Cyrus let the veil drop, and lines formed around the room even before they reached the man. He wasn’t surprised to find the very center green thread lined with black. With individuals who were always on the edge of decisions that could get them killed, it was usually what you would find. It didn’t mean the Cryptid would die soon, but it was always an option.
“My, my, my, you certainly have changed since the last time I set eyes on you, Ender,” Jurosso drawled slowly as Cyrus pulled the chair out for Ender, and the Gorgon carefully sat down.
He held back the urge to growl at the interest he saw sparking in the man’s eyes, as the Cerberus practically caressed Ender’s pregnant belly with his gaze. Standing behind him to his right, while being careful not to tense, Cyrus rested his left hand covertly on the Gorgon’s back.
“Time can do that. But let’s not drag this out, Jurosso, you know why I’m here,” Ender stated, his voice neutral.
“Oh, I know perfectly well why you are here. But there's no harm catching up, is there?” The man’s gaze flicked down briefly, before it slipped to Cyrus. “And who might this be?”
“New bodyguard,” Ender grunted.
“Awfully close for someone new.”
Yeah, they definitely should have come up with a way for him to notify Ender that would raise less red flags than this.
The Gorgon scoffed, “The newer they are, the jumpier and more unsure of my abilities. Abilities you are well aware of. Now, enough of your nonsense, I’m a busy man, with very little free time.”
If the situation wasn’t so fucking dangerous, considering how many times Ender would end up sitting around playing with his chickens during the day, Cyrus likely would have laughed at that.
Completely ignoring what was said, Jurosso, with a small smirk, asked, “How far along are you?”
“None of your damn business,” the Gorgon snapped. “Cut the bullshit. Tell me, do you have the pixie-powered gem rods or not? We’ve already negotiated the price, and either you are willing and able, or you just decided to waste my time. For your sake, I hope it’s not the latter.”
The Cerberus chuckled. “Relax, relax, I have what you want. But I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer through my small talk to get it. I’m real friendly like that, you see. You’ll get what you want, as long as I do. Afterwards, we’ll both leave here happy as can be, for the foreseeable future.”
Cyrus tensed as there was a subtle dimming of Jurosso’s threads. Not enough for it to be an outright lie, but enough to set off warning bells. However, before he could signal Ender in any sort of way, his whole body went rigid as, for the first time since changing Killian’s fate, the threads began to speak to him, clearly and violently. But rather than speaking, it was more they were forcefully making him listen, paralyzing him into inaction.
Visions of multiple paths, many horrifying, flashed through his mind. The smell of the blood-soaked ground was so vivid, his stomach churned as sweat broke out on his skin. Worse were the visuals of Ender in various stages of death and mutilation, all atthe hands of the smiling bastard sitting on the other side of the table.
Just as Cyrus managed to shake free of the threads’ hold, before he even got a chance to do anything, Ender was lunging over the table, stretching his neck as he sank his fangs into Jurosso’s throat with a feral hiss.
Jurosso started to scream, just as Ender’s fangs pulled free, blood spurting as he clawed desperately at his neck. Cyrus wasted no time dragging Ender back, as Soren flipped the table and let out a loud bird call that informed the others outside that shit had gone to hell. The Harpy managed to do it right before the first shot from the other side even went off, as the Cerberus’ death wails continued.
He could only hope the teams outside had heard, if the gunshots weren’t already obvious, as they hadn’t been allowed to bring any sort of communication device inside. Those nearest who could fit, dropped low behind the table, while the rest with them dove behind boxes, taking cover as the gunfire started. Those nearest the door likely rushed to block it.
As Soren lobbed a fireball over head, the Harpy’s hand having transformed into a feathered talon, and Ender stretched up to fire off a few shots, the Gorgon’s movement hindered by his large stomach, Cyrus’ whole body instantly rejected the nightmare that this was, bringing time to a standstill.
The color bled away, as his eyes locked on Ender. The Gorgon, now frozen in time, was stuck stretched up, his gun mid-fire. The man’s head was clearly visible to those on the other side of the table. All it would have taken was a good shot, and in an instant, the snake would be…
Fear sending his heart beating faster in his chest, a drip of sweat trickled down his brow as he pulled out the large beam, Magnum 4 Laser Gun he’d been given. But as his eyespinpointed each person on Condi’s side clearly in sight, he…hesitated.
What was honorable and right should matter, yet when Cyrus’ gaze flicked back to Ender, and he recognized what was beneath the anger in the Gorgon’s eyes, his hesitation disappeared.
With the fear he’d seen all those months ago on the spaceship so present, Cyrus raised his gun, aimed and fired. One after another, he took out each person in view, before finally leaving his spot behind the table to track down the remaining people in the building that were on Jurosso’s side.
With time unmoving, there was no blood splatter as he fired into their brains, the actions clean, as if they hadn’t happened. But Cyrus was admittedly unsteady on his feet as he walked back behind the table.
While he was now drenched in sweat, and possibly sick to his stomach, he felt no regret for what he’d just done. After taking a calming breath, Cyrus unfroze time.
As the newly dead fell, blood bursting from their wounds as some of their guns let off one last shot, he dragged Ender back behind the table, holding on to the man as he yelled, “The building is clear! We need to handle the ones left outside, so we can get the fuck out of here!”
All eyes turned to him as the gunfire inside ceased, followed by the realization that they were fighting no one. The only real noise inside now was Jurosso screaming and writhing on the ground, the Cerberus’ skin having already turned gray.
“Well, shit, didn’t think you had it in you,” Soren chuckled, before barking, “Team Two and Three, follow your leaders, help Team Four, Five and Six clear the path to the vehicles before taking care of the rest. Team One, we’ll be cooling our heels for a moment before we follow and get to safety.”
Two-thirds of their group split off, with their guns drawn. They went straight towards the door they’d come in through, as more gunfire began before they even cleared the door.
Cyrus tightened his hold around Ender when the Gorgon tried to run after them, the crazy snake having the audacity to say, “I’m going with them!”
