Raiders of the Lost Egg: Part 9
----- Exit Stage Left -----
(Note: This is a co-authored story with Bampot/Six)
"This doesn't seem right..." Kimura whispered as they lifted the Egg, carefully placing the object into a leather bag. The vault had no traps, alarms, and other than the already opened lock, no security systems attached to it.
"No it doesn't, but perhaps you would have rather this be difficult?" Tressa retorted, securing the bag.
"No, but I just..." Kimura was suddenly cut off by another voice.
"Well well...what do we have here?"
Tressa and Kimura simultaneously spun and looked toward the doorway. The unmistakable silhouette of Spurlock stood in the entrance to the room, flanked on either side by two goons who made even norn look small. The two women instinctively went into defensive stances, Tressa producing two blades from her belt, with a quick glance to make sure Kimura was doing the same.
The woman cast a sidelong glance at Tressa, as if to say, 'Where the hell do you think I am hiding a blade in this outfit?'.
Tressa took the hint, responded silently by tossing one of the weapons to her.
"So, I didn't think Barrox would show his ugly mug in person to try and steal my Egg, sending you two doesn't surprise me a bit." Spurlock grinned at Kimura's surprise. "Oh I know exactly who you were girl, the moment you walked up. I've got eyes and ears all over, even in the Reach," he said with a sneer. "I thought I'd be satisfied with taking Barrox's leg all those years ago, but you know what? I think that keeping you locked up here Pinkie, and making a coat rack out of the plant will be even better. Get 'em boys!"
The two brutes charged into the room toward Tressa and Kimura, both brandishing studded clubs. Kimura leaned back as a club whistled by her head, which she countered with a solid kick to the man's kneecap, causing him to roar in pain. Tressa dodged a clumsy attack by the bigger of the two, and leapt up and over his back, sinking a blade into the man's shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon.
Tressa noticed shadows on the wall past Spurlock in the hallway, indicating more of his goons were coming up the stairs. She knew this was not a fight they could win, the only option was to escape.
Kimura cracked the butt of her blade on the temple of the brute in front of her, sending his head snapping to the left. She turned to see Spurlock directing more men into the room.
Tressa produced several throwing knives, expertly tossing them into the oncoming guards. Kimura spun to move toward Tressa, who now was running toward the small window in the room, when she felt a hand clamp down on her back. Thrusting her arm backward, her elbow smashed into the nose of another Emporium guard, causing him to fall back, taking her top with him in his grip. Kimura got up and ran toward Tressa, who had the Egg slung on her back in the bag.
"Go go go!" she cried out, following the sylvari, crashing through the glass window, the Black Rose and the topless Kimura fell into the darkness to the water of the bay below.
Spurlock frowned at his men as they picked themselves up. "Sorry boss... they got away." one of the men said, expecting the owner to give them a blast.
"Of course they did you idiot! That was the plan! Don't tell me you were actually trying!" Spurlock spat, smacked the already bleeding man on the back of the head. "Just make sure they make it back safely to Divinity's Reach...and contact me when they do." he said, thrusting a small gnomish communicator against the man's chest. "Mess this up and I'll have your head...now clean this crap up! I've got a show to oversee."
With that, Spurlock spun on his heel and exited the room.
Two days later, Tressa and Kimura stepped into the abandoned warehouse and walked toward the entrance to their home, Barrox's hidden headquarters.
"So you agree? It was all too easy?" Tressa asked.
Kimura paused as she lifted the crate that contained the hidden ladder to the hideout's door. "Maybe...but we got the Egg, Barrox will be ecstatic. It's all he's ever talked about," she said as she disappeared into the darkness below. Tressa slightly frowned and followed her inside.
As expected, Barrox and Plopp both were at the door waiting for them.
"I knew it! I knew it!" the charr exclaimed as Kimura handed him the bag. Even Plopp was beaming as Barrox excitedly opened the sack, producing the legendary, and priceless Egg. Kimura almost thought she seen a tear form in the old charr's eye.
"It's...beautiful!" he whispered reverently, holding the precious treasure aloft. He looked down at pair of thieves with the biggest grin. "Thank you both... you did it! Who's laughing now Spurlock, you son-of-a-bitch!" he exclaimed before bursting into laughter. Kimura had an empathetic smile and elbowed Tressa, enjoying the look on Barrox's face, the old charr finally having found the one thing that eluded him all these years.
"Let's celebrate!" Kimura said, grabbing a nearby bottle off a shelf.
"Right!" Barrox said. He produced a small sack of coins from his belt, tossed it to Kimura with a chuckle. "But let's get the good stuff. Go around the corner and grab a few bottles of that Dejarin wine kid; it's going to be a long night!"
"I'm going with," Tressa said, making the decision without consulting anyone. Kimura raised an eyebrow at the gesture. She and the sylvari never did see eye-to-eye, and she wasn't sure they ever would. But, maybe tonight could be different. Tonight wasn't about them and their issues, it was all about Barrox and Plopp and a celebration of their newfound wealth.
"Fine," Kimura nodded and headed toward the ladder.
Barrox slumped down in his chair, the old asura sitting nearby. "Plopp my friend...looks like retirement is finally here. We'll find a nice place on the beach, get drunk every day, and enjoy every minute of it!"
Plopp grinned and nodded. The Egg was spectacular, a golden treasure unlike any other, the asura thought. Its shine, its shape, all perfect... except for one small mark on it's base Plopp noticed, and pointed to it.
"What?" Barrox asked, turning the Egg over. The was a small gash on its base, its gold seemingly peeled off. "The hell?" Barrox's claw scraped along the mark, dragging more gold off the side of it, revealing metal underneath. The charr scraped more and more gold off, growling in anger once he realized they were fooled. Plopp found a small stencil on the side, indicating what the fake Egg actually was.
The usually silent asura almost said a full word. "Fuuuuu-"
Then, the Egg exploded.
Kimura and Tressa had just reached the top of the ladder when the force of the explosion threw them both into the air. The ground around them ruptured as the explosion incinerated Barrox's hideout and everything inside in a blast of flame and shrapnel. The warehouse was engulfed in flames. Tressa pulled Kimura along and out of the collapsing building, as the girl screamed in anguish as the only home, the only family she had known, were incinerated.
On a rooftop, several blocks away, one of Spurlock's goons held the communicator up to his mouth and pressed the button. "Your plan worked. It's done boss."
[To be Continued...]
