"So, wanna sneak out and help me?" asked Nu with a grin.
What if something happens? one side of Vandal said. Yet, what choice do we have? Another retorted.
Vandal had been thinking about the words of the watcher that tried to have him killed. We'll be watching you, the man had said. It made him restless. There were eyes and ears upon them, that much was certain. Curiosity was a deadly thing. Even so, Vandal consented.
"The warehouses, eh?" Vandal said, standing up, "Alright, I'll follow. But, if anything, anything, happens, we run back here, to the others. Understand?"
"Of course," said Nu.
Jayden had left him the axe. He kept the cleaver on his belt, for it still had some enchantment on it. The battle-axe felt good in his hands. Not long gun, but it will do. His grandfather had taught him how to fight with the sword. He wasn't the best fighter, earning himself a few bruises when he sparred, yet he felt he was good enough. He couldn't rely on the long gun all the time, he knew, so learning how to fight in a melee.
He suggested Nu take with her a bottle of water; the fridge held several of them. If it ever came to combat, Nu could heal herself if she needed to.
"Are you ready, Nu?" Vandal asked as he opened the front door.
"I'm coming!" she said sweetly, falling in behind him.
The duo made their way down the cracked asphalt, looking at the empty windows with broken glass. The wind whistled out a lonely tune through the ruins.
They made their way to the warehouse district. They shoved passed the rusty gate which creaked a sad welcome to them.
"So," Vandal began, "which one was yours?"
"Hmmmm," Nu brought a finger to her chin and thought, "That one."
She pointed to the one close to Jayden's. The man's blood still leaving a stain on the floor and lower half of the door. The sight reminded Vandal to be more cautious.
"Keep close," Vandal quietly ordered his partner.
Nu's warehouse was not like the one he woke up in. There were corridors withing, and some had doors lining the walls; it was almost like a hotel, though much more unsettling.
Several were bolted shut into the ground. To hide something useful, mused Vandal, or to keep something in? To test the latter he pounded on the door, hurling insults and nonsense to whatever may take offense within. Nu seemed to step back, probably puzzled by his strange behavior. The room was not that big, perhaps it concealed something manageable if it contained something rotten and vicious.
Hells, maybe Leonette's in here ... The strangers that dragged us here ... I wonder if they stored our things.
It was a wild guess, but they did not come here to keep their questions unanswered.
"Nu," Vandal said, examining the bolts that held the door down, "could you do me a favor?"
"What's your plan, Van?" replied Nu, quickly.
Van? thought Vandal for a moment, I'll go with that, I suppose.
"The tooth, can you hold here," Van said, pointing to a part of the bolt. "Just until it starts glowing hot, yeah?"
She did as he bid, and after a moment, the metal began to glow red, then orange.
"Alright," Van said as he readied the battle-axe, "stand back, and watch your eyes."
Van brought the heavy head down on the glowing metal, and the bolt broke, allowing the gate to loosen. They did the same process on the other bolt that held it down.
Let us see what we have here.
Van put his fingers under the bottom lip of the door and pushed upwards.
His eyes glowed when he saw what sat behind. Leonette sat on its side, its triplet barrels, as shiny and yellow as the gold of crowns, glimmering in the light of the lamps.
"Leonette!" Van shouted as he leaped into the small cell to retrieve his beloved long gun.
He picked it up and ran his fingers through the engravings: the image of a white-gold forest, the sun casting its gold-leaf rays to lock the scene in an endless summer.
A small leather bag also kept Leonette company. Inside was six lead balls in their cartridges and a smaller, black leather bag within. White powder filled the smaller bag. Banfrow, Vandal knew. Banfrow, as Winston told, was a special powder for firing enchanted guns. Normal gunpowder and enchanted rounds did not quite mix.
"Uhm, Van ..." Nu said slowly, making a face, "are you well?"
"Huh?" mumbled Van.
He realized he was hugging Leonette close to his cheek, like a child with a new toy and smiling like a fool.
"Ah," Van said adjusting his voice, "it's quite important to me. I've used it to save my life many times."
"Is ... that why you decided to name it?" asked Nu.
"Perhaps."
Truly, there were other doors in the corridor. When cautiousness and sense returned back to Van, he realized he was lucky this wasn't a trap. What could be behind the others? He thought.
"Nu," Van said as he walked back into the hallway, his arms around his prized possession, "What do you think we should do now?"
ns 15.158.61.8da2
