CHAPTER 003

"PART TIME GOD"

I remember Cy, that short little bartender in The Hovel, once telling me before about how oftentimes people ask themselves a lot of questions- it was very normal actually. I’d been talking to myself out loud at that point in time because I thought this was normal as well. They made me aware that in fact- it’s apparently not, but its a habit that I’ve found very hard to break.

They gave me a lot of examples of normal questions, like: ‘How long have I been here now? When will this be over with already? Why is x person so y?’ Etc.

Not often do I have to ask myself those questions, but even less often do I need to ask myself: ‘How far exactly did I fall?’ or ‘I think my arm is broken, but I’m not entirely sure- what is a broken arm like?’.

I found myself asking a very stupid question out loud, between habit and bewilderment of:

“How the fuck did I survive?”

Sachiel grunted loudly as he very slowly rose from his ‘resting’ place. He was around the outskirts of The Undertow, further from his general hangout than usual. He was lying in a pile of trash and discarded furniture that had been carelessly dumped down an alleyway instead of properly disposed of. The chair leg stabbing into his hip was less than ideal in comfort.

I’m alive... That doesn’t make sense. None of that entire interaction made sense.

His arm was in serious pain, something more than he’d felt so far in his time of being here. He’d been shot, bitten, scratched and gnarled up... but this time around he figured something had to be broken, as the searing pain was so unfamiliar to him.

He could feel something else on his leg as well... He looked down and grimaced as he saw a rat, chewing on his flesh from a hole shredded in his dirty, black denim jeans.

He flicked the sharp, pointed end of his tail directly through it, and brought it closer to his face. He turned it carefully, left to right, and gently sniffed it- thoroughly inspecting its carcass.

It didn’t appear to be one of those demons, or diseased at least... so, naturally, he ate it in a not particularly clean or proper fashion.

He scowled to himself after doing so.

Okay. I at least have consumed something.... Now.....Can I move?

He shifted, feeling a lot of stress on his body, but he forced himself to his feet as bits of rubble and trash fell around him. He inched along the wall carefully testing the strength of his legs and feet before deciding he was at least strong enough to walk. His long tail dragged against the ground as he moved, the blackened bone at the end making a scraping sound against the uneven pavement.

He peered from out of the alley.

He wasn’t in the usual sector he resided in at all. He managed to get thrown into Theta, which was roughly two full sectors north of his hang outs.

The fuck kind of elevator did I go through?

Thankfully it wasn’t the worst transport to get through under normal circumstances- but the problem was that he was thrown close to the threshold where the infested side was and he was tired and weak.

How only a rat had managed to find him so far was surprising in itself. Looking up to see far above were the many legs and wings of creatures scurrying back and forth looking about like vultures.

Vile things.

Perhaps they were simply too small to consider him worth taking… or perhaps there was just enough lights around to deter them.

He felt at his pocket and noticed his gun was missing. There was no way in hell he would be leaving without that, not in this side of town. He made note of where he fell, trying to think of how far it may have gone. The alley was dark, but not horrible to see something shiny in at least. He made note of the staircase to his right and carefully started up it, trying to not overexert himself.

He sat himself down on the rooftop to give his legs a break after the climb. Mostly garbage down below, it was no wonder nothing saw him yet. The entire place was practically a dumping ground for random assortments of trash and furniture. Just about everywhere was like that in this entire area, oddly. He didn’t frequent this sector, it was a bit out of the way since the subway tram was usually broken down and in need of repair.

Looking around, however… it seemed more desolate than he remembered. Sure it was run down, and it wasn’t completely cased in darkness and abandoned like Sector Iota… but the amount of house lights off was almost concerning to him. He looked up from where he fell, noticing an oddly big vortex, dark and heavy with bolts of lightning bursting from within every second.

In that same moment, it vanished, something large falling from the sky from where it had once been.

He frowned and started to look around slightly more pressed.

He didn’t think the gun could have gone far from him, but at the same time he could have been looted while he was asleep- his thought was interrupted as he heard a loud screech come from above, and a vaguely shaped dark shadow descended upon him, latching onto his already injured arm.

He snarled and readied his claws to dig into it- only to find himself getting overwhelmed and swarmed by at least three others. His body was still burning and he was struggling to continue standing as he heard the sound of a gunshot whip past his ear, leaving a ringing sensation.

One of the creatures fell to the ground, spasming before falling silent. Sachiel attempted to turn his head down but was blindsided by another winged creature his face, biting his nose. More gunshots rang off, just enough to free his functioning arm as he dug his claws into the one on his face, shredding it, and his own skin in the process.

His frustration was clearly high and was still struggling to hear out of his one ear. He could, however hear a little call of a faint voice from below.

“Fangs, my boy!!”

...The bartender?

Sachiel stumbled, trying to get his footing back and ended up slipping and falling into a patch of trash bags and broken down sofa cushions. He groaned in pain, Cy rushing over to him and stopping just before the bags.

"Goodness. You look absolutely terrible." Cy's eyebrows furrowed behind the large sunglasses on their face.

"... Thanks." Sachiel sighed, giving up on moving.

"I'm glad I finally found you at least... I've been searching about for over a week for you." Cy reached out to Sachi, taking his hand.

"... A week? I wasn't out for a few hours?"

"Goodness no. I saw something falling as I was closing up shop after you took on that hit and realized it was you when I peered through my little pocket binoculars."

Sachiel shifted, getting to his feet once more, shakily.

"I'll ask about what happened later... Come back with me to the bar, I've got your gun, don't worry. I actually managed to find that before I even stumbled upon you! Only reason I think I managed to get here in time actually, its a good thing my ol' shooting arm still works now and then." Cy brushed their dapper pants off as they lead the way for Sachi to follow. "Well, with my own gun anyway, yours is awfully heavy to hold and I couldn't figure out how to reload it."

He was very tired. More than he'd ever been. He didn't usually feel that kind of exhaustion and it did happen on occasion, such as times where he chose to not sleep for days on end. He looked at his left arm, which hung beside him, unmoving and limp. He could hardly feel the arm itself- only the searing burn when he moved.

Sachi gave a quiet 'Hrmph' before following Cy, looking back up from where he fell.

He definitely had questions.

-

The bar was quiet, something Sachiel hadn't at all seen since the first time he had ever entered it.

Cy had flicked on the lights upon entry, but not the vibrant, usual lighting. It was warmer, moodier, and had no neon tones to it.

The sign on the door was still set to closed, sitting slightly ajar. It was almost nicer to be in when it was empty like this.

Sachi huffed and sat himself in one of the booths, wincing as he repositioned his arm manually. Cy was over at the counter, pouring a glass of whiskey.

Sachiel sat quietly to himself in the meantime as Cy was rummaging behind the counter. He was very tired, more than upset. Actually he wasn't too unhappy in the slightest- minus the fact he didn't get paid for his time. That, however was pissing him off.

Sachiel was mostly lost in his own mind and intrigued by the events that took place. It was a lot to take in all at once.

Cy returned to Sachi with some whiskey, and a little tray with some assorted meats on it, along with some food and drink for themself as well. They sat down in the seat across from him, nudging the plate closer to Sachi.

"...Thanks." Sachiel was a bit confused at the courtesy.

"It's on the house, I don't expect money from you, Fangs." Cy waved their hand. "I'm afraid I can't do anything about your arm, however. I'm no doctor, and nor do I know of any."

Sachiel shrugged weakly with his good arm. "... I'm not concerned about it, actually."

"Strange answer given it looks very broken! I'll inquire more about your feelings on that later, but first I must know what happened up there. How did you manage to fall from the upper levels?" Cy was oddly interested, a grin peering up on their face from over their very high sitting shirt collar.

"..." Sachiel sipped the drink. He wasn't so sure of Cy's intent, but he also had no one else to talk to about this... and they could provide some insight on what he found.

"Though, you don't have to go into it if you don't want to." They had an apologetic look on their face, realizing Sachi had kept quiet.

"I'm not used to talking about things to someone. I will go into it because I have questions you might be able to answer. You come off as shady sometimes." Sachi was perhaps, a bit too blunt.

Cy let out a loud and hearty laugh at the comment. "Oh thank goodness, I worry about seeming too nice- it's not a good thing to seem too nice around these parts after all. That's how you get used."

Sachi continued.

"I talked to the client. I found another like me... but... he wasn't exactly like me. Almost like a parody of myself."

"Another? Parody how, though? That's an odd descriptor." Cy swirled their drink.

"He looked more... monstrous. His body looked warped, like he'd been rung through one of those little machines that makes pasta." Sachi started to eat, knowing that Cy often talked a lot between his comments. It was a common thing, they'd talk even when he didn't have anything to say that day, worked out for him to sip his drink in between.

"Peculiar... So the job was the casino head, yes? I think I may know the dogs you talk of-"

Sachi interrupted immediately. "How did you know there was two?"

He had made no mention of the brother, which meant that he was right in his hunch that Cy knew far more than they ever let on. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. They seemed to jump a little at the sudden accusatory sentence as well.

"Ah! Well you're on the same page as me then as we are talking about the same dogs. Or... are they hellhounds? Anthropomorphic dog genus aren't my specialty you see..." Cy adjusted their sunglasses. "See, I was actually looking into those two because believe it or not, horrible monstrosities were not always a problem here. Though I'm sure you wouldn't know that since no one talks about it. They mostly complain about the ones upstairs."

Sachi took off his jacket as best he could, leaving the poor, garbage smelling leather to rest on the seat next to him.

"No, no I did not know about this." He grunted.

"People don't seem to 'remember' I find. Those two appeared down here, first, actually. They were very... threatening to see. After all there wasn't many talking animals around here before their arrival. There's been plenty more since, I actually originally had strong thoughts they might be extraterrestrials! However, there's no evidence of a spacecraft and it seemed odd they spoke common, so I tossed that theory out the window."

Cy ran a hand through their messy blonde hair, in thought.

"I've been trying to get more information on those two because a friend and I have reason to believe they might be the reason you, and those things are here, actually."

Sachi tilted his head.

"...How do you figure? That's a bold claim."

"Well until those two arrived, nothing happened here. It was just a shitty place to live. Now it's a shitty place to live and a very dangerous one. I had a hunch because when they first arrived and spoke to me I found their weapons very strange." Cy took a sip of their drink, Sachi cutting in before they could start another sentence.

"I don't recall seeing a weapon from them, actually the boss... uh.. what was his name, Esther or something... he said that those two prefer brute force, and can't shoot a gun for shit." Sachi's brow furrowed, his stomach finally getting the best of him as he started to shovel food down his throat.

"Ohou! It gets stranger, not from my personal recollection- they both had interesting looking guns. Guns with no entry point to place bullets into, and yet they fired just well, actually." Cy gave a defeated sigh. "Too well, actually, they're the ones who got bullet-holes in my wall at the back a couple years later. Got into a fight with a local, I had to deal with the undertaker upon his arrival, it was far too much of a hassle for my taste."

"So they lie about themselves."

"Seems to be the case." Cy sipped their drink again, tapping the table with a finger.

The two shared a silence for a moment, before Cy perked up again.

"Oh, so sorry I interrupted you and got you off track. You said you saw the dogs like you, what next?"

"During my debriefing away from the boss, Emerson, the one I spoke with... had a very strange conversation with me, implying he knows a lot about me. I don't like that. They may be spying on me..." He grunted. "After that the hit went to hell, the other brother caught me by surprise. Leapt out and interrupted me, said I was an asset to their plans, and that it was a 'good show' for their boss."

"...Hm."

"I tried to shoot Jameson, the other one... my shots all missed, except for one."

"Well that's something at least!" Cy smiled.

"I shot him in the head and it healed over." Sachiel bluntly put it, his expression unwavering.

Cy immediately frowned.

"I was worried that was the case... I saw it too. I don't understand how that's even possible." They sighed again. It almost seemed like they wanted to hear Sachi's story to confirm their own past witnessing of events. "I thought I was just mad."

"After which I was thrown off the building and apparently unconscious for the next week according to your account." Sachi downed the last of his whiskey, shaking his head. "Here I still am. Alive. After a 900 foot fall."

"I do believe you may be the same species as them, but I'm not sure about the differences as I know nothing about your kind. You're new to us. Same with the other talking animals." Cy assured him, they did seem certain about some aspects of this. "I have a feeling you also have those healing powers but I haven't the slightest how it works."

"Mine has to be over time, I think." He at least knew this much.

"You're aware of it?"

"No, but yes. I had a hunch something was odd, my bullet wounds would heal themselves over a week or two, the bullets just pop out... no need for removal- I wasn't even aware you were supposed to take them out first... Most scars and wounds fade fairly quick... I'm wondering if this means my arm will as well." He gently placed a hand on it, gritting his teeth.

"Well! I say we should find out- listen Fangs, it seems you and I are on the same page and want to know more about these two hounds. I'm prepared to make you an offer." Cy grinned that classic little smile they usually give patrons from over the counter. "I have a spare open apartment upstairs. No one can afford the rent so it's been empty for a while... I give you board, and you let me be your 'manager'. How's that?"

Sachi was a bit taken aback. He figured they did know about him wanting a place indoors given he was complaining about it before finally taking that job... But he wasn't entirely sold.

"Manager... How?" He squinted.

"Manager as in I'll find and line up hits for you, trying to get us jobs that pay well, as well as hopefully get us another chance to see the upstairs again so we can do more digging on these two." Cy placed their hands together. "I have a lot of friends, so I usually get the down low first, I just can't hunt you see? I will say, we have to get your reputation up first so others up there will trust you. Especially since your newest hit has been marked as a failure."

"Don't remind me." He grunted once more.

"But what do you say, Fangs?" They held out a small hand to him, reaching decently far over the table. "Partners?"

Sachiel hesitated at first, but he quickly jutted a hand out to shake on it. There was no way he was going to bathe in a pond again, and he needed somewhere more safe to hide away while his arm healed itself.

"Done." He leaned back again, wincing.

"Then it's settled! I'll give you time to get used to your new space, get you your keys, and a few starting essentials. No rent, you just have to get your own food is all, and please don't make too much of a mess!" Cy jumped up, gathering their dishes to put away.

"...I'm sure I can manage that."

"Wonderful! This is going to be a lovely start to a great relationship I can tell, especially with how hard working you are- oh though I don't recommend you take on any hits until we see how that arm of yours does. I'm going to inspect it each day to see if anything changes, so please make sure to come down at least one or twice in the evening a day so I can have a look-"

"I thought you said you weren't a doctor?" Sachi interrupted, as Cy called back to him.

"I'm not! However I'm starting to think I should be!"

Sachi was not confident in that answer. He wasn't sure what he managed to get himself into, but there was a high chance that it wasn't good... However, he did at least get a roof over his head. So that much was nice.

I suppose now I can say I have a job. I guess. It's the same as my shit before, just under someone else's terms... whatever. As long as I'm not sleeping in a bin.

I still can't help but continue to come back to that scene... the things those two said. Least there's no need for a fear of heights given it's not a problem...

A whole city level, traveled so fast just from falling...

...and I didn't die. I don't believe I can't die. I'm certain I can, but this has opened a whole new world of possibilities.

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