‘Ahem.’ Khaos attempted a cough to get his attention. She received an icy glare in response.
‘Of course, ma’am, we will contact him and let him know you are looking for him. No problem. Ok. Bu-bye now. Bu-bye.’ He appeared to put the call down, and Khaos seized this opportunity to get his attention.
‘Excuse me… ’
His eyes narrowed and he seemed, for a split second, to be forming some sort of snappy response, when the phone rang. His eyes immediately glazed over again.
‘Legend Resort helpdesk, how may I help you today? Yes, ma’am. Why yes of course. Please, ma’am, I’m sure your daughter is just having a really great time and has just forgotten to call you… Yes I understand, but these things happen, ma’am… ’ The call continued in this manner. It seemed a lot like the last call. Chillingly, Khaos realised what this meant. All these worried parents had no idea what was really going on here, or that they may never see their sons and daughters ever again.
As he was putting the phone down, Khaos tried again.
‘Please, I just need to collect my ticket, then I will be out of your hair.’ She glanced at his hair then, noticing how light it was. ‘Is Loka around?’
He opened his mouth and again almost replied, then, exasperatingly, ignored her again, taking yet another call.
‘Legend Resort helpdesk, how may I help you? Yes, sir, we know the names and locations of all visitors to the island… Yes, sir, I appreciate your concern, but trust me, Legend Island is so much fun, your daughter probably just hasn’t had the time to check in with you. Don’t worry… Of course I will, sir. No problem.’
‘You get a lot of calls like that, don’t you?’ said Khaos, thoughtfully. This time, the receptionist’s eyes darted to hers momentarily, before he continued with another call.
Khaos sighed, then reached over her shoulder and drew her sword.
‘One moment please.’ The receptionist narrowed his eyes at her, but seemed unperturbed by the weapon. Perhaps he got threatened all the time and was hardened to it. It was not quite the reaction Khaos had anticipated. He sighed loudly to let Khaos know how much she was wasting his time, then pulled the headset off and got up slowly.
He strode to the double doors and typed a number into the keypad. The door lock released with a dull click and he pushed the doors open with a flourish, letting them swing shut behind him, leaving Khaos alone by the desk momentarily. She sheathed her sword again, in the hope she would not have to resort to violence once more to get what she needed.
Within seconds, he returned.
‘No, sorry, she’s not available.’ He did not seem sorry however, more smug than apologetic. ‘Come back tomorrow.’ Before Khaos could reply, he was back at his desk, sitting down with his headset on again, as if he had never left it. ‘Legend Island helpdesk, how can I help you?’
Come back tomorrow! We don’t have time for that!
‘I know it,’ Khaos muttered, staring thoughtfully at the double doors. After all, they were only wood, weren’t they? Wood could be easily persuaded to smash…
‘Wait, you can’t go in there!’ the receptionist cried after her, as Khaos strode purposefully to the door. She raised both arms in the air, palms outwards, and closed her eyes, concentrating.
‘Move, wood, you were a tree once. Break your bonds! You are free!’ she murmured, focusing her energy on the doors.
It worked first time. The doors strained on their hinges before bursting outwards, each splitting right down the middle, emanating deep groans as the wood splintered and cracked. Khaos swung her arms to the side and the doors were gone, leaving the twisted remains of their hinges still attached to the door frame. Splinters of wood flew everywhere.
To reveal an empty room.
A lonely office with an empty desk and chair. Filing cabinets and bookshelves dominated most of the wall space. There was no other door; the only access to this room was through the double doors. Who had the receptionist gone to speak to?
‘You shouldn’t have come, Khaos,’ said a soft voice behind her. She heard the click and rustle of metal. Someone behind her had a gun.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘You should have stayed away.’ The voice behind Khaos now seemed feminine, catlike, and all too familiar. She turned slowly to see the receptionist standing right behind her, toting two pistols, their shafts gleaming silver. ‘I tried to let you down gently, now I am asking you to leave.’
‘Who were you talking to in there?’ Khaos jerked her thumb toward the empty room.
‘What does it matter? You have to go, that’s all you need to know.’
‘Look, I won that ticket fair and square, just give it to me!’
‘There’s no point in you trying to argue, just take a hint and get out of here!’ hissed the receptionist.
‘There’s more to you than just a receptionist with a bad attitude, isn’t there?’
Just then, the phone began to ring.
‘Aren’t you going to take that?’
The receptionist did not reply, but stood like a statue.
‘I’m afraid you will be disappointed when you fire those bullets,’ Khaos said, as she reached over her shoulder for her sword. As she did this, the receptionist took aim, and shot her in the arm, just below the elbow, between the two plates of armour that were supposed to protect that area.
Khaos winced, staggering back a little. Her arm throbbed in pain; she clutched at it, watching the blood ooze from the wound. She felt that old familiar wave of nausea and dizziness wash over her, but she held fast, knowing this would pass in a moment. It was only human feelings, nothing more. She could not be harmed. Breathe in, breathe out. She released her arm, which already began to feel better.
‘As I said, you might be disappointed –’ She was cut off as the receptionist released another couple of bullets; this time one deflected off her armour plating, the other pierced just above her shoulder. She winced again, staggering back, clenching her teeth as the waves of pain resumed, but continued to draw her sword.
‘This isn’t funny anymore.’ Another round of bullets, a shot to her thigh and her side. The armour she wore only seemed to protect her most vital organs and did not shield her from all the bullets. The nausea and dizziness almost overwhelmed her this time. But she shouldered it, weathered the storm. She held her sword in both hands, the blade burning bright, her clothes soaked in her own blood, her body a veritable swiss cheese of bullet holes, each at a different stage of healing. She let the pain pass, unmoved by it, though the instincts of her body tried to tell her she was in terrible pain, dying. She knew they were wrong.
She charged forward, her sword swinging with a life of its own. With one powerful swipe of her blade she cut the barrel off of one pistol, rendering it useless, much to the surprise of the receptionist. She grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the other gun and squeezed hard. He fired a few bullets randomly, each missing their target, before losing his grip on the gun. Khaos took this chance, and with lightening reflexes swung a foot up and knocked him hard in the chest, sending him hammering back against the wall.
Something strange happened then. In the instant his head made contact with the wall, his face seemed to suddenly explode, a mane of white blonde hair shot out, like a flower opening at high speed, and the face changed to an angry red female one. Loka.
‘Why am I not surprised. I thought the voice was familiar.’ Khaos tried to seem nonchalant, but her mind reeled from the sight of Loka changing like that. She had known Loka could change her form; she had fooled her many times before. But actually seeing it happen was an eye-watering experience.
‘You fucked up my gun!’ Loka raged, wheezing from the blow to her chest.
‘So you don’t have any staff then, it’s just you?’
‘Shut up!’ Loka scrabbled around on the floor for the other gun. ‘That was one of my favourite pistols!’
‘Why did you lead me here if you didn’t want to give me the ticket I won?’
&
nbsp; ‘I didn’t lead you here!’
‘You left me this.’ Khaos held up the white card.
‘I don’t know where you got that.’
‘And why did you choose me to enter the drinking contest?’
‘I wanted to see you chuck your guts up! I hoped you would fuck up. I didn’t think you would win.’
‘Well, turns out I’m a little tougher than you think.’
‘Hmm, yes, but not without weakness. I just have to find it.’ Loka suddenly leapt to her feet, red-faced, with the other gun in her hand. ‘Now you’re gonna get it!’ She pulled back the safety.
Khaos made toward her, sword in hand. Then Loka pulled the trigger.
A straight shot to her head; which was completely unprotected. The headshot was far worse than the other bullet wounds. Momentarily, Khaos felt her brain explode, and the rush of bile rising from her gut as her skull came back together again. Without waiting for the pain to be over, Khaos raised her sword and swung, but the blade made no contact, she was not close enough. Loka stepped back and shot again; this time the bullet glanced off the middle of her breastplate.
Though she was not injured, Khaos was forced to stop again, wheezing from the blast. Again, she made for Loka, and again, she was shot back, the sword swinging uselessly, just out of reach. Over and over, Khaos tried to strike, but each time, Loka dodged out of her range then shot at Khaos. And she was a damn good shot, stopping her each time in her tracks.
After a while, Khaos became accustomed to the pain, and the bullets became just a little annoying. But it was becoming increasingly frustrating that she could not get a good swipe at Loka, not even once, because every time she got close, she was shot back, sending her reeling with pain and disorientation.
'Don't you ever run out of bullets?' Khaos hissed, wiping blood from another rapidly healing wound on her face.
'It’s amazing how well you heal,' Loka marvelled.
'Impressive, isn't it?'
'Just as well, because you really don't know how to dodge a bullet.'
'What's wrong, don't you heal fast?'
'Not as fast as you.'
'Really, so what would happen if I cut your head off?’ Khaos waved the sword threateningly.
Loka did not reply.
'Would you die?'
'Momentarily. Then I would come back and blow your brains out.'
'Where do you go?'
'What do you mean?'
'Where do you go?' Khaos was suddenly intrigued. 'For that moment?'
'Nowhere.' A flicker of emotion passed over Loka's face.
'Liar.'
Use your powers, Khaos, the sword is useless against her weapons! the Spirit Voice interrupted.
Khaos cast around, her eyes alighting on the water tank by the door. The water! Her skill with controlling water was still pretty erratic, but what harm would it do to practice? Now would be as good time as any to try it out.She reached back, fingers extended towards the water cooler, and concentrated.
‘What are you doing?’
Khaos ignored Loka, allowing her mind to relax and sink into a deep mode of concentration. She flexed her fingers slowly, willing the water, every drop of it, every molecule, to come to her aid.
She cracked open an eye in time to see the large water bottle on top of the cooler wobbling a bit, but nothing more. Then it stopped.
‘Trying out a new trick?’
Khaos closed her eyes again, tighter this time, and sank her mind back down to absolute focus. There was only her and the water. The water was so fluid, so quick, she could not grasp it, she could not get its attention. It was just out of reach…
‘It’s going really badly, in case you are wondering,’ Loka chattered, deliberately trying to distract Khaos.
Khaos could hear something metallic then, and wondered what Loka was doing. Reloading her gun perhaps? She felt the urge to look, but no, she must not lose focus. Again, every part of her was focused on the water. Move, come to her aid.
She heard a shuffling noise then a thump, then Khaos opened her eyes in time to see the large bottle of water fly across the room, missing Loka by several feet, before slamming loudly but harmlessly off the wall behind her.
‘Well, that was worth the wait.’
‘Shut up!’ Khaos snapped. Why had it not worked? All that effort and time, for it to completely miss. What a waste. ‘Just what is your problem anyway, Loka? Why keep trying to kill me?’
‘I’m not trying to kill you. I’m trying to do you a favour.’
‘You have a warped idea of what a favour is, then.’
‘You should stop, now, before you get too deep in this thing.’
‘I can’t. I have to do this.’
‘No, you don’t. You do it because that stupid voice in your head tells you to. Just get out of here! You can still use your legs, can’t you? Get the hell out of here, turn around and go back to whichever rock you were hiding under.’
Do not trust what she says, Khaos. She is a villain, her every word is an attempt to deceive you.
‘I have to do this, Loka. I have no choice. I am bound to this task. Until the demons are all destroyed, I will never stop. I will never rest.’
‘But you don’t understand, you left it too late. You can’t win, not this time. You can’t beat this guy. You have no idea what you are up against.’
‘I destroyed the last demon, didn’t I?’
‘Trust me, that was a walk in the park compared to what you will face here, if you continue.’ Even Loka looked a little scared then. ‘Envy, that was one bitch of a demon. She could twist your mind to her will with one look, one touch. But Gluttony, he… he is something else. He doesn’t care about your mind. He will turn it to mush. He has a terrible hunger always, he cares for nothing else. You will be nothing to him but a scrap of meat, an entrée.’
‘He eats people?’
‘Souls. He’s a soul eater. Didn’t you know that? Didn’t your inner voice tell you that?’
It is as I feared: he has gotten very strong because of your delay, Khaos.
‘You should have told me. Why withhold that from me?’
What difference would it have made? You still have to face him, no matter how strong he has become.’
‘Are you done arguing with yourself?’
‘You can’t put me off by trying to scare me, Loka. I’m not a child. I am Khaos, destroyer of worlds. Slayer of demons. My path has already been set, I am unstoppable. I will go to slay this demon Gluttony, whatever the cost.’
‘You go to your death then,’ muttered Loka, seemingly a little taken aback by Khaos’ resoluteness of speech. ‘Those don’t sound like your words, though. You let the voice speak for you too much.’
‘And what would you know of my words, Loka? What do you know of me? Nothing.’
‘Yes. Yes you are right.’ Loka seemed resolved about something then, as if she had been deep in thought and had now come to a decision. ‘Still, if you insist on going after the demon Gluttony, then I have no choice but to take you out.’ She stood and raised the gun, aiming for Khaos’ head once more.
You are Khaos. Become Khaos. See through the eyes of Khaos.
She felt a rush in her brain as once more, the spirit took hold. She opened her eyes, her vision grey, reached out to the water, and willed it with all her might, all the power of the Earth and the forces of nature, the phases of the Moon, willing it like a current, as if she were water too, merging with it and speaking to it in a way no other could understand. The bottle was in the air once more – and collided with the back of Loka’s head.
There was a dull but heavy thump. Loka’s face bore an expression of surprise as she slowly toppled forward, the gun slipping from her hand.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Khaos wasted no time in searching the office for her ticket; without it, she would never get to Legend Island. She was aware of Loka’s crumpled body out of the corner of her eye as she scrabbled through the reception desk and found herself
glancing at her over and over, as if expecting her to move, to get up and carry on where she’d left off. But no, Loka lay there, motionless.
Khaos searched the whole office to no avail, until she came across a locked desk in the private office. It was the only place the tickets could be, she had searched everywhere else. But where would the key be?
She looked over at Loka’s body again, hesitantly. The obvious place was Loka’s pockets, if she had any, but the thought of patting down Loka’s body while she lay there dead seemed wrong somehow. Like robbing a grave.
‘I’m not stealing though, the ticket is rightfully mine.’ She crossed to where Loka’s body lay, crouched, and stared at her face for a moment. Her pale blue eyes were still wide open, staring but seeing nothing. Yet somehow, and perhaps it was just Khaos’ imagination, the expression of surprise Loka had died with had changed to what now looked like, well, almost fear.
Gingerly, Khaos reached to Loka’s trouser pockets, patting them gently. Nothing. She had a breast pocket though, the slightest of bulges in it.
‘This is your fault you know,’ she said to Loka’s corpse. ‘You should have just given me the ticket, and then I would have been on my way. I wouldn’t have had to kill you, then prod around your dead body.’ With two fingers, Khaos reached into the small breast pocket, her heart pounding erratically. It was so strange to be this close to her enemy, close enough that she dared not breathe for fear of waking Loka up. She did not move though, and the pocket did in fact hold a tiny set of silver keys. ‘Yes.’
The locked desk opened to reveal a neat pile of VIP passes for the boat and the island. After a moment’s thought, Khaos grabbed a handful.
I might need a few of these, for friends, she thought. She slinked away, though she did feel the urge to stay and see what would happen to Loka. It had surely been a few minutes now, and she still lay there. But no, the clock was ticking. The demon wasn’t going to slay itself.
Outside, on the way back down the alleyway, Khaos passed Bottle’s shrunken, still frame. She glanced down at him sadly.
Resort Page 8
