DRACONEM INFERNALIS
Chapter 4

Criminals

"And I have fallen,

And I have risen,

I have also watched the world crumble before my eyes,

Unable to repair the deed I've done.

I've watched chaos unfold before my lust and power hungry eyes

And done nothing when I could

That's why I, now, burn in hell..."

~.~

Shiroski's P.O.V.:

12:12 AM
Domare/February 24th, 1671 Post Lapsum
The Corrupted Arsenal, Spin Road, Doomcaster
Underworld

Through darkness, a rather tall figure can be distinguished sitting in the middle of the room. With a snap of my fingers, the room becomes lightened, but the intruder claps his hands and the lights go off, annulling my magic.

"What the hell?" I mumble under my breath and the figure approaches me, inches apart from my face.

"Say, don't you think you have too much dangerous stuff in just one room?" his voice is both serious, with a gleam of amusement and mockery. My nostrils flare.

"I don't see how this would be any of an intruder's business," I bite back. His chuckle is soft and short-lived, but enough to set me on fire. However, I do nothing but clench my hands around my daggers, waiting for him to either explain himself or try to attack me. "So, spit it out! Whaddya want, huh?" I raise my voice slightly, trying to get his attention.

"My, my. So fierce, aren't we?" he teases and I can feel the sudden urge to slice him in tiny pieces. "First of all, clobse the door," his tone becomes slightly more severe and I point at the door with my head for Grimmjow to go get it. He does it, albeit reluctant. And soon, we are sunk in darkness.

"How didja get in here? Talk or I might be forced to end ya. Darkness is not that much of a deal for us," I motion to Grimmjow and I with my thumb.

"I know that, Rusarin," I narrow my eyes, "I am highly aware of the owner's power of the shop I've just broken in," I can hear the smirk in his voice. "But I want your full attention on what I am about to tell you. Both of you, but especially you, Rusarin."

I click my tongue in annoyance. "Well, can ya stop blabbering and actually tell me what you want from me, us? I don't have time for games 'n' tricks."

"Oh, and why is that? Could it possibly be because the Underworld is on your asses?"

"You! How do you know about that?!" Grimmjow shouts.

"A little birdie told me..." I swear I'll strangle him, at least. "...that you two are trying to do the impossible: help the dragon become human and then break free from this world, am I right?" I drop one of my daggers in the shock of the moment, the metallic cling echoes in the small dark room. Whoever this fucker is, he is waay too well informed. I need to finish him off, but not before I get answers. "Hit a nerve or two, huh? Why don't we go discuss this elsewhere?"

"I ain't goin' anywhere, freak. If ya have somethin' to say, do it here, before I lose my patience," I threaten, feeling the last drops of patience spilling away.

"Very well."

And with the clap of his hands the room is lightened by a low red light. The man before me wear a striped green and white hat, blonde locks shadowed by the hat, and a green kimono and pants cover the rest of his body. His lips are curled in a wide smirk and his eyes barely show. He sits on the floor and motions his hand towards the floor for us to do the same. We comply, albeit warily.

"So? How did you break in?" Grimmjow speaks and suddenly the intruder huffs a laugh. "Scratch that. Why did you do it?"

"I've been watching you guys for a while. The sudden increase in negative emotions affects me too. So I decided to investigate it, but then I ran into you two. I saw the scene, Rusarin. You stopped the dragon. So I told this buddy here," he points at the crow standing on his shoulder, "to follow you."

"I see. That still doesn't explain what you want."

"I want to come with you," he announces all of the sudden. I arch an eyebrow at him. Grimmjow stiffens behind me, "I'll help, of course."

"And how will you do that, hmm?" Grimmjow snarls.

"I happen to have some of the ingredients you need for the spell," he digs his hand in one of his pockets and takes out two jars. "I have the fang of a vampire and the wing of a faerie. I think you two have the fur of a werewolf, the demon blood," he grins at me, " and the dragon will give us one of his teeth. All that's left it's the eye of a witch. Which won't be easy since your pall killed almost every wizard in the Underworld, but we'll manage."

"Why do you want to leave the Underworld?" Grimmjow asks all of the sudden.

"Why do you want, hmm?" he retorts and I let out a sigh. "So, what do you say, demon?" his attention is back on me. "Deal?" he extends his hand at me and for a while no one says anything.

"Deal," I take it and shake it.

"Call me Niq, it's one of my names," he offers.

"Self-given?" I inquire.

"No."

"I see," I run a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling very tired. Not physically, but more like fed up, jaded. "Well, that's all nice and dandy, but we need to take our stuff 'n' leave before the night's over," I turn to look at Grimmjow," you take out everything on that side of the room, I do the rest."

"What about me?" Niq asks.

"You stay where you are."

"You don't trust me with your weapons," it's not a question, but somehow it feels like one. I huff a laugh.

"Of course not," I scoff and start moving around the room, taking weapons and throwing them in a huge leather bag. Grimmjow is doing the same on the other side of the room and the intruder is just sitting in the middle of the shop, arms crossed. "Do I look like an idiot to ya?" I shake my head in disbelief, but Niq doesn't answer and only the cling of metal blades can be heard.

"Skodir's The Great armour, huh?" he says in the end, admiring the armour. It was never there for sale, but for decorative purposes. I nod. I wouldn't be needing it, Niq probably gets it too. "You were pretty harsh back then," he says in a voice like he is more talking to himself than to anyone else. "Got so annoyed you sliced the King of the Dwarves with your bare hands...dropped your weapons to the ground and simply slaughtered him like he was made of paper," he continues and I click my tongue in annoyance. Where is he going with this? "No dwarf dares to cross paths with you. Nor do other demons. After you killed Skodir, you went on a rampage and killed everyone on the battle field, including your comrades. Oh, old times."

"Will ya shut up for once? I think I know very well what I did and what I didn't," I grumble in the end, but don't turn to look at him fearing I might actually get pissed off with his smug face. "I'm a demon, you couldn't possibly be expecting me to be sorrowful over shit I've done."

"Of course not, Rusarin-kun."

"Ew, drop the 'kun'. It gives me the creeps." Just like the rest of your behaviour. But I don't say it out loud. He probably knows I am thinking it anyway. But before he gets the chance to say anything else, a loud bang disrupts the half-assed peace of our room, revealing a fat man and a serious-looking woman in black trench coats, guns pointing at us.

"Shit!" I mumble under my breath. It seems that they've found us.

"DROP THE BAGS! HANDS IN THE AIR!" the man's voice echoes in the room and I reluctantly lay the bag on the floor. "YOU TOO, HAT 'N' CLOGS!" he motions his gun at Niq, who doesn't seem too impressed by their performance.

"Why? I don't have a bag," he says almost innocently I find that I have a hard time trying not to face-palm. Are you shitting me? Does he really have no boundaries? But I brush it off and take it as a chance to slip a hand in my pocket and draw out one of my daggers.

Right after, I don't hesitate to cross the room and attack the man, but I am soon stopped by a very stern faced woman who is giving me the death glare of my life. Without a word, she pushes me back and soon her sword is at my neck. I grin.

"Well, go on. Cut it, Miss Something-crawled-up-my-ass-'n'-died," I challenge and she narrows her eyes, pressing the blade on my Adam's apple just enough to draw blood. If anything, my grin grows larger, "wrong move, bitch!" and with that I move my right foot, kick her hard enough to make her land on her butt and quickly stand up, ready to attack.

Grimmjow is fighting the fat man not too far from me, but I don't have time for that. I jump on top of her, but she kicks me in the stomach, sending me in the nearest wall and kicking the air out of me. It's a shock, but I regain my composure quickly and launch an attack at her side, which surprises her and I manage to break a few ribs with my punch.

"What's yer goal, eh?" I question her before aiming for her face, but she blocks me.

"You've disrupted the peace, vermin. The King wants your head," she spits and hits my temple with such a speed I don't see it coming and take a full blown. Soon, I am on my knees, dagger on the floor. Between metal clings and huffs and grunts, I can hear Niq's voice calling, saying something. I bite my lower lip in anger. This chick won't have me here. She probably knows I am regaining my strength too, because next thing I know, she is on her knees, hands on my neck, gripping tight. "I've got troops outside, so it's useless." I let out a strangled laugh. Literally.

"Ya obviously don't know me if ya think a couple o' punches and harsh words can finish me off."

"Oh, I know, Astalur. You're some tough shit," she says, almost grinning, "but you're still shit." Her grip tightens.

Call the dragon.

This thought almost mentally punched me. If it's mine or someone else's, I don't know, but for now it would seem like a great idea. I don't know if it'll work, but I gotta try. So without really thinking much about it, I think about how the dragon's mind felt when I first talked to him and launched a thought with as much power as I could muster at the moment.

Come get me, tiger!

She is now lifting me up in the air, probably trying to knock me unconscious. But I won't have that. I gather all my strength in one foot and then kick her. Hard. Fast. She falls to the ground with a grunt. I yell after Grimmjow to get outside and I grab my bag from the ground, leaving.

But in front of my store, there are more than twenty creatures, all wearing black trench coats, guns in their hands. Heh, this is going to be such a pain in the ass. A werewolf is the first to attack me, already in wolf form, so I grab him by the collar and rip his head off. He tried to claw at my skin, but he was too slow, so instead of slicing me up, he ended up dead in less than a minute.

I grin at the crowd, challenging them to attack me.

"C'mon, guys! Don't be shy! The party's just started!" I yell, my voice coming out a bit too excited than I have intended. Some of them growl in fury and before I know, I'm attacked from all angles. But my arms move too fast, my legs too, and although I get bruises and cuts here and there, I don't feel them. They don't stop me and most certainly, they don't scare me.

I'm laughing. Quite loud too.

And I don't know how much time goes before a loud ear-splitting screech thunders in the sky, a sudden shadow's cast above Spin Road. It's the dragon. He's come for me. Us. If possible, my mood brightens. People retreat, scared and disoriented. The dragon lowers himself as much as he can.

Well? What are you waiting for? Get up!

He urges, suddenly impatient. I chuckle and call for Grimmjow, who is surprisingly just behind me. Niq too.

Get up?

I ask surprised.

Yes, up. Aren't you taking the buffoon with you too?

He's probably talking about Niq. I snigger. And without a second thought I jump on top of him, quickly putting my hands around his neck. It burns, but I say nothing. Soon we are in the air, the angry shouts of our attackers dissipating into thin air, their bullets never hitting their targets.

Hold on tight, demon, this might get a bit rough.

He warns, slightly amused before going up, a bit too fast for my liking. Grimmjow is complaining below. Niq is probably sniggering at him. And I...I feel amazing. Free. I love flying. I don't know why, but I do. I love the feeling you get when you're above of the world. Unreachable and free. Before I know it, I am laughing. Full-hearted laugh.

~.~

Later...

~.~

"God, I hate you so much!" Grimmjow spits between pants and vomit attacks. He's probably talking to the dragon. Said dragon doesn't seem too fazed by it, in the contrary, I'd say he's pretty pleased. "Fuck you!" the werecat yells before barfing yet again.

"Now, now. No need to be so hateful, kitty," I tease knowing too well that I am probably digging my own grave, but not caring enough to not do it.

"Fuck you too!" he grumbles, giving me one of his death glares while whipping his mouth.

"Nah, I think it's the other way 'round, pretty boy," I feel my lips curl in a waay too wide grin, but I don't stop it. He doubles his glare and shows me the middle finger. I chuckle. "Anyway, now that all's settled, I think we need to discuss," I turn to face the dragon, then Niq. "Because of that little stunt ya pulled," I look at the dragon, "people are after our asses. They think we ordered ya to burn hamlets." The dragon remains silent. "Yeah. Nice, isn't it? And ya showin' up to save us today will only confirm the rumours: that I am yer tamer or some shit," the dragon's nostrils flare. "Yeah. So no matter what we'll say, they won't believe us. Ya better get our backs, like today, otherwise the deal's off."

Silence. I can tell how everyone is waiting for some sort of answer coming from the dragon.

Fine.

He says in the end, grumpily, clearly displeased and not afraid to show it. I pat his left arm? quickly in a pitying gesture with my still burned hand, before retreating it and putting it in my pocket.

"As for the buffoon," I point at Niq who made a shocked appalled face, "he's Niq and broke in my store, claiming to have ingredients for your human spell. In exchange, he wants to come with us to human world." The dragon nods. I clap my hands. "Good. Now, let's eat!" I say and next second, a table full of food appears before us.

Minutes later into our not really silent meal, Niq decides to make it officially not silent. "Say, Rusarin-san..."

"Drop the "-san"," I say rather fiercely. I swear he's doing it on a purpose.

"What's the next move?" he completely ignores my last sentence. I shrug. To be honest, I have no fucking idea and at this, both Grimmjow and the dragon give me a questioning look. "What?" I ask and they blink but don't say anything. "I'm not a fucking encyclopaedia! I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I really am not a wizard. Believe it or not but I have no idea what I am doing half of the time..."

"Well, that's charming," Niq murmurs loud enough to make himself heard. At that, I throw him a glare trying to warn him. Seriously, this guy is getting on my nerves. "Luckily, I know what we need to do next," he boasts.

I feel my eyebrow twitching. "Then why the fuck did you even ask us if we knew how to do it?!"

"Oh, I just wanted to see if you actually had no idea what you were doing," he says, innocently smiling at me and I abruptly stand up ready to punch this man.

Cut it out, you two!

It's an order. Loud and clear in my head, resonating in my entire being. It stops me right before my clenched fist can collide with Niq's face. But in that brief moment that seemed to last longer than it should have, I can see the man's usually careless attitude shift dramatically to a startled one.

It takes me a while to register what actually happened. And when I do, it's my time to be shocked.

"You…" I turn to face the dragon who is now standing in his fours, eyes narrowed in a frown. I turn my attention to Grimmjow, who is just like everyone else, startled. "You could talk all this time to everyone?" My voice is almost a whisper. I don't even know what to make of this, if this is true.

Yes.

I look around. And it doesn't take me too long to understand that they all heard him. I sigh. "Then why, in the blue hell, did you not do it before?" I mean he could have saved us a lot of trouble by simply talking to everyone himself, not make me tell them what he's been saying.

Why should I have done so? I speak to whom I please, when I please. You petty souls can't make me explain myself when you want me to.

…

The silence falls. And it stretches for an indefinite amount of time.

"Are ye for real?" I ask completely unamused, eyebrow slightly quirked. Grimmjow's eyes widen the size of dinner plates, Niq shakes his head energetically as if he's trying to stop me, but I stand tall in front of the dragon, eyes fixed on his reptilian ones.

The dragon exhales in my direction and a gust of hot air envelopes me, but I do not back down and my gaze doesn't drop.

Who are you to question me?

At that, I grin bestially and take two steps forward. I hear Grimmjow's protests in the background as I approach the beast and put my hand on one of its claws. "Who are ya to order me around?"

The dragon frowns and raises his temperature, making my skin burn faster, but I do not retreat my hand.

You have no idea what I am capable of, tiny demon.

I say nothing, but instead I close my eyes and don't move. At that, the dragon scoffs and chuckles, thinking he finally earned my obedience or fear, but suddenly he gasps, the air becoming inexplicably heavy for no real reason in just a matter of seconds. I press my harm firmly against his claw and open my eyes and suddenly the ground isn't just shaking, but it's also sinking under our feet.

The dragon looks surprised for a couple of seconds, then he regains his composure.

Mere tricks.

I think everyone heard that, because suddenly Grimmjow grabs my shoulder. "Stop! Shiro, please, you promised!" There's despair in his voice and his eyes look worried. "Look, we both love destruction and whatnot, but right now we have to focus on the task at hand. If you keep displayin' your powers like this we'll soon be found and I don't think we need this." I say nothing. "Please!"

Letting out a sigh, I lower my spiritual power and turn to look at him. "Fine." Grimmjow sighs relieved, so I turn to look at the dragon. "But don't think this is over, dragon," I warn and he scoffs. "Alright, where were we?"

To be continued…