood rage, as you put it. I don't think she's ever been that... lost in one before."

"She does that a lot?"

Beatrice shook her head at Rachel's question. "No. Very rarely, in fact. This is only the third in her time with us."

"That's three too many!"

Tag held his hand up. "It's..." He sighed, not really able to defend it. "Yeah, she needs someone to talk to. A therapist or psychologist, maybe? If... there is one that specializes in 500 year old undead."

The older jerboa smiled. "Undead, not so much. Centuries old, though, we have a few. I've already scheduled to have her meet with one in the next few days. Right now, she says she just needs some space." Before anyone could protest, she added. "And she has been confined to the base. Don't worry, I'm not about to let a potentially unstable woman as dangerous as her walk out on the streets." She let out a sigh and stood up. "Well. I think that's about all I need from the both of you. Doc says you're free to go." She looked at Rachel. "Oh, and I would like to officially let you know that you are no longer need supervision to leave the building."

The mouse blinked. "O-oh... thank you!"

Beatrice nodded. "Your actions during this case proved to me enough." She smiled. "You're still under probation, though. So... don't go planning any trips to Europe just yet."

Rachel giggled softly. "Okay. I wasn't planning on it, though. I'm going to stay here." She glanced at Tag for just a moment before looking back to her. "I have some unfinished business with him, after all." He felt his throat tighten. "He still needs a lot of training for his magic." He relaxed, nodding.

His mother smiled, though he swore it was a knowing one. Of course she knew. "Alright. Well, I'll let you to get back to it. Though... go easy. Both of you. You're still not fully recovered. Don't go burning out your mana again."

He nodded. "We won't." He watched his mother walk out, her tail swaying slowly. He turned to look at Rachel. "Unfinished business? Really?"

She giggled. "I wasn't about to lie!"

"Thought you were going to bring up the moment we almost had in my office."

"What moment?" She gave him a sweet, innocent smile that was as obviously fake as they came.

"You know exactly what I mean." He pushed himself off of the bed, still feeling a bit stiff from days of just laying there.

She shrugged. "Maybe." She moved a little closer to him. "Maybe I'll need you to remind me."

He smirked. "I just might." He gently pat her shoulder. "How about some food first. I could go for something actually solid for a change."

"GODS yes!" The both chuckled and walked out. She leaned close against him, and he slid his hand around her shoulders.

* * *