8:30 - Cat Kitten - [ On my day off, no less. ]

8:31 - Cat Kitten - [ Go to hell. ]

8:31 - Cat Kitten - [ Before I drag you there myself. ]

8:31 - Bad Rat - [ sounds like a date to me~ ]

 

The grumbling of a volcano in waiting rumbles from the back of my throat, and I shake my head as I put my phone down on the table and look back to Coyotl, the stranger looking at me somewhat sadly.

“...I’m sorry, I should not have bored you with such--”

“No no no no!” I interject, waving my paws in front of me frantically. “No way in hell I’m gonna not give you a chance to talk about something you love so much. I know what it’s like to be told something you care deeply about isn’t worth someone else’s time.”

A wistful smile finds its way onto my face as my eyes drift elsewhere.

“Fox always made sure to listen. It always felt like whatever I talked about with her was always the center of her world when I spoke.”

I shake my head as the screen of my phone lights up once again, another message from Elizabeth shot from her phone to mine like a bullet to the brain.

“Nah, just been getting texts from that rat all morning.”

The grimace on their face contorts their glowing face like they’d just licked a lemon, and the sour taste is not lost on me.

“For once, I am glad to not have a phone. Uhm…” they pause, glancing away from me nervously. “Should...I save the artefact talk for later…?”

A sad sigh escapes me, and I cross my arms to further exemplify my disappointment.

“Maybe. I’d love to hear more about all these things, mythology and ancient stuff is directly in my line of interests. But I’ve got a bad feeling about pissing off Elizabeth any more than I already have…”

Coyotl nods with a clawed hand to their chin and a thoughtful expression on their face, only for their attention to be brought back outward as Jasper returns with our food.

“Ghh-- Th-thank you…” the stranger mumbles as the waitress places our plates down before us.

“...Ah, thanks a ton Jasper,” I say, thoughts a bit jumbled before focusing in on Jasper with a smile.

“Of course, anything for you,” she says gently and genuinely with a cute little bow. 

I hold my playful tongue from saying anything that would embarrass her too much, but make an important move nonetheless. “Anything? How about some time? My night’s not fully packed yet, and it’s been a bit since we’ve caught up.”

Her face lights up red, the waitress beginning to fiddle with the hem of her apron.

“T-time? I-I’m sorry, Cat, you’re beautiful and wonderful and all, but I don’t really swing that way--”

“As friends,” I add, smirking coyly at Jasper as she looks just about ready to deflate.

“As friends! O-of course, right, of course. Yes. Yes, of course! Tonight sounds just right, I planned to close early anyways, I’m sure I could slip in a moment of your time. I’d love to!”

I give her a big catty smile while turning my phone on its face. Rat can wait, it’s cute girl time.

“What’s this about closing early?”

“Oh! Well, you see, Reed was...convinced to hold a little musical event at their bar in about two days or so? And I offered to help organize it! So I’ve been taking a bit of time off to do just that, a-and hopefully get in their good graces…”

I can’t help but smirk and shake my head.

“Unless you’re Bomba, it ain’t happening. Not in any visible way anyways.”

The waitress slumps over and sighs in defeat, even getting an amused ‘hmph’ out of Coyotl to join in my chuckle.

“Yeah...still, I’m happy to help all the same. Honestly, Fox was the first person to come to mind when the idea was brought up, but…”

A grimace on my face wrings a sympathetic look out of Jasper.

“She’ll show up, don’t you worry, Jasper.”

She smiles weakly and rubs the back of her head with the hand not lightening up on her apron.

“I feel like I should be telling you that, but if you already believe it, then there’s not much I can do but believe you!”

Aw.

“Well, if you believe in me, then I guess I’m unstoppable, huh?”

Jasper snorts and bats her hand at me, waving goodbye as some other customers begin to show up, leaving me to look back at Coyotl, who is curiously and anxiously eyeing my phone. Ah...yeah. Best deal with that, huh?

 

8:32 - Bad Rat - [ meet me in Subterfuge, beyond the point of civilization ]

8:32 - Bad Rat - [ you’ve got an hour, so make it count~ ]

8:33 - Bad Rat - [ and for the love of whatever stupid god you follow ]

8:33 - Bad Rat - [ don’t bring the new idiot ]

8:34 - Bad Rat - [ this is a stealth mission, after all~ ]

8:41 - Cat Kitten - [ k ]

8:41 - Bad Rat - [ aw, no quirky quip from the hero of the day? ]

8:42 - Bad Rat - [ how sad~ ]

8:43 - Bad Rat - [ perhaps that shining kitty has lost all her luster, how sad how sad~ ]

8:45 - Bad Rat - [ that can’t seriously be all you have to say ]

8:47 - Bad Rat - [ and you call me sad? you’re pathetic, darling~ ]

8:50 - Bad Rat - [ you’re sooooo sad~ ]

8:55 - Bad Rat - [ get the fuck over here already ]

 

Gotta admit, it’s kinda fun watching her slowly melt down while Coyotl and me finish our meals.

 

“Thus, I present to you, the Wheels of Fortune,” the stranger announces, pulling two seemingly innocuous rings from their cloak, one red as the belly of a flame, the other blue as a clear sky, both the size of tires. The hell do they fit those under there?

“...Pardon my confusion,” I begin, looking at Coyotl from the side as we make our way from one end of town to the other at a relaxed pace, “but isn’t it just one wheel of fortune? I never got much of a chance to look into tarot stuff myself, though it has always had me curious.”

They shake their head, clanking the two rings together as they hold them both in one hand.

“Merely similar in name. Named as such not because of any alteration in one’s luck or fortune, rather, the ingenious ways the relics have been used in the past. Fortune favours the bold, after all. Chakrams, warp holes, unsolvable ring puzzles...the ways these tools have been used in the past is the epitome of bold ingenuity.”

I smile at the depth with which Coyotl explains their passion. “There’s one thing the Inktons did right, at least. Preservation of history. I’m half tempted to visit sometime and give those books ‘n tablets a read myself.”

They don’t seem all too comfortable with the idea, however, looking nervous as they stow the rings back into the depths of their cloak.

“I’d recommend avoiding that place. Like Elizabeth said, I was...an idiot for playing with power that I...do not understand.”

Throwing my arm around their shoulder and pulling ‘em close, I turn and give em a catty smirk.

“Hey, I was almost convinced of the same thing the first time Fox and I planned on going, and look how that turned out. Following your gut and desires is important, it led you here after all, right?”

The stranger fidgets somewhat in the hold of my arm before sighing and nodding, seeming almost defeated by the idea of this possibly being a good thing.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, the last person you need to apologize to is me.”

“...Of course. Thank you...Cat.”

 

It’s not long before we find ourselves at the edge of town, facing off the towering threat that is Monorise, and the creeping depths we know lie below. I look up to Fox on a nearby roof, we nod to one another, and turn to face our foe together.

“This is where we part ways for now, Coyotl.”

“...Are you absolutely sure I cannot accompany you? I promise, I can be of use--”

A shake of my head cuts them off as I stare ahead with further contempt.

“I know you’re talented, I have no doubt about that.” Finally, I turn to them and smile slightly. “I’d rather spare you from any time that might be spent in the presence of the rat.”

For once, they almost seem amused by something, tension leaving their body, especially from their expression.

“I suppose I should be thankful.”

“Damn right. ‘Sides, I’ll be able to see you in action tomorrow. Gauging how compatible we might be in combat is important, and for now, the only one I can count on for that is Fox.”

Coyotl nods, and I turn back to our destination, taking a step forward.

“Wait.”

And I stop in my tracks, sighing and turning to the stranger, whose arm is extended, and within their grasp, I see an orb of pure emerald.

“Please, at least take this.”

My eyes stay locked onto the orb, squinting and pondering before glancing back up at Coyotl’s face, their seriousness evident, yet they shake still.

“This...isn’t this…?”

“The summoning stone. I don’t know what caused this to happen, but...the staff it had been attached to had been shattered to pieces by the time I found it. All that remains is the focal point of its power. Take it, and if you need me, hold tight to its foul hue and harken back to me. I shall be summoned.”

I purse my lips and cross my arms, tail swishing in discomfort.

“I get I should take what I can get, but using the very power the Inkton Witch harnessed to put us through a week of hell? Iunno ‘bout that one, chief…”

“If they’re here no longer, I see not why you should not be able to take the powers which scorned you. They are her’s no longer.”

My face scrunches up in thought before I relent, reaching out and taking the orb.

“Alright, I’ll trust you on this. It seems you’ve read up quite a bit while you were holed up in that manor, might as well put that time to use.”

The stranger nods, so hard it almost turns into a bow, seeing me off as I shove the stone into my coat pocket and begin walking once more.

“Take care, Coyotl!

“Good luck, Cat…”

 

Once we’re on our feet, I can’t help but feel a refreshing wind rush through me, and I smile, knowing exactly why.

“Not exactly the same as taking orders from Yom, but I’m actually kind of excited to find some routine again.”

The lil’ fox by my side looks up and grins, nodding as the air around us pushes us forward like a heartbeat I know all too well.

“Thanks again, Fox. Y’know. I was gonna say for sticking through this with me, but I might as well be thanking you for everything since we met. Which, yes, I am thankful for.”

I lean down and give her fur a ruffle before we pick up speed and dash towards Monorise, slinking into the building we’d last exited with ease and taking the path down into Subterfuge.

Out of the manhole and into the homemade nightlife of the underworld, I’m stunned once again by how robust and functional everything looks. It’s a lot easier to take in without needing to worry about eyes that glare and hands that stab. Well, eyes are staring, but you’d stare too if you saw a hot cat woman towering over you too, I’d imagine.

Instead of feeling on guard, I can enjoy what feels like a stroll under the night sky, scurrying by other denizens of the dark and feeling like a part of the dweller’s rushing river of business. I do have business to attend to, afterall.

‘Beyond the point of civilization’ she said, as if this were some ruined half of some fantasy world. It really is beyond civilization as I soon find out, the number of people quickly dwindling to find the abandoned construction projects embedded into the subway’s walls. Once we’re even beyond that, there is only light and darkness, and a crossroad, at which stands that bitch herself.

“Ahh, good of you to finally show up, Cat Kitten! Welcome, to Widow’s Way~” she announces, bowing with flourish as a swarm of 5 or so ethereal rats clap for her.

“Kinda morbid of a name considering this is a subway.”

“These stupid folk like their urban legends and what not, why take that from them?” the rat says, leaning against a vehicle that’s seemingly a cross between an actual subway train and...a golf cart. 

It’s nowhere near as big as a train, but it has the sleekness of one. It has no windows and no roof, besides above the front most seats. There are 6 rear seats all crammed together to make the total size of the machine a little more manageable, but it still looks ridiculous as hell.

“...What the fuck, in the name of unholy transportation methods, is that?”

Liz slaps its side with both her hand and her tail, and her rats join in, looking proud of themselves.

“It’s called riding in style, babe. You wouldn’t get it, though, now would you~?” this fucker sneers with her nose pointed up and a sharp smirk stretched across her face. “I call her the Rat Racer. Others have similar but...clearly less polished vehicles, but this baby here? Fastest, slickest thing on rails, babe~”

“Fantastic. So you’re our chauffeur now?” I say deadpan, Fox already leaping into the front and beeping the wheel.

“I am nothing if generous, ain’t I~?”

“I hate being stuck with you.”

I walk over and hop into the back as Liz shrugs and smirks, and I lay back with my hands behind my head.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road, rat. Today was supposed to be my day off, I intend to keep part of it as such.”

Elizabeth laughs, sauntering towards me and leaning over the side of the back, eyes glued on me.

“Aw, you get to spend time with me, though! How is that not worth it~”

“...”

Without the pleasure of receiving a response from me, the rat stares in uncomfortable silence before opening the side door just to slam it shut with a scowl.

“Fuck you. We’re going.”

“Finally.”

 

With Fox in shotgun, head sticking out where a window should be, Liz has us on our way, leaning back in the driver’s seat with a single hand on the wheel and turning back to look at me.

“Pretty smooth ride, eh~?”

“Meh.”

The rat’s eyes narrow in on me, a bratty little huff being puffed out her little rat nose with a flick of her whiskers, the woman turning back to watch the way ahead with a pouty scowl.

“Ungrateful bitch.”

I smirk and chuckle at her displeasure, finally looking up and around as I feel the vehicle beginning to slow down.

“What, was that too fast for you?”

“If you’d use those pretty cat eyes of yours for once, you might be thankful I’m not driving your ass headfirst into trouble, yet~”

Standing up and over the little roof above the front of the vehicle, I squint as faint images within the darkness become apparent.

“What the fuck are those…?”

From the floors to the ceiling, ghastly figures drift aimlessly along the tunnel, looking barely corporeal at all. They take the form of something vaguely human, however, for some, where limbs should be, there is instead either a wispy trail of darkness, or something more malformed, an arm too large, legs too short. Their oily bodies, barely contained to a shape with random colours flowing about them like gas, seem permanently cast in an unnatural shadow, regardless of how close they approach any source of light. Some even seem to be missing their heads, yet their faces appear to drift along their body as if it were aimlessly floating through water. Hell, even the ones with heads seem to do this…

“Ghosts.”

“Ghosts?!”

Fox perks up, ears standing in attentiveness as she turns to face me, then Liz with a tilt of her head.

“Yeah, that’s what we call ‘em. Can’t say it ain’t accurate, eh~?”

“How the hell did they even get here? Like, are they literally ghosts? People that have died?”

The rat shrugs and kicks her legs up over the machine’s controls.

“Hell if I know, babe. Been here since Subterfuge was founded. All we know is they do not like people. That’s why we either have vehicles or squads prepared to shoo ‘em off, or…~”

Elizabeth cranes her head back, smirking not at me, but behind me. I turn around to see just what she’s so enamoured by, to find a lone person rolling up to us on a skateboard.

“...Hey, wait a minute, I remember you.”

She grinds to a halt right next to us, looking straight at me and nodding for whatever reason before turning to Liz.

“G’mornin’, Poison~ Ladies, meet your new friend.”

Fox leans in to sniff at the figure in the overly large sweater, but blinks and cocks her head, turning back to me with a quizzical expression. If I had to guess, she can’t pick up any scent off this person. Whoever this is, does NOT want to be known. So, of course, I hop out the back of the cart mobile and extend a hand towards Poison.

“Cat Kitten. Another professional, from the sound of it?”

She stares at my hand, then up at me, not a trace of emotion found thanks to those huge goggles and scarf under her hood. Despite her hands already being inaccessible from within her hoodie’s pockets, she seems to avoid my gesture by moving them behind her, almost in a cute kind of manner. Huh. I can feel the light in me resonating with her, and yet, it’s as if I can tell it’s not exactly something she desires right now. Yombroila’s senses are a lot more acute than I’d first thought.

“Not a fan of touch? I getcha, I getcha. Still, good to have someone of your expertise on our side. Us being me and Fox here. Yes, she’s a fox named Fox. And she’s proud of it.”

Fox grins and nods, deftly flipping onto the roof of the cart and posing extravagantly. Poison seems to bring a hand up close to her mouth, almost as if she’s giggling. It’s kinda cute.

“Yeah yeah, everyone’s chummy, get to work, wouldja? These ghosts ain’t gonna bust ‘emselves.”

 

Poison looks to Liz blankly (as if she can look any other way with all that gear on) and nods, then looking to Fox, then me for a brief moment, afterwhich, she kicks her board in the right direction and holy crap she’s zoomin’.

The skater hops from one rail to another, the specters taking attention once she’s close enough, looking to attack, as slow as they are. They have no hope of catching Poison, however, and she chases them off with ease, leaning against the grinding side of her board as way more sparks than there should begin spewing out at the sudden friction, scaring off any ghost in their path. Another kick sends her and her board high into the air, the girl spinning and reaching for her belt before throwing needle-like items all about, sticking to the metal rails with ease and embedding themselves into the stone elsewhere. She swats one ghost in the face with her board as she spins and lands on another, knives flying from her sleeves to swiftly slash at others approaching before launching one at a seemingly random direction into the air...only to stop, caught by one of many trip wires connecting all of the needles she’d thrown. Currents of electricity course through each and every line, building in light and energy before a marvelous light show sends streaks of lightning spawning from every needle, lashing out at her foes and scaring off the ones it doesn’t hit.

At this point, Fox looks far too excited to stop, leaping in and catching up in no time, weaving about the sparks like it’s nothing. In fact, she uses them to her advantage, whacking her tail into the ground with a big fan slapping noise, the gust sending nearby needles careening into and around other enemies. Poison seems...surprised? At first? It’s hard to tell what she’s feeling at all, but it does take her a moment to realize what Fox is doing and start playing along, kicking from rail to rail avoiding the needles that fly into her vicinity. The sparks from her grinding continue to blast away the ghoulies between her hopping on the heads of any in her path, even grabbing her board by its sides and smashing some heads directly.

“...Well, can’t let those two have all the fun.” I say, stretching my arms then my legs and taking an earth shuddering step forward, pulling the attention of all stray ghosts towards me.

“Do put on a show, babe~ I’d hate to see you under perform before your grand reveal tomorrow~”

I roll my eyes and my neck, choosing to ignore the rat once more before blasting forward, leaving fire at each footstep.

“Alright, you filthy shadows, prepare to feel my light!”

The fire in me blazes, embers flickering into the darkness as I take a cue from Poison. Orbs of light burn in my palms before swirling into the shape of glowing jellyfish. Each follows the movements of my hands, their tendrils lashing out at the specters like whips of fire as I dance and spin to fend off the foes. And yet...something feels off.

I struggle to keep a hold of my own flame, grunting as I attempt to ignite my anger like it’s a faulty lighter to no avail. What is going on?! One jellyfish is let loose and begins spinning of its own volition, snapping its appendages at everything around it, including me! I shake my head and side step the lashes as best I can, shrugging off those that do land thanks to it just being fire off a cat’s back. I put more force into the one I still control, grinding my fangs before noticing Fox whoosh past me, headbutting a ghost that had snuck up on me in my frenzy. C’mon, Cat, you’re losin’ it!

At the very least, my partner has my back, and Poison covers everything beyond that as we trek further down the tunnel. I stick to long ranged fighting for now, hurling lightbulbs that shatter into pits of fire, their shards of glass flying about like embers, and kicking fireworks at those even further, leaving Fox with only those close by to tackle...or spin her tail at them like a lawnmower’s blade, sound and all. Even like this, she finds ways to be stupidly creative.

By the time we’ve finished with those close and almost near, we see Poison throwing needles like daggers, some piercing ghosts, others sticking in, the girl using those invisible threads to pin enemies together before what looks like a measuring tape connecting some here and there pulls them in and smashes them into one another, forming a pile of ghosts that quickly disperses.

As we all group up, the rat rides up in her tacky cart with a smile.

“Not bad, crew, not bad at all~”

“No thanks to you, brat.”

Her ears seem to twitch at the remark, and her face contorts into what I can only describe as ‘flustration,’ only making her seem more eager to bite back.

“Ohh, we’re close enough for that kind of relationship already~?  Naughy naughty kitty~”

No longer in the mood to tussle words with this light weight, I pick up Fox and hop in the back, Poison tagging along and politely taking a seat next to us before Liz has us moving again.

“So you have to deal with these things all the time?”

“Mmm, no. Usually there’s few enough to just drive on by without a sich, but they sure do accumulate over time. I’d say it’s a once a week cleaning job, but my my...you three sure made quick work of it. Say, how do you feel about physically intensive janitorial labour?”

An exhausted sigh is all she needs to hear from me, unfortunately being enough to get a chuckle out of her. The tunnel seems to incline downwards before we pass our first location of note:

“That, my dear Cat Kitten, is the Sunlit Bounty.”

We pass by just slow enough for me to take note of how it’s set up like any other subway stop, only fashioned to look like the outside of a movie theater, posters of events lining the walls, a booth for ticket checking, and even benches set up next to vending machines. Up top, the main event is listed as: “Mx. Neptune Is Making Waves!” There’s even a parking lot dug out of the wall opposite to the entrance.

“Thankfully a shorter drive down than other territories within Subterfuge,” the rat continues, “though, it wouldn’t make for a good entertainment faction if it was inaccessible, would it~?”

“Growing more and more upset that you weren’t any more inaccessible to begin with.”

“Hehehe! As if I’d let my precious light slip away~”

 

Beyond that, Liz tells me that the number of ghosts deeper into Subterfuge seems to drop once those earlier on are worked through, almost as if they can hear the mess we made and start to scramble. That allows us quick access to our true location:

“Stellar Stowaway. Subterfuge’s...problem solvers, if you will~”

Poison gets out first, carefully as she can before approaching the destination at her own pace. Fox hops out and I follow, getting a good look at what we’re dealing with.

It’s more like a normal subway stop than the Sunlit Bounty, yet somehow even stranger. Rather than looking built upon and customized, this place looks...corrupted. Not in some evil way, but as if the oddly pristine white wooden paneling making up the floor and walls leading out of the entrance are crawling out and consuming the land around it. There’s some kind of request bin in the shape of a barrel, yet it looks both rustic and futuristic. Taking it all in, it almost seems like the interior of a chromite pirate ship, if it weren’t for the entrance itself looking like the actual hull of a rocket ship had crashed into the earth and they just built this place around it.

“...What the hell are we getting ourselves into…”

“Dunno,” Liz adds so helpfully. “These folks are very hush hush about virtually everything they do. Which, of course, means someone like me would never be let in~”

As I approach the ledge connecting the train way to the landing zone, I turn and look at the rat lounging in her cart without a care in the world.

“No help, huh.”

“Oh, you think I’d stick my nose into mortal danger?”

“Yes.”

She snorts and shrugs, scrolling through her phone.

“You’ve dealt with the unknown and dangerous from what I’ve heard. I survive by knowing. All I know about these guys is that the dead are never found and anybody entering remembers nothing but white.”

“White.”

“Mhm~”

I cross my arms and sigh with a shake of my head, any sort of my displeasure making this ride all the better for the giggling goblin tormenting me.

“Useless. Alright, have fun playing by yourself, brat. If this doesn’t pay well, I’ll help you find out how these guys get their jobs done, personally.”

“You are just the most helpful, Cat Kitten~”

Moving on from the rat (only for now, unfortunately), I pull myself up and find Fox and Poison waiting by the entrance, only to be halted by the latter with a wave of her hand. She then walks in without a second thought, the doors sliding open with a slick swoosh before closing behind the wheels of Poison’s skateboard. I look at Fox and she looks at me, at which point we both shrug and lean against a wall parallel to the other. She looks awful cute standing on two legs like that, even if she can’t quite cross her arms like I am. A few minutes pass, and that same swoosh catches our attention, the both of us turning to Poison’s return as she jams something into the panel next to the door and then...skates on by. And keeps going. Back to the main hub of Subterfuge. Huh.

“...Liz, what just happened?”

“Hmm~? Oh, Poison does work for every branch of Subterfuge. They let her roam just about everywhere. Ain’t she lucky~”

What an odd character. Well, inspecting the panel on the wall, it seems as though anything that might have prevented us from entering won’t anymore.

“Alright. Just like old times, Fox.”

“Mnyeh!”