The Slums

[YOLF]

Lubei

She calls him kind, but the only request she makes of him is to kill her. It would be funny, in a morbid sense, but there is little that remains morbid for those such as the two of them, he understands. Strangely, he understands. There can be honor in death, there can be dignity in vanquishment, face and merit can be bought with sacrifice, and one life can be exchanged for another. But this is none of that. Her end at his hands would be a relief, compared to perishing for all intents and purposes to whatever haunts her breast, yet being dragged unwittingly into horror.

It would go against his wishes, but he would do it. It's a slightly mean jest, that she asked like this. But he watches her go, empty and worn out, like a vessel filled with only dust, without offering even a token retort.

As he is, he can't muster the words to reach out to the young woman. But he knows. If she had anyone or anything else in her life, after the way she spoke, she wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere, waiting for passing pity on her own, with no intention to do anything for herself.

As she disappears through the door, an unforgettable feeling takes root in his heart. One day, he may be the one meant to pull the curtain on her damnation. Not by saving, but bringing the eternal rotation of carnage to a halt, where its meaningless momentum can hurt no one else. And she would thank him for it.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Hours later

? ? ? ?

The setting sun let out its final rays on the decrepit heaps of what little humans scraped by. As the veil of night soon stroked the city, a lone man in dark attire leaned by an alley-way,  holding two fingers uip his temple as the communication arrays tuned up like a telephone.

Around him, dozens of wolves devoured the remains of a broken gang. Before long, the sounds of gnashing and devouring were cut by a searing tone. "I was under the impression that apostles survived by living a life of subtlety. But it appears your survival up to now must be nothing but a miracle."

Of course, the Vampire shook his head with a flustered smile. Hard at work as ever, he took the time to follow-up on his briefing. With no laughter, his humored tone sounded like nothing more than that - a tone. "Hey, hey. I took a lot of care following your instructions.  You saw the coded message didn't you? We're allies. That just happened the easiest way to get the job done, that's that - and this is this." With a hand in his pocket, he walked around before stepping on a dead mobster's face, crushing it like a tomato. Meat-sauce spilled all over the floor wordlessly, with no more than an irritated tone to answer on the other side of the line.

The communication relay answered. "And don't be so proud of yourself. You have put me in an impossible position. I know your mental defenses aren't up to par with the rest, if you were tempered in any invasive way, that would expose far too much." And yet, Costin shrugged, crouching down as a wolf approached him so he could rub him pleasantly. Was that a smile crawling on his lips at the sound of his employer's irritation?

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, the whole story with the mental lock? She bought it without too much fuss. She didn't even try to torture me for intel - it's just as you said. She's a good person. Lying like that almost breaks my heart."

A sudden spark. Like electricity, it was enough that he didn't even need to smell his employer to tell there was simmering anger there.

"Spare me the heartbreak. So, did you do it?" And with that question, his answer came with his smile fading seriously. His tone took an entirely business-like approach, and he nodded as if there was some living being that could tell he were. "Yeah. It's almost scary, it's as you've predicted. I have an order to put down all impediments to the city's safety. So you know, it might be better if we cut direct contact for a while. I'm not sure if the order is compulsion-based or observation-based, but it'll be a problem if I kill you on the spot."

There was a tense silence. For a moment, even the vampire looked uncomfortable. Suddenly, a chuckle echoed along the alley. But it wasn't his own. And so, Costin's hand tensed, like a professional on-guard for whatever was to come.

"That is perfect. I already made arrangements to make up for the handicap. But in the meanwhile, I have another target for you."

Costin's ears perked. "Already? Ever so tireless in your generous delegation. So, who is it this time?" The following message was encrypted, but it got his brows raising even beneath the sunglasses. "Heh, you fucker. I see, I see. That won't be a problem." He chuckled, and the man on the other side of the line chuckled in turn. "Alright, I'll get on that. Don't worry about that, I'll get it done without a fuss. I'm always willing to help a friend."

Costin got up and looked up at the now darkened sky, his face content and elated. "It's as you say boss. This is all for the sake of this world's Salvation."